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The Bled family serves as a leading example of what it means to be visionary: responding to current realities, but also anticipating them. Today, Claudette Bled and her daughter Sapphira Thompson-Bled (Hon BSocSc ’19, MGA ’21, JD ’24) carry on a family legacy that’s deeply rooted in foresight and a belief in possibility.

Christine Walter (MEd Counselling Psychology ’20) was told by high school teachers that she didn’t have what it takes to succeed in university. Not only has she earned a bachelor’s and a master’s, she’s a real example of how courage and purpose can help us reach our ambitions, at any age.

When Jeannine Ritchot (BA History ’00, MA Conflict Studies ’11) arrived at the University of Ottawa at age 17 from a small town in Manitoba, she was terrified of losing herself on a sprawling campus in the capital. What she discovered was just the person she was meant to be.

After Ruth Stewart (MHA ’86) sustained a back injury while working as a nurse in a trauma centre, she was told she couldn’t go back to nursing. Instead, she overcame this life-changing event and became a leader and trusted voice in Canadian health-care risk management.

As a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Ottawa, Virginie Cobigo has spent her career working alongside people with cognitive disabilities. But several years ago, she realized that most researchers had never been taught how to meaningfully include these communities in their work.

Launched with the help of a visionary $5.8-million gift, the Nutrition and Mental Health initiative has become a world-class research program exploring how food, gut bacteria and mental health are connected.

Her story begins with a simple motivation: gratitude. A retired schoolteacher from Michigan, Sandra MacLeod has chosen to honour her late husband, Dr. Charles MacLeod, by helping future generations of medical students at the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine.

Sometimes an entire life is redrawn with a single word. For Dr. Francis Chu-Yin Wong, that word came from the University of Ottawa in 1955: yes.

On September 26, students from across uOttawa gathered at the Desmarais Building to launch the Green Academy and dive into its first innovation sprint—three days of tackling real challenges in sustainable food systems.

Some actions can be a real lifeline. For Dr. Jean Anawati and his children, creating the Anawati Family Scholarship at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine continues the efforts of Jocelyne Anawati, a wife, mother, nurse and caring soul from Sturgeon Falls.