Wherever Life Takes You

The rise of the University of Calgary from a small regional institution to an intellectual hub of global influence parallels that of Canada itself. Of UCalgary’s nearly 180,000 alumni, who hail from 153 countries, approximately 11,200 live abroad. Our alumni body is larger, more diverse (in age and race), and increasingly more engaged than ever before.

Foreword from Michael V. Sclafani, Associate Vice-President, Alumni Engagement & Partnerships

My role as associate vice-president of Alumni Engagement & Partnerships connects me to a broad swath of people who care enough to get involved and build community. Fundamentally, that’s the role of both the Alumni Engagement team and the University of Calgary Alumni Association — community-building. We connect alumni to UCalgary and to each other. It is precisely this drive to not only connect, but connect in ways that are meaningful, personal, and bring value to both the individual and the university, that prompted us to strengthen and focus our alumni programming. Whether you’re a current student, a recent graduate or enjoying retirement, we believe it’s never too early nor too late to connect to UCalgary.

To show how alumni bolster the community person-by-person with their ideas and actions, we are telling the varied stories of five graduates who illustrate the five key pillars of our new alumni programs. Alumni career development, life-stage programming, volunteer engagement, philanthropy and community-building play important roles in their lives as they carry the shared experience of learning and growing at UCalgary into the world.

As alumni, the way you engage with the University of Calgary will shift as you progress through different stages of your life. We get it — and we are okay with it. Just as we help our students become global citizens in our highly connected world, we want you to see a path of engagement that is unique and meaningful to you. Besides tailoring programs to suit our global community of alumni, we’ve designed our offerings to be nimble and scalable, to be available in real time or on demand. Whether you’re a business leader, an artist, a hockey coach or a public servant, I believe you’ll be impressed with our new direction in programming and proud of your association to the University of Calgary. Your feedback is welcome.

It also helped her prepare a rough draft of her cover letter and showed her how to punch up facts and her achievements, which helped enormously when Gaspard began applying for jobs. The coaching also included mock interview sessions.

Gaspard also started to use LinkedIn and began reaching out to Toronto-based UCalgary grads to get a better sense of the city. “I could see how other people had made the move, which was really helpful,” says Gaspard, who wanted to join her husband, a software engineer, who had recently relocated to Toronto.

One thing led to another and, sometime after securing that job through the Skype interview, she landed at MNP, where Gaspard now sees the potential for becoming an expert in the field.

After she and architect Mark Erickson, BFA’07, spoke, two improv musicians (Patrick Quinn, BFA’07, and Kristin Eveleigh, BFA’07) remixed their stories into hit songs from the past few decades — adroitly bringing the past into the present, while showcasing their talents to the crowd.

“My goal through the work we do with Links and Drinks is simple — it’s about bringing people together,” says Guscott, who, as a member of the Recent Graduate Committee (RGC), is empowered to do this work. “While as a student, there were tons of opportunities to find your own niche. As a graduate, it’s more ambiguous.”

Groups like the RGC help lay a path forward for alumni to ensure there are ways to remain engaged with the university, so you always know there is a place for you as your priorities shift through various stages of life.

While an undergrad, Guscott served as president and vice-president academic on the UCalgary Students’ Union and on the Board of Governors and General Faculties Council, and other boards and committees. Like many alumni, he’s facing a crossroads as he decides how he wants to move forward.

While Shim finds giving back personally fulfilling, she adds that volunteering with the university can also create professional opportunities. As a volunteer, she maintains strong bonds with faculty members, has access to a vast alumni network, and, through her work with students, is connected with emerging leaders in both her profession and her community.

While a UCalgary student, she served as president of the Society of Law Students and was an elected member of the Students’ Union for three years. Shim also earned a bronze while on the Canadian powerlifting team at the World Juniors in France in 2007, went on to coach the Special Olympics Calgary Powerlifting Team and is now board chair of Special Olympics Alberta.

Volunteering as a UCalgary Alumni Association board member and chair of the Arch Awards Committee, Shim encourages nominations as part of community-building.

“Reaching out to various networks has allowed me to link back to the university and increase the connections between alumni through their nominations,” says Shim, adding that there’s a bonus — she’s caught up with people she hasn’t seen in years.

The Fennells decided to create the Fennell Sustainability Graduate Scholarship in 2017 through an endowment, which provides $5,000 annually to full-time master’s-level students in the Sustainable Energy Development (SEDV) program.

The multidisciplinary program is co-ordinated between the Haskayne School of Business, Schulich School of Engineering, and the faculties of Law and Environmental Design. It supports dedicated graduate students — who are looking to develop a holistic knowledge of energy and environmental management — in creating sustainability solutions.

While the couple has donated to other causes in the past, they decided to focus their efforts on one area at the university to have a bigger impact and, as they say, pay it forward.

“My experience playing hockey with the Dinos [from 2001-2005] and earning my BSc helped shape the person that I am today,” says club founder Zabloski, who works in Calgary as a greenhouse gas [GHG] technology engineer at Devon Energy. “Now, like then, it’s all about teamwork. Everyone is pitching in to make this club a success.”

The idea for the group emerged when Zabloski, who still plays hockey in a recreational league with some of her former Dinos teammates, thought it would be great to keep in touch with colleagues and classmates, along with anyone associated with the Dinos along the way.

Zabloski estimates there are 170 former Dinos women’s hockey team members from the past 20 years who could be potential club members. She and other board members will be reaching out across North America to attract those interested in joining. One of her goals is to establish an annual alumni hockey game.