UWaterloo Alumni Podcasts UWaterloo Alumni

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 to hear that conversation, where they share the unexpected obstacles and lessons learned in their careers so far.
Learn more about Waterloo Alumni Chapters, and find one near you! https://bit.ly/3Wet4Fy

In 2008, David Kennedy (BMath '02) and his co-founders launched a website where users could create comic strips about themselves and their friends. From the beginning, people had a special connection with the animated characters that looked like them.
 
Eventually, those characters became what we now know as Bitmoji — emoji that look like you, and represent your emotions in a more authentic way than a yellow happy face can.
 
As a computer science grad with strong interests in the arts, it's no surprise David helped to create a product like Bitmoji. He joined the podcast to share his career journey, explore his long-time interest in human nature and offer some human-centric advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Arda Öcal studied math at Waterloo because it would lead to a stable career. But he was more interested in media. He wrote for Imprint and hung out at CKMS, Waterloo's student radio station. After graduation, he followed that passion, and today he's the host of Sportcentre and NHL on ESPN. 
So, How did Arda find his way to ESPN? Mostly, by saying yes. Over the years, he said yes to any opportunity, gaining new skills and experience along the way. 
With each "yes," Arda stepped into a new challenge. And now, he says his job is a dream come true. He joins the podcast to talk about his many jobs in broadcasting, offer advice to those who want to break in, and explain how a math degree prepared him for sports media.
Follow us on social media to meet more alumni like Arda.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uwaterlooalumni/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/uwaterlooalumni/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uwaterlooalumni?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uwaterlooalumni

In a future that promises opportunity and waves of disruption, great leaders will need more than technical expertise to deliver results for their organizations. 
Rose Patten is the Special Advisor to the CEO of BMO Financial Group and Chancellor of the University of Toronto, and just last week she joined the UWaterloo community to discuss her new book, Intentional Leadership: The Big 8 Capabilities Setting Leaders Apart. In today's episode, you'll hear that discussion with UWaterloo President and Vice-Chancellor Vivek Goel, where Rose revealed why Leadership needs to be intentional and the top skills required for success.
 
Join us at a future event: https://bit.ly/3Nq8Sv8
Learn more about Rose's book: https://bit.ly/3ZIa8j5

If you're an international student or new grad, this episode is for you.
Job Search Club is a new program for international visa students at UWaterloo. Every week, students gather for online sessions that will help them prepare for their post-graduation job search. 
In today's episode, you get to be a fly on the wall in one of these sessions, where four international alumni share their experience starting a career in Canada. You'll meet financial analyst Limei Chen (BMath '21), entrepreneur Marium Kirmani (BSc '17), sales professional Shreena Maistry (BES '22) and engineer Sumesh Gupta (MEng '21). Together, they cover a lot of topics, including work permits, interview tips and cultural differences in Canadian workplaces.


Join the Zero Work program to take your career search to the next level: http://bit.ly/3lEDeB9
Learn more about the Job Search Club: http://bit.ly/3KbNfjA

Michael Cao came to Waterloo's Kinesiology program thinking that he might become a doctor or physiotherapist. At that point, he had no idea that his bachelor and master's degrees would give him an edge as a user experience (UX) professional, or lead him to work at TheScore. 
Today, Michael is a UX researcher and leader, whose work plays a vital role in how I -- and thousands of other fans -- get the latest news about our favourite teams and players. Michael joins the podcast to talk about that role, how he got here, and how his Kin background makes him better at his job.

Follow us on social media to meet more alumni like Michael.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uwaterlooalumni/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/uwaterlooalumni/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uwaterlooalumni?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uwaterlooalumni