Making Connections Out West

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Making Connections Out West

Matt Van Waes - Connecting Pioneers Out West

Matt Van Waes ’03, ‘13G connecting Pioneers

Since graduating from UC, Matt Van Waes ’03, ‘13G has always enjoyed connecting with fellow Pioneers. In New York City, where Van Waes worked as a Global Security Investigations Manager for ride-hailing app Uber, he had no trouble meeting up with old college friends regularly.

But when Van Waes, a former marine, relocated to Denver in 2018, he missed the network of UC alumni he’d created back in New York. And because his job with Uber allowed Van Waes to work from home, he couldn’t rely on colleagues to help him build a social circle.

So he took to LinkedIn and began searching for fellow Pioneers in the area. He also connected with former UC president Mike Simpson and his wife Carol, who now live in Denver, and helped connect him to other alums they knew in the area.

Many emails and friend requests later, Van Waes was happy to gather nearly a dozen alumni—and one current online student—at a Denver brewpub in February 2019.

“The conversation was just flowing,” says Van Waes, who adds that, like him, many of the attendees were cyber grads who work in the tech industry. “It was a great to reminisce about UC, but also helpful for people to make those professional connections.”

The group plans to make these outings a monthly or quarterly event, he says. And though most of the alumni were meeting for the first time, Van Waes says they already share a powerful bond:

“How many people in Denver can say they’ve survived a Utica winter?”

If you’re in the Denver area and are interested in connecting with fellow alumni, contact Matt Van Waes at mtvanwaes@gmail.com