Hubert Marleau (BASc ’67) has had a long and prolific career as an entrepreneur, investor, and economist. But his first investment deal was struck at home.

For Dawn Smyth (BSc Human Kinetics ’05), basketball is a passion, a profession, and a means for her to pursue her mission of lifelong learning. As the senior director of international basketball operations with the National Basketball Association (NBA), Smyth is responsible for leading a team across 15 NBA offices outside of the U.S.

As a sustainability consultant and influential figure in the entertainment industry, Andrew Robinson (BA ’93) has committed his career to minimizing ecological footprints on set and promoting greener practices through media storytelling.

Isabelle Wallace (MScN '18), member of the Indigenous Alumni Council and registered nurse, was the first Indigenous woman to serve as a nurse in her community, the Maliseet First Nation of Madawaska, New Brunswick.

Whether it’s business, music, or supporting her family and community, Janet McKeage (BMus ’94) has built a life that integrates all that she loves and values. That includes staying closely connected to the Gee-Gees community as a proud uOttawa alumna.

From the United Nations to the Canadian foreign service, Sabina Saeed (BComm ’03) and Bushra Saeed-Khan (BSocSc ’07) are leveraging their uOttawa degrees to bridge cultures and countries.

Every year, the uOttawa community gathers to celebrate outstanding alumni. With six awards recognizing alumni achievement and contribution to the alumni community, our annual awards ceremony is an inspiring affair.

With education recognized as a pathway to opportunity, it’s disheartening that many students face barriers to basic access to nutritious food.

As an educator, policy analyst, and community volunteer, Renee St. Germain brings a richness of passion and perspective to the many roles she holds.

From working towards her dream of attending law school or defending the rights of women and girls in her home country of Afghanistan, Roya Shams (BSocSc ’19) approaches everything she does with tenacity, determination, and passion.

The Common Law Section is committed to the wellbeing and success of our students; therefore, we have engaged two members of our alumni community as Mentors-in-Residence.

Four uOttawa Alumna from the Faculty of Engineering are sharing their experience since graduating university and are offering their best advice to current engineering students. Meet Caroline, Rukkya, Imane and Vanessa, four women who are shaping the future through their profession.

Balarama Holness (BA ’08, BEd ’14) can draw parallels between his uOttawa athletic career and his political activism. Whether it’s politics or football, Balarama says they’re both team sports: they involve mobilizing people from all walks of life and working together in community to achieve shared goals.

When Ben Maracle and Trevor Monaghan met at uOttawa’s Indigenous Alumni Sports Mentorship and Connection lunch in summer 2023, Monaghan had already been following Maracle’s football career for several years.

The two passions that unite Anna Ampaw’s academic career and her extracurricular efforts are her love of chemistry and her desire to see more women of colour represented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).  

Ruth Maniriho Bansoba’s greatest — though surely not last — achievement has been establishing an admission scholarship awarded to students of diverse backgrounds who are beginning studies in law.

As a teacher to first-grade students, Hoda Ahmed, BEd '20, fields a lot of curious questions prompted by her being both visibly Black and Muslim. Take her hijab, for example: “Somebody in my class said, ‘she’s a mom, all moms wear hijabs, my mom wears one.’ I had to laugh. Kids have their own understanding of things.” 

Nathan Hall, BSocSc '07, has been chasing a feeling of belonging for as long as he can remember. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Hall learned early on that a personal sense of identity only goes so far when people make assumptions based on how you look or your family’s background. 

Before she discovered the world of math and science and a career that could combine them both, Edem Dovlo (MASc ’11, BASc ’09) knew that she loved learning. Reflecting on the future, Dovlo says she would like to continue working on fulfilling multidisciplinary projects that help build long-lasting solutions — either in Canada, in her native Ghana or globally. 

For Dr. James Makokis (MD ’10), health and wellbeing is rooted in the word miyo-pimatisiwin, which roughly translates to “living the good life.”