Spring Convocation was a day Maddy Nowosad will never forget.
I would love to work for an organization that’s doing advocacy work.
Maddy Nowosad
Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Rhetoric, Writing, and Communications, as well as a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies, Nowosad received the prestigious Mayor’s Medal from Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham at City Hall.
“I’m very grateful to the University for not only recognizing the work I’ve put into my studies,” Nowosad said, “but the work that I’ve done in the community because that’s really what I’m most passionate about.”
Awarded annually at Spring Convocation, the Mayor’s Medal is given to a graduating student whose record combines academic distinction and service to the community of Winnipeg. In addition to this recognition, Nowosad is also on the Dean’s Honour List and a recipient of the UWinnipeg Academic Proficiency Scholarship.
Nowosad is a passionate advocate for inclusivity and accessibility within Winnipeg’s skateboard community.
In November 2022, she drew national media attention to a significant issue surrounding funding issues with a public skate park that restricted the full participation of 2SLGBTQ+ skateboarders.
Maddy Nowosad co-founded The Other Skaters, which is an independent zine that highlights the experiences of 2SLGBTQ+, women, and non-binary skateboarders.
Following interviews with the CBC, Globe and Mail, and Winnipeg Free Press, Nowosad kept that momentum going by accepting the role as Executive Director of the Manitoba Skateboarding Coalition, where she has worked to engage the City of Winnipeg on plans to build a new centrally located, community-led, and inclusive skatepark.
Currently, the Manitoba Skateboarding Coalition is approximately halfway to meeting the $26,000 fundraising goal.
Combining her studies with her passion for skateboarding, Nowosad co-founded The Other Skaters, which is an independent zine that highlights the experiences of 2SLGBTQ+, women, and non-binary skateboarders.
“I started co-creating The Other Skaters in 2020 and it was really successful. We went into it thinking we were just going to print a few copies for our friends, but more people slowly got involved,” Nowosad recalled. “We made connections through social media all across North America and with skate groups that are also working towards inclusion.”
Nowosad was also awarded the Michael Collins McIntyre Rhetoric, Writing, and Communications Scholarship and received a sizable Mitacs grant, leading to an internship with the Arctic Research Foundation. As part of the internship, she interviewed Arctic science researchers in order to better understand how to circulate Arctic science to southern audiences.
She says graduating is exciting, yet bittersweet because she’s loved her time at UWinnipeg. While she plans on pursuing a master’s degree in the future, Nowosad is going to finish her internship and then start her career, with a focus on marketing and social media.
“I would love to work for an organization that’s doing advocacy work.”
