At UWSA, we love seeing the difference the Staff Enhancement Grant makes in our members’ lives. Here are just a few stories from recent recipients, showing how they used the grant and the positive impact it had.
Jason Dekorte
I took a blacksmithing course at Thak Ironworks to make a Greco-Roman breastplate.
It provided an opportunity for me to try something out of my regular wheelhouse that gave me new skills and confidence in my abilities. I view blacksmithing as an expression of art—and art can foster connections and dialogue across diverse groups, preserves culture and is something that brings people together.
Emma Dooley
I used the grant to attend a beginner's pottery wheel course at the Waterloo Potter's Workshop.
I personally benefitted from the experience by being able to try something new and exercise my creativity. It positively contributed to my mental health because I was able to meet people in the community and mindfully engage with art! It can be challenging to find balance with work and I often feel tired and not able to do much in the evenings but having the workshop gave me something to look forward to after work and decompress.
I was able to share about my experience at work and role model the importance of work life-balance, investing in hobbies and trying new experiences. I also told my team about SEG and encouraged them to apply and try something new they are passionate about.
Sophia Diebold
I used my SEG to complete a six-week pottery course at Play with Clay in Galt!
Over 18 hours, I learned the basics of pottery through techniques like wheel throwing, pinching, coiling, and slab building. My final pieces are still being fired, but I can’t wait to see them! Even if they’re not gallery-worthy, I’m proud of the skills I’ve gained. I also discovered a creative community and a fulfilling outlet that I can turn to for enjoyment and self-care.
Amanda Helka
I used my grant to take digital drawing classes in Procreate, a digital drawing platform for iPad.
I really enjoy being creative in my freedom and digital art is an area I had never explored before. This was a cool opportunity to try a completely new art form and gave me new fine art skills.
I used two opportunities during the course to draw subjects in my own life. I was able to illustrate a friend's recently passed pet cat and illustrate a family portrait (including their furriest members) for another friend. In addition, I've joined KW Creators and have put my name forward to be an artist at events who draws quick portraits of people for free!
Eli Clarke
I used the grant to begin taking boxing lessons at a local gym. The granted funds covered my initial three sessions and equipment.
After the initial sessions, I have continued with regular sessions. The sessions are helping me to establish a baseline of my current health and fitness status and giving me goals to work to improve those. It is helping me to improve my energy levels and self-confidence.
Monica Kitor
I used this grant to attend a May dance workshop from visiting instructor Deon Harrell.
I had a fabulous time learning new moves and being taught by a champion dancer in a group setting. I'll be a better dancer when I volunteer with our local group, Remix Swing. Remix Swing is a local woman-owned small business.
Donna Shin
I used the grant to take a croissant baking class and a glass blowing class.
I learned a great deal about perseverance, diligence, creativity and teamwork in various environments. I lead virtual cooking and baking classes for the UW group (staff, alumni) and learning to fine-tune baking skills and instructional methods will benefit colleagues and the community.
Alana Rigby
I used the grant to complete three workshops organized by Body Harmonics, an industry leader in movement education.
I gained detailed and current knowledge about anatomy of three main areas of the body: the shoulder joint, hip and knee, and the spine. I hope to volunteer to lead more stretching and movement breaks for our team here at the School of Pharmacy.
Ovie Enuku
I participated in the National Coach Education Program for Pickleball. The coaching program was delivered by Pickleball Canada and Canada’s Tennis Professional Association. I participated in the “Introducing Pickleball” (Instructor 1) program hosted by Real Pickleball Guelph. The training started with a mandatory online component which includes learning about key concepts, terminology, and other ideas central to Pickleball. The online training also had a course on making ethical decisions as an instructor with real life example to give participants an understanding of what we might be faced with as instructors. The last part of the course was an onsite session with all participants hosted on a pickleball court with instructors from National Coach Education Program for Pickleball. We went through the rules of the game, participated in drills on serving, playing fore-hand strokes, back-hand strokes, dinks, smashes and playing strategy with singles match and doubles match.
The instructors training gave me the opportunity to improve my technical skills and understanding of playing strategies, making me a more proficient player and instructor. The course availed me the opportunity at mastering my teaching techniques which has significantly boosted my confidence on the court. Teaching requires excellent communication skills and leadership skills. This instructor’s course has made me comfortable in taking charge of drills and guiding others during training sessions with clear and effective communication.
The instructors course gave me the knowledge and skills to train more recreational players in my local community and help them start playing pickleball and improving their game. As a local ambassador, I have used the skills and knowledge gained from the instructor’s course to advocate for more members of my immediate community to play Pickleball to improve their mental and physical wellbeing. I currently organize “Get Active” pickleball drop-in sessions for my friends and family once a week, to learn about the sport and improve their game. These activities would contribute to a better physical and mental health for community members. As an advocate on campus, I am constantly recruiting colleagues to join the Pickleball Staff drop-in sessions every Thursday on campus.
Jessi Nelson
I used to grant to build my skills in website design for Wordpress, including how to use Elementor and how to improve search engine optimization (SEO). I also learned how to create video using equipment, such as a phone, as well as what equipment I might need as I build those skills further. Both website creation and video content creation courses were taken to build my skills in digital literacy and digital product creation that I can now put on a resume or use in the future to improve my career goals and prospects. One exciting thing, is I was able to take more courses than I originally planned with the $200 because when I went to purchase the courses, Udemy had a deal on and courses were a fraction of the cost. This allowed me to take a couple courses for website building, SEO, and video production, as well as one for accessible web design.
I personally benefitted from the experience because I started with a very basic understanding of how to create videos and how to design a Wordpress website and I now have a much better and broader understanding of how to do these things. The biggest impact was taking courses that had resources to support my learning, such that I was able to get a "hands-on" experience without having to purchase a website or domain and without having to purchase video production equipment. As I have just acquired these new skills, I can now put them to use by helping small businesses in my local community, though I have yet to reach out to any companies and inquire.
Mary Power
I used the grant to take an emergency first aid course and a dragon boat coaching course. Both courses were very valuable indeed. The first aid course included the basic first aid, CPR and AED, as well as hours of practice with strategies to provide first aid and rescue in remote locations, including dealing with hypothermia and potential spinal injury. While I hope I do not need to use most of this knowledge too often, it is helpful to know I can and will give me confidence leading my dragon boat team and on my adventures in the wilderness. The dragon boat coaching course advanced my skills and additionally provided me with connections to other coaches across the country, including two other coaches of Breast Cancer Survivor teams who both have a great deal of experience and are happy to be mentors.
My dragon boat teams, in particular, will benefit from my advanced coaching knowledge. I am excited to help my breast cancer survivor team prepare more effectively for the international breast cancer festival in France in August 2026. The other team I coach will also benefit, I am sure, from my greater knowledge of coaching and racing strategy. Both groups will be more secure with my advanced first aid training. Additionally, the outdoors groups I belong to will benefit from having another person with wilderness/remote first aid training.