People profiles

Clarence is part of the academic leadership team in GSPA that supports graduate education and community, as well as grad-related initiatives that align with the University's strategic planning. Clarence supports the priorities of GSPA and works with the leadership team and across GSPA providing academic leadership and perspectives. He also works with faculties and other academic support units, promoting fair application of University guidelines.

As a Graduate Admissions Specialist, Jacquelene assesses, verifies, and makes final decisions on recommendations for Offer of Admission. She's responsible for the management of admissions records, communications and strives to improve business processes.

As the Graduate Systems Assistant, Janine plays a key role in ensuring that applicants, referees, application reviewers, Faculty and Department Officers and Co-ordinators, Graduate Admissions and Records Specialists and students have timely and accurate information to manage their online activities. Janine supports the systems-based processes for the entire student lifecycle; supporting admissions, student records, student awards and financial aid portfolios.

As the Academic Officer, Trevor supports academic units who want to develop new programs or make changes to their existing programs (e.g. requirements, milestones, courses). He helps the academic units navigate the approval processes required to make these changes. Trevor also manages the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

Laura manages multiple internal and external scholarship competitions and award programs, including the prestigious OGS and QEII-GSST scholarships. She is a resource to department staff and faculty members concerning eligibility criteria for scholarship competitions and she assists with the interpretation and implementation of internal and external program regulations, guidelines and instructions. Laura is also responsible for the submission of scholarship applications to external partners on behalf of the University.

As Graduate Admission Specialist, Tara is a key liaison with the Departments and Faculties for the evaluation of admission recommendations, production of offers of admission, tracking conditions of admission and decisions, management of admission records and communications with prospective students and applicants, monitoring special applications and admissions sanctioned through University agreements with international institutions or governments and collaborative or joint programs with other universities. Tara is responsible for preparing procedures, and training and mentoring administrative departmental staff and faculty on best business practices for application and admission requirements, programs and agreements, and on the use of complex and evolving student system.

As the Manager, Postdoctoral Affairs and Programming Development, Sarah is responsible for leading GSPA activities and programming that support the professional, academic, and personal development of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

As the Graduate Admissions and Records Systems Analyst, Wendy is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance and support of PeopleSoft (Quest) & Onbase systems, for admissions and records. 

She provides document management, course catalogue changes, quality assurance, and also supports admissions communications.

In her role, Elena is responsible for overseeing several graduate scholarship competitions, including NSERC which supports high-calibre scholars engaged in graduate studies, and the International Experience Awards which provide funding to those who want to go abroad for various reasons. She also administers Waterloo's Graduate Needs Based Awards and assists students in navigating through their financial needs, awards and funding options.

As a Records Specialist, Morgan provides support to the Faculty of Health with the maintenance and updating of graduate student records, including (but not limited to) changes to enrolment status, milestone updates, transfer credits, and degree completions. She also maintains the Academic Integrity Module for new graduate students, the Certificate in University Teaching, and handles changes to students' immigration status.

As an Awards Payments Specialist, she assists in the graduate student award processing, including nominations, adjustments, and regular maintenance checks.

As Graduate Admissions Systems Specialist, Saritha provides functional leadership for solution designs and implementation that improves stakeholder experience and efficiency of operations. She works closely with Admissions and Systems team to provide the best system functionality and integration. Saritha also works on production support and projects related to Admissions and document management system.

In his role as Graduate CRM Specialist, Jason (he/him/they/them) is supporting the strategic development of the CRM application with a focus on application for graduate marketing and recruitment.

As the Senior Manager of Graduate Systems, Christina leads a forward-thinking team that provides essential stakeholder support, functional business analysis, and business process support for all stages of the student lifecycle. Christina provides project leadership in systems development for the graduate community, collaborating with the Registrar's Office, Finance, IAP and IST on a regular basis. Christina is also responsible for the oversight of Quest and OnBase security for users supporting the success of graduate applicants and students.

“Being a grad student is very much a "you pick your story" experience. There are so many components such as research work, free courses and auditing, TA experience, and more.”

Ryan Fang, MSc student, Electrical Engineering

"At the end of the day, there are many fantastic opportunities available to you as a grad student but you also have to make sure that you are making space for your well-being."

Liza Boyar, PhD student, Public Health and Health Systems

"Move forward one step at a time, day by day, and try to leave enough time to explore the world around you - maintaining a balanced social life while in graduate school is critical. Make an effort to strike a balance between your academic and personal life."

Navya V. Nair, PhD student, Sustainability Management

"The best part about being a graduate student is the independence and flexibility that comes with the nature of the studies. Graduate school also allows you to develop yourself personally and professionally."

Eugenia Dadzie, MSc student, Biology

"There are many events that will happen in your life that you will have no control over, so try to understand the lessons from those moments and use those as a source of growth. Try not to attach your self-esteem to how much you are producing. We are all capable beings and production is ephemeral, but kindness to yourself and other beings is everlasting."

Ileana Diaz, PhD student, Geography and Environmental Management

"It can feel more isolating in graduate school than when studying for an undergraduate degree. Especially since my graduate degree was during the pandemic, I did not have in-person classes every day and didn’t get the chance to interact with other people in my program as easily. What helped me feel connected to the campus was attending events put on by the Graduate Student Association (GSA), joining clubs on campus, and meeting weekly with other students in my research group."

Nicholas Richardson, MMath student, Applied Mathematics

"Be open to learning new material and to take each and every opportunity to share your work with others; there is no better place than a conference to receive constructive criticism for your work."

Thomas Milovac, PhD student, Applied Philosophy

“If there was one piece of advice I could give new students, it would be not to get sucked into how much work or how little work others around you are doing. The comparison will drain you. Focus on your work. The most important thing you can get out of grad school is the connections you make throughout your journey—grades matter but not more than those relationships with professors and other students.”

Karmvir Padda, PhD student, Sociology

Quote: “The best part about being a graduate student is the freedom you get to work on your own interests. "Do what is best for you" is something that I have often heard from my professors, and this has been really paying off.”

Hari Har Jnawali, PhD student, Global Governance

"When I decided to pursue my graduate studies, I was mainly looking out for schools that are well invested in cutting-edge research and innovation. Also, I sought a supportive environment and team, which I believe paves a way for excellence, collaboration and growth. Simply put, University of Waterloo was a good fit."

Adaora Enumah, MSc student, Public Health and Health Systems