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UWaterloo Alumni Podcasts present personal stories and professional expertise from our global network of grads. In "Uncharted" alumni open up about their career journeys to inspire your own path. In "Alumni Know" grads share their expertise on today's timely and important topics. "Event Broadcasts" bring UWaterloo alumni events, including lectures and expert panels, straight to your earbuds.
61 Episodes
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Joshua Pope (BASc ’19) came to Waterloo with a big idea to change how people play and train for sports. With the right support at Waterloo, the right partner — Rowan Ferrabee (BASc ’19) — and plenty of grit and perseverance, that dream is now a reality. The Trajekt Arc is a pitching robot that replicates pro players and is being used by dozens of professional teams. Josh and Rowan came back to campus to chat about how they’re changing the game for professional baseball players. Re...
Christina Sullivan (BASc ’23) never planned to work in Formula One racing. But when her sister convinced her to binge-watch Netflix's Drive to Survive during the pandemic, everything changed. From studying mechatronics engineering at Waterloo to securing a placement that turned into a full-time position at Williams Racing — Christina is still early in her career, but she’s proving that she’s on track for a bold future. Read more about Christina and other champions of change in Wa...
Eyitemi Popo (MDEI ’16) is changing the way we explore Africa through Girls Trip Tours, a luxury travel company connecting women travelers with authentic African experiences while empowering local women and girls. Read more about Eyitemi in Waterloo Magazine.
Stephanie Boutari (BAS ’11, MArch ’14) blends her passion for painting with architectural knowledge to create vibrant murals. But this career path wasn't a natural step for the UWaterloo architecture alum. In this episode, Stephanie shares her story of taking a brave leap into the world of art. We also discuss her meticulous design process and the landscape of career possibilities for artists. Read more of Stephanie's story in Waterloo Magazine.
In a deeply personal conversation, Brian Orend (BA ’94) opens up about his frustrating journey of medical misdiagnosis after having his first seizure at age 30. Brian's anger motivated him to research happiness and share his findings in a book, which offers practical tips for a more positive life. As a philosophy professor at the University of Waterloo, he's now teaching a course on happiness. Read more about Brian and other stories about happiness in Waterloo Magazine.
After completing her co-op terms at the University of Waterloo, Alice Chu (BA ’18) felt a corporate career was no longer the right fit for her. On this episode of Uncharted, she shares her journey from the Honours Arts and Business program to a thriving career in the food industry, then pursuing a second career in law. Alice opens up about her transformative co-op terms, how an exchange to Singapore ignited her passion for food and how she’s committed to lifelong learning and pursuing new int...
In May, the University of Waterloo launched a new alumni chapter in Ottawa. As part of the event, alumni from the Ottawa region joined an expert panel to explore happiness. Moderator: Salman Jivani (BA ’11, MA ’17), associate vice-president, office of advancement, University of Waterloo Panelists: Dr. Linda Duxbury (BSc ’75, MASc ’77, PhD ’83), professor, management, Carleton University Niraj Bhargava (BASc ’86), founder and CEO, NuEnergy.ai and The New Energy Group ...
Michelle Li (BSc ’05) has always been interested in sustainability and took a leap in 2017 to become vegan when she wanted to do more to decrease her own carbon footprint. Today, she’s the founder of Clever Carbon, a playful educational website with the goal of increasing carbon literacy amongst consumers. “When we don’t understand the impact, it’s easy to ignore it.” Michelle is also passionate about empowering other women working in climate and has founded a global network of over ...
It can be daunting to decide what schools you want to apply to and what you want to study when you’re only a teenager in high school. But it’s important to remember that what you choose to study doesn’t always dictate what type of career you’ll have. And it didn’t for Ahmed Mezil (BASc ’14). He’s one of many alumni who have taken an unexpected career journey. How do you start in engineering at the University of Waterloo and end up becoming the CEO of the cleaning company Hellamaid? That...
Think back to when you got your first bank account. What year was it? How did you deposit cheques, pay for items or check your balance? I bet a lot has changed since then. Today, you can do all of this from your phone, in any location you choose. Thanks to the financial technology (or FinTech) industry, more is changing every day. Our banking apps are constantly being updated with new information and tools. Do-it-yourself platforms are giving more access and control than ever. And AI ha...
It happens every spring. You might not want to, but you have to file your income taxes. Collect your documents, file through an accountant or online platform, and through some magical math you'll discover your fate: payment or refund. If income taxes seem like a mysterious government equation, this episode is for you. Andrew Bauer (BA '03, MAcc '03, PhD '12) is a Canada Research Chair in Taxation, Governance and Risk. He's also an associate professor in Waterloo's School of Accounting a...
Money is personal. And we have a lot of feelings about it. How could we not? Our financial situations directly affect our lifestyles, health and even our self-worth. On top of that, our financial situations as children can change the way we deal with money later in life, leading us to avoid opening bills, overspend or take unnecessary risks. So, how can you improve your relationship with money and build good habits? Lianne Hannaway (BMath '02, MAcc '02) joins the podcast to explore the ...
Life can be expensive. Between rent, debt payments, savings and personal expenses — it can be hard to keep track of what's going in and out of your bank account each month. If money feels overwhelming, don't worry! Michelle Hung (BMath '08) joins the podcast to break down all the components of a budget, so you can create a monthly practice that works for your needs today and in the future. After Michelle graduated from Waterloo, she spent seven years working in investment banking and ventur...
Earlier this year, alumni in Waterloo Region shared their journeys to unique careers. At the Road Less Travelled event, students and alumni joined us to hear from four grads of the last decade who took an unexepected path. In today's episode, we'll listen to their stories. You'll hear from BeBlended founder Aileen Agada (BASc '21), artist Saphera Peters (GBDA '20), UX researcher Michael Cao (BSc '15, MSc '18) and health tech entrepreneur Keenan Sarani (PharmD '21). If you like th...
Universities are not just schools. They're also communities, and today's guest understands that deeply. Robin Jones-Stadelbauer (BA '12, BA '22) decided to study social development because she wanted to work with Indigenous communities, like the one she'd grown up in. But her time as a student was difficult. She felt disconnected and isolated from the her Indigenous culture. Eventually, she decided to take a break and moved home. Later, Robin returned to Waterloo as a staf...
There are more than 230,000 Waterloo alumni located all over the world. The beauty of having such a large, global community is that you're bound to find other alumni you can connect with — people who come from a similar background, live in the same city, or share the same interests as you. In this episode, we speak with alumni who are helping to facilitate those connections. Thoko Phiri (PhD '18) and Margaret Mutumba (PhD '23) both came to Waterloo as international graduate students in ...
Monika Snowdon (PhD '21) is a nano-scientist. During her PhD, she created microscopic structures that look like tweezers to stabilize carbon nano-tubes when manufacturing microchips. It's a very specific solution for a very specific problem. But Monika's career hasn't been so specific. If anything, Monika is a great example of how one type of experience or knowledge can transfer into a different area. That electronic nanotech experience she got as a PhD student? She uses it today as a s...
On June 28, 2023, two weeks after we recorded this episode, the University of Waterloo was confronted by a hate-motivated, violent attack. A professor and two students in the Philosophy 202/Gender and Social Justice 222 course were attacked because they were exploring issues related to society and gender. As a community, we stand united against all forms of violence, hatred and bigotry. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, safe and welcoming environment for everyone. Wh...
Originally recorded in May 2021, Brad Regehr (BA '93) shares how he reconnected with his identity and culture, and what the future holds for Indigenous rights in Canada. Brad is a member of the Peter Bellantyne Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. A grandchild of a residential school survivor, and a survivor himself of the Sixties Scoop, he's worked in Indigenous law for more than 20 years. In fall 2020, he was named president of the Canadian Bar Association—the first Indigenous president in the orga...
Everyone makes mistakes, but most of us don't like to talk about them. Last month, the Vancouver Alumni Chapter invited three Waterloo grads to turn their biggest blunders into talking points. The Mistakes That Made Us event featured a discussion with startup founder Ian MacKinnon (BMath '06, MMath '08) and life leadership coach Gloria Eid (BA '11). Moderator Matt Manuel (BASc '93), principal PM manager at Microsoft, shared some of his own flubs too. In this episode, you'll get t...
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