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Mr. Mike Farwell (BA 1997)

     Even if you didn’t share a class with him, you may have met Mike Farwell (BA 1997) in his capacities as a well-known local TV talk show host, news reporter, and radio personality. “Had it not been for the formal training I received at UW, I would not have got as far in a journalism career,” Mike remarks. On a daily basis, his tasks include researching the stories he reports, conducting preliminary interviews with the people involved in news events, and drafting the copy he presents on air.

     He finds there are many similarities between being a student and being a news writer. As a student, he learned to do research, a skill that he now uses every day. “Essays seemed like the worst chore imaginable,” Mike recalls, “and now I write one every morning for the introduction to my talk show.” Having grown up in Kitchener-Waterloo, attending UW had always been Mike’s first choice for its reputation. He was offered an entrance scholarship and knew many students from his high school that would also be attending. He had decided relatively early in high school that he enjoyed literature and writing and would pursue a career as a teacher. While his career plans eventually changed, his love for literature remained.

     The first class Mike had in his university career was in the Arts Lecture Hall, and about 200 students were enrolled in it. “There were so many people in the classrooms,” he remarks. “Coming from a high school environment, it was an incredible experience. You get to meet so many people.” He became good friends with his classmates and still keeps in touch with many of them.

     Mike fondly remembers a class with Dr. Eric McCormack. At the beginning of every class, a student would have to bring in a new word and teach its meaning to the class. From this practice, he learned the word “penultimate, meaning next to last” says Mike. “I remember him [Dr. McCormack] writing it on the board.” To this day, Mike finds himself using this word whenever he can. The class that left the greatest impact on Mike was Forms of Fantasy, which he took by correspondence in third year. What made the class stand out most was the literature. He enjoyed reading everything on the syllabus.

     After completing his degree at UW, Mike had a “change of heart” and decided to abandon plans to attend teachers college, as he had originally intended to do, in favour of enrolling in the Radio and TV Broadcasting program at Conestoga College, a technical and hands-on program in media arts. Upon completing the program, he travelled the country to build his career in radio broadcasting, working at stations in British Columbia, Thunder Bay, and Toronto before returning to K-W.

     Mike’s career today constantly reminds him of his time at UW and Conestoga College, from its many writing responsibilities right down to the types of evaluation he undergoes: His career involves doing “virtually what I did back in school. I’m not graded on it now, but we have ratings and performance reviews.”