Name: Jonna Spadafore
Program: Recreation and Leisure
Year: Fifth
How long have you been a don for? This is my first year and I am almost done my first term of being a don!
What is one of your accomplishments as a don so far? When I realized that I was making an impact on people. It was first apparent when a student came to me for academic advice and I could tell they were looking up to me and trusted what advice I was about to give them. As with anything, it is a feel-good moment when you help people out.
Before you end your year as don what is one thing you would like to have achieved? By the end of this year, I would like to have a residence community that is close knit and family-like. Additionally, I hope to connect with each student and make a positive impact in terms of academics and personal life so that they feel they have successfully transitioned into university. Students in my community are slowly catching onto my unusual vocabulary, with a main term being ‘#sketch’, thus maybe by the end of the year we will all speak the same!
How did you get involved in running intramurals? I have been an intramural participant since my 1A term, but it wasn’t until my first co-op term when I learned of the opportunities that Warrior Athletics has to offer. I did my first work term on campus with UW Athletics where I learned of new and exciting things every day. It was during this term when I was in regular contact with the intramural staff, including the convenors that I decided to apply to try it out myself.
Do you plan on running or coaching any other things here at Waterloo? At this moment, I plan to spend next semester focused on my residence community. I don’t have anything else planned right now, however I am open to helping out with almost anything. I will continue to keep in touch with the Athletics office and offer my help when needed.
Most memorable moment at UWaterloo so far? The day I got accepted to go on international exchange to Australia. I had put a fair amount of effort into this process including, paperwork to apply, meetings with various advisors and course planning so it was a relief to hear the positive news. Not that I knew at the time, but the acceptance to that exchange was the beginning to one of the best experiences ever!
What would you like to do after you graduate? I would like to travel for a little bit, potentially Europe and then face the realities of real life- and get a job. Ideally, I would like to work in marketing in the large scale sporting industry, such as the International Olympic Committee or for a team in the NHL.