McMaster has more than 210,000 alumni living in 140 countries around the world. The podcast series The MacCast – Unconventional gives us a chance to meet these alumni who are working to make our world a brighter place in their own unique way.
The series, which features the voice of alumni telling their own stories, also gives new and future grads an opportunity to learn about the possibilities and pathways available to them after their time at Mac. The podcast is available on Apple, Spotify, or Soundcloud.
The stories of Keegan Johnson and Rachel Wilson-Jeffers serve as reminders that life doesn’t always take the route one expects, but the unexpected detours can still bring joy.
Keegan Johnson on rising to a challenge with grace and grit
While studying computer science at McMaster, Keegan Johnson ’98 was also the Marauder Basketball team captain and OUA All-Star.
But near the end of his career a knee injury made it seem like his career was over. It wasn’t until Johnson sat down to talk with head coach, Joe Raso, that he started to realize all was not lost.
“Because of that conversation, I ended up staying with the team as a player-coach,” says Johnson. “That sort of changed my perspective on working through adversity and resilience.”
It was a perspective he would rely on later in life when his son, Dante, was diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) – a rare genetic disorder that results in a number of physical, mental and behavioural problems.
Faced with the devastating news, Johnson says he and his wife made a conscious choice to believe they could make a difference in their son’s life. That belief would lead them to launch the One Small Step for Prader-Willi Research Walk-a-thon, now an annual global event that has raised millions for PWS research.
“The one thing that has been overwhelming has been the support of our friends and our family,” says Johnson. “From the first time they showed up, coming to our walk-a-thon, we’ve been blown away…there’s so many amazing people out there.”
Most recently, Johnson was inspired by watching Dante discover a joy for fitness while working out with family members over Zoom when the pandemic hit. The result is Let’s Go Fitness – an online fitness community for people with diverse needs and services for athletes with physical and intellectual disabilities.
In episode three of the Unconventional podcast, Johnson outlines how life’s challenges can prove to be some of the most amazing blessings in disguise. If, as Keegan says, you choose to see them that way.
Listen: Johnson describes how success can happen when you rise to the challenges life throws at you with a positive attitude and a whole lot of grit.
Rachel Wilson-Jeffers on flipping rejection letters into new opportunities
When Rachel Wilson-Jeffers ’14 arrived at McMaster, she thought she had it all figured out – get BSc, go to medical school, move to the suburbs and live a normal, quiet life.
“Right before graduation everybody I knew had acceptances to professional schools, Master’s programs, PhD programs and I didn’t have any acceptances,” says Wilson-Jeffers.
“I was really down about this and wanted to do something after I graduated and not just sit on my mom’s couch.”
Looking for something to do, she applied to a program that would send her to Quebec to teach English in a French high school. While collecting work experience, she indulged her inner travel bug and quickly realized that going to medical school didn’t necessarily have to happen on Canadian soil. In 2020 Wilson-Jeffers graduated from St. George’s, University of London, with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery.
“I actually graduated in the height of COVID,” she says. “I learned I am so resilient. I learned that I can be on my feet for 15 hours and keep going and keep having energy. I also learned that taking a break is so important.”
In season three’s fourth episode of Unconventional,Wilson-Jeffers shares her story of being a front-line worker during a global pandemic, how her experiences at McMaster helped to keep her grounded and how love and empathy can make all the difference in the world.
Listen: Rachel Wilson-Jeffers, who is now a foundation doctor at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in London, shares how rejection helped her develop resiliency.