When Reenika Aggarwal (BSc Health Studies ’17) came to Waterloo, she knew she loved sciences and math and that she wanted a career that had a positive impact on the community. To this end, she pursued Health Studies, taking extra courses in the summer.
In her final year, she had the opportunity to present a research paper connected with her honours thesis at a conference in Banff. She applied for and received funds to attend from the Undergraduate Experiential Research Fund. She says, “It’s important that the university supports young researchers because this is how we can see the impact of our work.”
She also received the Proudly She Marched Jocelyn Cowan Scholarship. “Tuition debt piles up really quickly, especially if you don’t have time to work,” says Aggarwal. “Receiving an award is also a bright light of encouragement because it means others have noticed your hard work.”
Today, she is a newly minted master’s graduate from the University of Toronto. She says “Being a woman in the STEM field, it’s always hard to get a seat at the table. When you make specific awards and paths for women, it helps us get a bit further in our careers and that is extremely valuable.”
