In Memory of Stephanie Ye-Mowe

The Mathematics Society is deeply saddened by the news of former WUSA president Stephanie Ye-Mowe’s passing. Stephanie was an amazing student leader who cared deeply about the wellbeing of students and what they had to say. MathSoc had the privilege of working with her throughout her tenure as WUSA president and we have nothing but positive things to say about Stephanie. 

Stephanie was one of the voices at WUSA who was passionate and advocated for the betterment of students. She pushed hard, demanding more from the student societies, for us to work together and for WUSA to hear student needs from us. Stephanie was the model student leader, and is someone that we really looked up to. Throughout her time as an executive, many of us had the pleasure of meeting her and we all benefited immensely from her mentorship and advice. 

The following are some words that our executives had to share about Stephanie:

Steph’s passing is a huge loss to the University of Waterloo community. She was one of the fiercest and most inspirational student advocates I ever met. She worked with MathSoc and the other societies to advance the interests of students and mentor younger student leaders such as myself. She was a wonderful friend, and we will all miss her dearly.

– Vincent Macri (Winter 2022 Vice President Academic)

Steph is one of those few people who has probably positively affected the lives of all of us. I hope we never forget the impact she’s had on us, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget the amount of effort and dedication she put into doing the right thing every single time. Take care, Steph. I miss you and will always respect you.

– Naman Sood (Fall 2022 Vice President Academic)

Steph and I became friends when I was mathsoc president — we had talked before, but only briefly. She was funny in meetings and had cute cats and she had such a hilarious and beautiful way of telling stories. She gave advice. She pushed me to be better. She called when things were wrong. She once told me she felt like she had essentially unlimited capacity to help others, that if someone was in a hole, she’d throw them a rope and never run out, and it truly showed. Even when she came to me for support, she always made time for my life, if I needed it.

Her laugh was really contagious. She was adorable, the way she’d get excited about stuff was just so pleasant to be around. She gave me compassion and forgiveness when I needed it. I didn’t know Steph  for nearly long enough, but she was such a big part of my life this summer, and I was so lucky to get that time. I miss her so much. I cannot begin to describe my grief, nor can I imagine what her closer friends and family are going through. The world is a stupid, worse place for losing her, and I am a far better person for having known her.

– Nicky Priebe (Winter 2023 President)

I was only able to work with her during a short period of my time as VPO and met her formally at the WUSA leadership awards dinner. In the brief time that I spoke with her I was able to grasp the passion that she had for student advocacy, understood how deeply she cared about the voice of students being heard and how welcoming and friendly of a person she was. I hope as a student body we follow in Stephanie’s footsteps and continue to advocate for each other and make our University a better place. 

– Damian Mustatea (Fall 2023 President)

We would like to thank Stephanie for sharing her light, for all of the hard work she put into helping students, and for always being the voice that had our best interests in mind. Your impact touched every single one of us and you will truly be missed.