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UNBeknownst: a podcast for alumni, by alumni

Want to meet impressive individuals you may not have known are UNB grads? UNBeknownst digs deep into insights, ideas and solutions from UNB alumni around the world who are making a difference in their communities. Join us as we unravel their stories.

Latest episode

Paralympic cyclist Alexandre Hayward (BScEng'23) had a big year in 2024: he opened the season with gold in the C3 time trial and bronze in the road race at World Cup in Australia and added a time trial bronze at a second stop in Belgium. At the track worlds in Rio, he took silver in the men's C3 scratch race. Then came the big one – the Paralympics in Paris last August, where he won the bronze medal in the men's C3 3,000-metre Individual Pursuit at the Paris velodrome.

Alex burst onto the national and international Para cycling stage in 2022, after playing wheelchair basketball for New Brunswick at the Canada Winter Games and the Canadian junior team. In 2012, at the age of 16, Alex suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury, and his aspirations to pursue professional-level hockey ended. His everyday became about discovering if he'd walk and have normal body function again. Eventually, basketball, and then cycling, became a passion. Alex also graduated UNB in 2023 from the bachelor of engineering program, and spent a summer at UNB's Institute of Biomedical Engineering as an intern, and has a burgeoning interest in biomedical research.

Hosts Kayla Ossachuk (BA'15) and Andrew Martel (BCS'15) chat with Alex about his story and lessons he learned, as well as how he stays motivated and mentally and physically fit.


Browse the full catalogue of UNBeknownst episodes!
Alexandre Hayward on rising up after a tragic accident to compete on the world stage
Alexandre Hayward on rising up after a tragic accident to compete on the world stage
“Anytime I’m feeling low I’ve got this life event in my back pocket where it makes me feel pretty grateful. It’s hard to get too far into a hole”
Randy Hatfield on the realities of poverty and practical solutions
Randy Hatfield on the realities of poverty and practical solutions
“If you want to decrease poverty rates, you have to get money into people’s hands, and there are two principles ways of doing that: one is through labour force attachment and the other is through income supports and benefits”
Kelsey Hogan on the universal lessons learned from ultramarathon trail running
Kelsey Hogan on the universal lessons learned from ultramarathon trail running
"We all have ultras in our lives, sometimes chosen and sometimes ones that life throws you along the way"
Josh LeBrun on social enterprise and building community
Josh LeBrun on social enterprise and building community
"When you take on something beautiful, it draws talented people"
Shilo Boucher on building a healthy, strong community
Shilo Boucher on building a healthy, strong community
Focusing on preventative healthcare will create a positive overall community healthcare model
Katie Davey on public policy, social innovation and social entrepreneurship in New Brunswick
Katie Davey on public policy, social innovation and social entrepreneurship in New Brunswick
"We have a fragmented information environment. Figuring out how we have more understanding and empathy toward each other is the underpinning to solving the largest challenges we face"
Nicole LeBlanc on sustainable communities, tech investment and women in venture capital
Nicole LeBlanc on sustainable communities, tech investment and women in venture capital
"Cities are already smart. They're just not connected. Digital, physical and policy innovation all need to come together. The solutions are out there"
Victoria LaBillois on economic reconciliation in Canada
Victoria LaBillois on economic reconciliation in Canada
"People fear what they don't understand. Becoming an ally involves listening and learning about how we can make economic reconciliation happen together"
Entrepreneur Tosin Ajibola on blending social good with technology in Canada
Entrepreneur Tosin Ajibola on blending social good with technology in Canada
"Newcomers coming into Canada want stability. So the quicker we can help these newcomers get access to what they need, the more likely it is that they stay"
UNB Chancellor Wade MacLauchlan on the role of universities and education in our collective future
UNB Chancellor Wade MacLauchlan on the role of universities and education in our collective future
"Universities have a responsibility for innovation, creativity, invention, creating community and the core contribution of giving people the opportunity to be better"
Mohamed Bagha on growing strong communities by engaging newcomers
Mohamed Bagha on growing strong communities by engaging newcomers
“We are only on the front end of growth right now. Growth will be fueled by newcomers”
Barbara Wasson on how technology and AI are shaping the future of learning
Barbara Wasson on how technology and AI are shaping the future of learning
"Creativity and innovation may be threatened if we all begin seeing the same things that computers generate for us for learning. Who decides what knowledge is?”
Sara Taaffe on the tension between economic progress and sustainability
Sara Taaffe on the tension between economic progress and sustainability
“Knowing that there are a lot of people who really care and are working every day to make change leaves me feeling optimistic that we’re doing better than we were doing a year ago. There is hope and people have power.”
Mike Corey on facing your fears to go far
Mike Corey on facing your fears to go far
“Our body is an amazing tool. We have a superpower which is adaptability. Our body will adapt to where we are and what we do. We need to use that beautiful tool more”
Teresa Fowler on the need for a reckoning in Canadian hockey culture
Teresa Fowler on the need for a reckoning in Canadian hockey culture
“We need to consider the role of grooming - it happens with boys in hockey and it glorifies aggression and violence, along with a culture of silence.”
Lea Nicholas-MacKenzie on championing Indigenous human rights
Lea Nicholas-MacKenzie on championing Indigenous human rights
“Advocating for Indigenous Rights with Indigenous Peoples instead of for Indigenous Peoples is important work”
Mark Leger on the future of local journalism and its importance in building communities
Mark Leger on the future of local journalism and its importance in building communities
“We need to continue to have an optimistic spirit as we innovate new solutions for local journalism.”
Balarama Holness on education, politics and confronting systemic racism
Balarama Holness on education, politics and confronting systemic racism
“Racism creates oppression, but it also creates mystic-like fiery rebels and revolutionaries with the ability to transform evil into optimism, change and humanity.”
John Leroux on why architecture and art are so important in attracting and inspiring people
John Leroux on why architecture and art are so important in attracting and inspiring people
“You can’t say you love a place and build cheaply or not care about its history or environment or landscape or culture. If we truly love a place, we have to act like it.”
Krista Jones on the future of work and how Canada can be competitive globally
Krista Jones on the future of work and how Canada can be competitive globally
“Intelligent work is the intersection between people, process and technology."
Emilie Chiasson on creating human-centred designs and solving big challenges through collective action and gender equality
Emilie Chiasson on creating human-centred designs and solving big challenges through collective action and gender equality
“As the world increasingly navigates complex conflicts, the solutions we implement need to be equally complex”
Josh O’Kane on Sidewalk Labs and “the city Google couldn’t buy”
Josh O’Kane on Sidewalk Labs and “the city Google couldn’t buy”
The Globe and Mail reporter who has spent much of his career reporting on technology and music discusses the failed effort by Google's Sidewalk Labs to build a future-focused neighbourhood in Toronto
Julia Wright on finding your path through trial and error, and journalism in challenging times
Julia Wright on finding your path through trial and error, and journalism in challenging times
“Failure is not the opposite of success – it's part of success.”
Matt Anderson and Chris Simpson on leading healthcare in a pandemic and adapting to change
Matt Anderson and Chris Simpson on leading healthcare in a pandemic and adapting to change
The health human resources problem and burnout of healthcare workers, and so much more
Eric Cook on Industry 4.0 and automation
Eric Cook on Industry 4.0 and automation
“Innovation is the conversion of ideas into money not to be confused with invention, which is the conversion of money into ideas. Discoveries remain invention until there is economic or social value achieved for them to become innovation.”
Michaela D’Intino on building a strong local supply chain and leading at a young age
Michaela D’Intino on building a strong local supply chain and leading at a young age
"The supply chain got crazy when COVID-19 took over the world."
Jason Goldlist on Wealthsimple, Venue and an unusual path to tech entrepreneurship
Jason Goldlist on Wealthsimple, Venue and an unusual path to tech entrepreneurship
"That Superbowl ad really helped Wealthsimple burst onto the scene"
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