together they published their results in a paper “Savouring the Flavour.” ■ Lisa Cheaney, B.A.Sc. ’08, a graduate of the University of Guelph-Humber’s early childhood program, lives in Brampton, Ont., and is a teacher with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board. She has started a cancer support group in the board for students who have lost a parent to cancer or have a parent diagnosed with the disease. She created the group because of a need in her own class. “I just had to do something for my student,” she says. ■ Lianne Foti, B.Comm. ’04, Stephanie Hajer, B.Comm. ’05, and Tricia Sabessar, BA ’05, are eco-pioneers who spend a lot of their spare time teaching elementary schoolchildren how to make life choices that promote environmental sustainability. As co-founders of the Guelph chapter of My World, My Choice, they’ve recruited and trained 30 current U of G students to present workshops in local schools and act as mentors as the grade 6 to 8 students carry out projects within their school. For more information, visit www.myworld my choice.com. ■ Katelyn Geertsema, BA ’07, and Jason Ricketts, B.Comm. ’09, were married Nov. 21, 2009, at Parkview Church (where they first met) in Guelph. The wedding followed a backpacking trip to New Zealand. The couple now lives in Toronto, where he works in marketing at the Canadian Tire Corporation home office and she is program manager for the PACT LifePlan Coaching Program, which mentors and reintegrates young offenders. ■ Stephanie Hajer, B.Comm. ’05, has been working as project manager for the Ecological Sus-
tainability Leadership Program at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. She has returned to Guelph this semester to continue work on an M.Sc. in capacity development and extension. ■ Ricky Lam, B.Sc. ’09, was among the recipients of the inaugural Governor General’s Award in Celebration of the Nation’s Table. Now a master’s student at the University of Saskatchewan, he was recognized in the award’s youth category. His research focuses on the food applications of edible oils and fats. ■ Eric and Sarah (Donaldson) Loeffler, both BA ’03, were married in May 2008 and welcomed a son, Cole Andrew, in August 2009. Eric is a police officer and Sarah teaches elementary school, both in York Region, Ont. ■ Meghan Mann, BA ’06, and her husband, Mike Shannon, B.Sc.(Eng.) ’05, welcomed their first baby in August. She will be on leave from her job as project consultant for Intelex Technologies Inc. in Toronto. ■ Mark Manning, B.Sc. ’00, graduated from the Case School of Dental Medicine in 2004. He is married to Christina Janiga, B.Sc. ’05, and they live in Fergus, Ont., with their three children. ■ Reannon Marcelissen, B.Sc. and M.Sc. ’05 and DVM ’10, writes to thank her family and friends who have supported her over the last 10 years of education in Guelph. She is now practicing veterinary medicine in Kingston, Ont., at Barriefield Animal Hospital. ■ Lisa (Van Mol) McKay, B.Sc. ’03, spent six years working as an embryologist at in vitro fertilization clinics in British Columbia and Ontario. She and her husband, Derek, live in Hamilton, Ont., with their three children: Julian, who turns three in November, and one-
Four generations of Guelph grads
homas Seymour, BA ’10, was surrounded by family and U of G history when he graduated Feb. 16 with a degree in studio art and anthropology. In this photo, he and his father, Al Seymour, B.Sc.(Agr.) ’77, are holding grad photos of Thomas’s grandfather, Duncan Seymour, BSA ’50, and great grandfather, Harry Seymour, BSA ’33, both deceased. The Seymour family celebrated again in June when Thomas’s cousin, Kate Burnham, graduated with a bachelor of science degree. The family also presents an annual award to the president of College Royal, in memory of Harry’s 1933 service in that role.
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year-old twins Damian and Darius. They can be reached at derek_and_lisa@sympatico.ca. ■ Mitch McKechnie, B.Comm. ’06, has started his own landscaping business, Superior Stone Designs and Installations, in Burlington, Ont. Check out his website at www.superiorstone.ca. ■ Debanjan Mookerjea, B.Sc.(Eng.) ’02, and Valery Woloshyn, B.Sc.(Eng.) ’03, were panellists at the 2010 Consulting Engineers of Ontario Conference, discussing the role that young professionals can play in the organization. Mookerjea is from Scarborough, Ont., and works as a project manager at R.J. Burnside & Associates Limited. Woloshyn is an intermediate project manager at CH2M
Hill Canada Limited in Toronto. ■ William Murray, MBA ’00, has joined the faculty at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, N.S., as an assistant professor in the Department of Business and Tourism. He recently completed a PhD at neighbouring Saint Mary’s University; his dissertation is on organizational change and narrative construction. ■ Liam O’Brien, BA ’07, travelled and worked abroad after graduating from U of G. “I met more people than I can count who attended the University of Guelph,” he says. “It made me proud to be part of a university that was preparing so many students for careers at home and abroad.”
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