McMasterAlumni

For Sandra (’18), starting a nursing career at McMaster was the beginning of a long educational career that would see her refine her journey bit-by-bit. Now, armed with a BEd from York University and a certificate in Health Informatics from the University of Windsor, Sandra has found a way to cultivate a career that balances a joy for nursing practice, a passion for teaching, and dedication to providing care to individuals across Ontario.

Alvin, ’09, knows there is value in understanding yourself, but it took him a lot of work to get to this point. It’s a process he started while he was still a student at Mac and was looking to face his social anxiety head on. While trying a wide variety of classes at the athletics centre, Alvin stumbled into salsa dancing where he learned more than just some fancy footwork. Since then, he has fostered a career that no longer relies on his engineering skills but instead celebrates relationship building in the workplace.

When he moved from Eastern Canada to Ontario to attend McMaster, Andrew Edwards (BEng, ’07) thought that’s where he would build his career. But a needed move home saw him staying longer than planned and put him on the path of working in marine technology. Now he’s a senior engineer for a company leading the pack on sustainable seabed mining.

For Peter, the master plan was to help change the world. But after graduating with a combined honours in political science and classics, figuring out how to change the world felt a bit vague. After landing a life changing career opportunity with the Salvation Army, Peter and wife found a passion for helping people all around the world. Now, as Executive Director at BethanyKids International, he’s helping paediatric doctors in Africa through specialized training programs.

Frank Scremin is the Chief Executive Officer of LaGuardia Gateway Partners New York and was part of the team involved with the overhaul of the infamous Terminal B at one of America’s busiest airports while it was still in operation. Join us to hear more about this Mac grad’s journey to the Big Apple; transforming LaGuardia into a gateway befitting New York; and taking full advantage of opportunities when they arrive.

When Alexander graduated, he landed himself in a series of random jobs – from a chocolatier to a one-day stint as a knight at Medieval Times. At the time, his goal was simple: keep his options open and experiment with jobs until something fit. Now, he’s circling back to his English degrees and is a Contributing Editor at the Literary Review of Canada and working on a PhD at Western University.

Natasha found that being a Life Sciences student allowed her to learn about the things that sparked joy for her but gave her the latitude to not have a full career plan as she worked through her classes. It wasn’t until she started volunteering at a local animal shelter that she found her true calling – now, she’s the proud owner of Fresh Perspective Dog Training and Behaviour in Calgary.

Maggie’s younger self was convinced she wanted to be a doctor – it was the ‘family business,’ so-to-speak. But after a panic attack drove her to take some time off school, it dawned on her that medicine was not the future she actually wanted. Now, after years of working in the hospitality industry, she’s found a great balance between her passions and her education in biotech.

As a student, Sarah loved working towards her chemical engineering degree. But when she graduated, she quickly learned that what she loved about it wasn’t exactly what the job market was offering. Not willing to give up, she used the extra downtime during pandemic to refocus and develop new skills that would allow her to pivot into a totally new industry. Now, she’s thriving in the world of AI.

While she may have been headed towards a career in the sciences, Amanda’s career journey has taken her through many twists and turns. She’s an In Game Host for the Toronto Marlies, has been a presenter on the Weather Network, and still dreams of being a morning show host at some point in her career. Listen to her incredible story in this first episode of the fifth season of McMaster Alumni’s Podcast, Unconventional.