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Samantha is contributing to the field of social justice through her job in a tech firm and slam poetry. Having completed her MA in Intercultural Communication at Royal Roads University, she is now performing her slam poetry professionally as well as working in government relations and communications in a tech firm. The purpose of her slam poetry is to vocalize multiracial identity through spoken word. Through her role in the tech firm, Samantha works to promote females in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. This involves meeting with MPs and MPPs as well as promoting the Curiosity program to high school students. In both her slam poetry and working at the firm, Samantha credits PACS with teaching her many important lessons.

A few specific courses particularly resonated with Samantha. These include Intercultural Methods of Conflict Resolution, Peace in Perilous Times, and the research courses (PACS 401 and 402) which prepared her for graduate school and had a tight-knit group of students. She also appreciated the arts-based inquiry option available in most PACS courses. This enabled her to make documentaries, poems, stories, and other creative projects. This aspect of PACS allowed her to develop her passion for slam poetry.

Samantha also found that it allowed her to focus a PACS perspective on her interests. Her advice for future PACS students is not to feel obligated to be one “version” of PACS but rather to take any course and go broad. Connecting with professors is one of the highlights of the program which can open many doors.

Steven is the Business Development Representative, Enterprise at Vidyard. He identifies target customers in the Enterprise space, performs a high-level analysis of the current strategy, and identifies opportunities where Vidyard can create value.

This work is significant to Steven because it contributes to the technology start-up community that is growing in Kitchener. Steve says, “Life in the start-up space is always changing and the ability to adapt is key.”

Since Steven started with Vidyard, the company has more than doubled in size, and they plan to move into a new space in downtown Kitchener. He says, “Everyone in our company contributes to the success of Vidyard, and that's what makes every day exciting, we’re always working towards the next big thing!”

Emily is a Marketing Coordinator at OTIP, where she writes blog content, deploys OTIP’s marketing e-communications, and assists in implementing marketing campaigns. This role helps Emily support teachers with products they need and build skills she can use to further her career in non-profit communications.

After graduating from PACS in 2014, Emily worked for two years as an Academic Advisor for the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ Psychology department. During those years she also started a local group KW Peace, which brought together different peace and social justice groups in the Kitchener-��ݮ��Ƶ area for networking and collaboration.

After gravitating toward communications activities in her volunteer roles, Emily realized that she wanted to pursue a career in communications, so she went back to school to complete a one-year post-graduate certificate in Public Relations and Corporate Communications at Centennial College. Upon graduation, she worked for a year as a Communications Coordinator at CivicAction, a non-profit in downtown Toronto that tackles pressing urban issues in the GTA by working with people across sectors and backgrounds. Once that contract ended, Emily wanted to move back to Kitchener-��ݮ��Ƶ while building her marketing and communications skills and landing her current job at OTIP.

Catherine completed a PACS diploma in 2012 and her studies were the first step in her path to a career in social enterprise and international development. Upon completion of a Bachelor of Math at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, Catherine started her career as an IT Risk Advisory Services Associate. However, she soon realized that she was looking for more: something more fulfilling and meaningful. Having taken a few courses in PACS during her undergrad, Catherine was drawn back to the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ to pursue a Diploma in PACS.

Upon completion of her Diploma, Catherine moved to the UK to join a social enterprise leadership program called On Purpose. On Purpose is a one-year fellowship designed to develop leaders in the social enterprise sector. The program combines two placements with purpose-driven organizations and comprehensive training. One of her placements was with Social Enterprise UK, a membership body for social enterprises, whose goal is to grow the social enterprise movement. They do this through public awareness campaigns, robust research for the sector, and the development of social enterprise networks.

She now works at Firetail, a consulting firm for socially conscious organizations. At Firetail, Catherine works on the Agricultural, Learning, and Impacts Network initiative, which specializes in improving monitoring and evaluation in agricultural development programs.�� She’s currently working on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Sentinel Grant Program, measuring results against the foundation’s strategies. This involves providing technical support to 26 agricultural development grantees in South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Catherine helps organizations figure out what they need to measure, to show that they have made an impact and what they can learn from the data. She has had the opportunity to visit many of the projects she works with, including recent trips to Ghana and Uganda.

Michael Hunter joined Peace and Conflict Studies as a mature student in 2004 to pursue an undergraduate degree, up until that point having not completed a degree during his professional career. Juggling full-time work and part-time studies through most of his degree, Michael took two years off from working to not only complete his undergraduate degree with PACS, but to pursue a Master’s degree at the University of Peace in Costa Rica. Michael completed his Masters in Responsible Management and Sustainable Economic Development.

With a BA and an MA under his belt in addition to his background in IT and the insurance industry, Michael returned to Canada and began working on projects that gave him a break from PACS and allowed him time to think about what career he wanted to channel his education into. With passions involving both peace and business Michael toyed with the idea of developing a start-up that would aid non-profits and businesses in setting up partnerships that would benefit both partners. Through this process Michael soon learned that he was “not a captain of industry, but a lieutenant”, he found much more purpose in supporting others in their projects and knew he could be much more effective in that position.

Learning this lesson led Michael back to school to complete his Research Analyst Certificate at Humber College. Through this program Michael took an internship at Toronto Foundation, a charity that works to pool philanthropic dollars and facilitate charitable donations for maximum community impact through strategic granting, thought leadership and convening within the community. After a recommendation from someone working with Michael during his internship, Michael began his current position with the Government of Ontario in the realm of Public Service. In this position Michael works to develop a performance measurement framework for the Human Resources service development area.

Simon Palamar has always been fascinated by the world. Attending the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ for his undergraduate, Simon received a Joint Honours degree in PACS and History. From there he went on to receive his Masters of Global Governance at U��ݮ��Ƶ, and finally to Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs to receive his PhD.

This fascination with the world around him Simon credits to his grandfather who worked for the Mennonite Central Committee managing development projects in Bangladesh. Simon would often visit his grandfather throughout his childhood and learned a lot from these experiences.

Enrolling in 1994, Megan Shore majored in Religious Studies with a PACS minor. Afterward, she pursued a MA in International Development Studies at Dalhousie and a Ph.D. in Conflict Resolution at the England’s University of Leeds. Currently, she is an associate professor in the Social Justice and Peace Studies (SJP) program at King’s College at Western University.

There are three main aspects to a professor of SJP Studies. First, she teaches courses about the theories and ethics of peace, justice, and war. Second, she engages in research that focuses on the intersection of justice and peace. Her current research focuses on the role of faith-based organizations in response to homelessness. Finally, she mentors students in pursuit of their goals. She is currently on sabbatical creating a website called "nopeacewithoutjustice.com", which will act as a virtual hub to profile people, organizations, and events that work to create a more just and peaceful world. Frustrated with stories of hate, oppression, and marginalization that seem to dominate the media, this website will offer an alternative narrative of hope and inspiration.

Megan credits the PACS program for introducing her to peace and justice as a field of study as well as the work available in the field. She would not have pursued it without having participated in the PACS program and now tries to guide her students in the way she was guided during her undergrad. Her internship in Guatemala was particularly influential. Both Megan’s program at King’s University College and the PACS program at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ emphasize engagement and active contribution, rather than just academic work in a classroom. She has found that there are many things one can do with a justice-based degree because there is more than one path to justice and peace.

Maria is a Ph.D. student at the University of Manitoba, researching conflict transformation and local peacebuilding. She teaches Masters of Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at Pontifical Xaverian University in Colombia, Masters of Indigenous Governance, and Masters in Social Conflict and Peace Studies. She also does consult work supporting local organizations and peace-building activities.

Maria’s main interest is in researching and teaching. She feels that this work is especially important right now because of the current situation in Colombia, within the peace process, and the coming post-accord stage.

This work is significant because, despite peace-building developments, there are still a lot of misconceptions around the concept and practice of peace, human rights, and social conflict. This is true not only for Colombia but for many other countries struggling with violence. Maria believes that there is a need for more researchers and teachers to analyze and inform society about peace-building developments.

Recently, Maria has been working on documenting the origin and development of the Campesino group that evolved from a group of concerned Colombian citizens to a nonviolent social movement, and then to a political party. This development Maria says, “Illustrates the theory and practice of conflict transformation from individual change to structural and cultural change.” Maria researches and publicizes cases like this to show that peacebuilding is possible, and to provide hope for the future of Colombia.

Just one way that Raj puts this learning to practice is through his volunteering. Currently he is in a position that he believes perfectly illustrates the way that Peace and Conflict Studies compliments so many other streams of academics. His main volunteering opportunity is with the Undergraduate Mock Trials (UGMT) that is an opportunity for students to participate in mock trials and develop their skills in preparing a case and acting as a lawyer in mock court. This program bridges the gap of practical legal theory between high school and law school at the University Undergraduate level, and is the first of its kind in Canada. Raj has been a part of the UGMT since it began in 2012 during which time he was a participant, and in the years after was a part of the Executive team. Now Raj acts as President of the Criminal Division that is taking place in 2016. While UGMT definitely appeals to Legal Studies students it is open to students from all programs, and Raj believes that PACS students could especially benefit from it. The skills that are used in UGMT are especially important for students who are looking to go into mediation and conflict resolution, as often those positions will spend time in the legal system.

With the deadline for UGMT just around the corner Raj will soon have his hands full as he continues to combine his passions of law and public service. Beyond this, he has the����on the brain, with a goal of attending Law School in the future, and hopefully one day working in the public sector of law.

But of course, Raj will not be leaving what he’s gained from Peace and Conflict Studies behind,

Venus graduated from the JD program at Golden Gate University School of Law in May 2017. During her studies, Venuse researched the effects of the law and intellectual property on the music industry. She analyzed and recommended how to reform the current law, in response to the impact of the popularity of downloading music illegally. She says, “With new uses of technology and social media, principles of copyright and trademark securities need greater protection for stakeholders with amendments and reforms in the law.” She feels that as technology has developed so quickly, the law has lagged. Venus says, “The law is lacking and oftentimes there is not an applicable rule of law when it comes to life, work, and conducting business.”

Since graduating from the JD program, Venus looks back and reflects on her undergrad at PACS fondly. "One valuable thing to have learned from PACS is that mediation and conflict resolution is a big part of practicing law. Some attorneys often get appointed to do mediation or arbitration work, so having those mediation/conflict resolution skills can be helpful.��

Venus is now working as a Child Support Enforcement Attorney for the State of Tennessee.

Sandra Elgersma is an inspiration for all Undergraduate Peace and Conflict Studies students. Currently, she is a part of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). As a UW Alumnus��with a Sociology major and PACS minor, she had a passion for helping people in need.

She was able to take her findings from the classroom, which served as a foundation for her career, and pursued various roles that led her to her current position at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ottawa. She felt that PACS was very transferable to her role at UNHCR and was drawn to the field of work.

Working at UNHCR gave Sandra the ability to do both. Her role is to work on complementary pathways to Canada –��to help implement alternative immigration pathways as a route to Canada. To be more specific, her role is orientated towards refugees – those who had to flee violence,��conflict, or persecution and have crossed an international border to find safety in another country. Complementary pathways expand options for refugees to come to Canada beyond resettlement, which is important because the scale of displacement is increasing, and traditional solutions are not enough.

Cassandra is a Junior Consultant on the United Nations Development Program Climate Change team in Viet Nam. She works most closely on projects related to climate change-induced migration and energy-efficient buildings. Her daily work involves writing op-eds and briefs, hiring consulting teams, and supporting the reporting procedures of ongoing projects. Cross-cultural communication skills and other soft skills that she developed during her PACs degree have been essential in her work, but the course that is most influential daily has been the Peace and Business course. One of the assignments for that class involved writing a grant proposal: an essential skill for any career in non-profit or public service.

Climate change is an intricate global challenge that demands deep collaboration, and forces individuals to see how their choices (both on the ballot, and in everyday life) are bettering or worsening the quality of life of others living across the world. In an office context where “decoupling economic growth from��CO2��emissions” is the mantra, Cassandra's PACs degree, and the Mennonite community more broadly, has helped to ground her in the value of living simply and working toward cultural change rather than relying solely on quick policy fixes. Though both policy change and grassroots societal change are important and deeply interconnected, the way forward involves engaging the tension between ideals and what is pragmatic. Finding ways to engage both sides of this tension to identify simple, yet sustainable solutions to complex challenges are the best part of the job.��

“During these times of political strife,” adds Cassandra, “it is important to learn to love and respect people who we perceive to be different. Relationships like these strengthen the fabric of our society, and are our hope for the future.”

She still uses skills from her Conflict Resolution, Advanced Mediation, and Field Studies courses every day at work. When creating and managing relationships, conflicts are bound to arise. Her PACS courses gave her the tools to work through these conflicts.

Amanda currently works at Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support (MCRS) as a Caseworker/Liaison/Operations. She spends a lot of time working with refugee claimants who have come to Canada. Amanda assists them in filling in paperwork, connecting them to a lawyer, preparing them for their hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board, and helping them understand the immigration process. She also assists them in settling in the ��ݮ��Ƶ Region, connecting them to organizations that can assist in finding housing, applying to Ontario Works, and enrolling children in school. She feels lucky to have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world daily.

She can serve multicultural clients because of the courses she took in PACS. She also excels in understanding the complexities of violence and war - something most of her clients have experienced.��

On her first day as a volunteer, MCRS received a new client from Congo who was dropped off at their doorstep and left to fend for himself. The caseworkers were busy so Amanda was asked to help the man find shelter, food, and basic needs for the next few days. She remembers feeling many emotions as she tried to understand how he must have felt when he told her about his long journey to Canada and the family he left behind.

“For me, that was the first time I had ever interacted with a refugee claimant and it was hard to hear such a painful story,” she says, “I think that if I had studied a different program it may have been harder for me to adjust to working with people who have experienced significant trauma.”

Amanda feels like being with MCRS is a perfect marriage of her interests in law and international conflict.

Kara Klassen is a technical adviser and project manager with over nine years of experience working in Canadian and international contexts in East and Southern Africa, South-East Asia, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. She has proven expertise in women’s economic empowerment (WEE) and gender sensitivity/inclusion, value chain/pro-poor market systems development and analysis, program design and management; policy analysis; training, and facilitation.

She is currently supporting a client doing a project in several South Pacific Island Countries working with the staff and their business advisors to better integrate an understanding of and approach to including women and girls in their services.

In 2019, Kara was actively involved in a Green Party Campaign to get a local Kitchener resident elected. She organized events, managed volunteers, and did everything in between. While the candidate didn’t win, support for the Greens went from 3% to 26%!

Jennifer is the Ottawa Office Director for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). In her role, she guides MCC’s efforts to shape the Government of Canada`s policies on behalf of program partners around the world, working in relief, development, and peacebuilding. As MCC’s voice to the Canadian government, the Ottawa Office has a lot of responsibilities. Their work includes researching and analyzing government policies, meeting with government officials, writing letters to Members of Parliament, presenting oral and written testimonies, building relationships with NGO partners, and producing educational material for churches and MCC supporters.

This work is significant as Jennifer says, “For MCC to do the work of relief, development, and peacebuilding effectively, it is important that we address government policies that contribute to poverty and injustice.” In general, they use advocacy to challenge systemic injustices. According to Jennifer, advocacy is a good development practice as it challenges some of the long-term, structural barriers to building sustainable peace.

Jennifer can see that the advocacy work of the MCC’s Ottawa Office does contribute to development. For example, MCC has almost forty years of experience working with victims of cluster bombs through post-conflict bomb clearance (de-mining), as well as risk education and victim assistance in countries like Laos and Lebanon. Motivated by this long-standing experience, they chose to intervene in the legislative process to strengthen Canada’s ratification of the Cluster Munitions Convention. Throughout 2012 and 2013, the Ottawa Office had many meetings with Members of Parliament to outline their concerns with the legislation, creating a written submission to the House of Commons committee that was studying the bill. They also presented oral testimony to the Senate committee tasked with analyzing the legislation.��