Megan MacLeod’s journey to Mohawk College started at McMaster University. She was inspired to enroll in Mohawk College’s Leadership and Management in a Not-for-Profit sector program while she was completing her undergrad at McMaster in 2009. MacLeod was among the first to take advantage of the new program the university and college were offering together. This program allowed her to get a real taste of the non-profit sector while studying and complemented her personal interests perfectly.  

After graduating in 2012, her time at Mohawk College didn’t end. She’s a graduate of three other programs, her final one ending in spring 2014. Her education continued with the Event Management – Convention & Meeting program, the Volunteer Management program and the Fundraising Development program.  

She then began to work in Advancement at McMaster University; however, she wasn’t ready to stop studying just yet. “While working fulltime, I completed my Masters of Philanthropy and Non-profit Leadership at Carleton University, which I finished in 2016. I’ve been an active volunteer with the Association of Fundraising Professionals since my time at Mohawk and remain engaged with personal volunteering endeavours in the community.” 

As a volunteer at Norman Pinky Lewis Recreation Centre, where recreation opportunities are provided for at-risk children and youth, MacLeod implemented projects that benefited these children and their families. Warm Up For Winter was organized for winter clothing donations and to date over 40,000 items have been distributed to support over 3,000 families in the Hamilton community. 

Recognizing that graduation can seem daunting to some, her next project, Glitz, Glamour and Graduation, aimed to nurture the well-being of local students by providing graduation attire, accessories, professional hair stylists and makeup artists to prospective grads at no cost to them.  

Feet First For Haiti was the third campaign MacLeod launched after the 2010 earthquake. With the help of community members, she collected 4,000 pairs of shoes to ship to Haiti in a multi-ton sea crate, which doubled as a medical personnel shelter. In 2015, her wonderful achievements were acknowledged, as she was the Recent Graduate recipient of a Mohawk Alumni of Distinction award. 

“I can say with certainty that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my time at Mohawk,” MacLeod exclaims. While studying at Mohawk she understood the importance of personal development and getting involved outside of the classroom. The two went hand in hand. She worked in the Foundation office and was also a Student Leader with the Student Leadership Academy. “Under one roof, I was able to study, work and volunteer!” 

MacLeod feels very fortunate to be where she is right now, but she doesn’t rule out returning to Mohawk College in the future! 

By: Lu Ann Pannunzio