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Ms. Carrie Snyder (BA 1997)

     For Carrie Snyder (BA 1997), the choice to attend the University of Waterloo was made “by default” for practical reasons: Carrie's father is a professor at Conrad Grebel College, which meant her tuition fees were more affordable.

Carrie Snyder     Carrie recalls that she lacked certainty and direction in her first years of study, trying out a variety of courses in the humanities, but not feeling drawn to one department in particular. She spent the first semester of her third year in Nicaragua studying Spanish and volunteering at a community centre as part of what would become her Peace and Conflict Studies minor. While in Nicaragua, she was struck by how privileged she was to be able to pursue a university degree; she also spent a great deal of her spare time writing and reading, and recognized that she had a passion for literature. She returned home with a renewed sense of ambition, and worked to catch up by taking courses year round toward a degree in English Literature.

     Reflecting on her experience majoring in the English program, she recalls professors who shared their passion for the written word in their lectures. Some of her favourite teachers included Brenda Cantor, Ted McGee, Hildi Froese-Tiessen, and Charlene Diehl. She remains grateful for their willingness to welcome her into their offices, to listen to her dreams, and to act as mentors and advisers.

     Carrie fondly remembers her time at UW: meeting friends for poutine at the Bombshelter, practicing piano in the Student Life Centre, going to poetry and story readings, and attending movies at the Princess Cinema. She's even become nostalgic about the discomfort of searching through the stacks of books in her winter gear at the campus's boiling hot libraries.

     Carrie went on to earn a Master's degree from the University of Toronto (1998). After a brief spell of temp work and teaching piano to toddlers, she landed a job at the then-newly launched National Post, in their Books section, where she worked first as an assistant, and later as a copy editor.

     Carrie has four children and is raising them full-time. An accomplished writer, she published a collection of stories entitled Hair Hat in 2004; several individual short stories recently appeared in The New Quarterly magazine (Fall 2009).

     Carrie believes that it's okay for students not to know exactly what they want to do or become when they enter university, as long as they follow their own interests and "set goals and complete them." She will always be thankful to UW for giving her direction and confidence, and for teaching her skills she will use for the rest of her life.

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