News and stories

Olympic hockey player and Arts alum Kristin O’Neill balances elite athletics with academic curiosity

Brigitte Nolet reflects on the Arts education, work experiences and adaptability that prepared her to make a difference.

Medical decisions can be hard, but understanding your thought processes and priorities can improve the outcome – and AI might be able to help.

This fall, the School of Critical and Creative Humanities welcomes Dr. Priscilla Layne, as the new Diefenbaker Chair in German Literary Studies, and the School of Social, Political and Historical Research welcomes Dr. Talia Bettcher, one of Waterloo's three inaugural Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs.

From LinkedIn posts to messages shared with us, Arts alumni have (good!) thoughts on the reorganization of their Faculty – whose legacy they helped to shape and continue to support in many ways.

Special thanks to the generous donors who established new awards and funds in support of our students between March 2025 and July 2026.
 

The past few months have been filled with memorable Arts milestones, including welcoming our newest students, celebrating the first graduating class of Sustainability and Financial Management at Spring Convocation, and hosting our inaugural Arts Goes to Homecoming.

Eyitemi Popo (MDEI ’16) is a visionary entrepreneur and Forbes-listed changemaker whose work is reshaping how women explore and experience Africa.

Susan McKenzie (BA '96, MA ’98, English) is a communications and fundraising leader whose personal journey as a kidney transplant recipient sparked a powerful movement. 

Madam Justice Avvy Yao-Yao Go (BA ’86) has more than 30 years of advocacy and litigation experience in support of disadvantaged communities and is the first Chinese Canadian to be appointed to the Federal Court. 

One clear advantage for Canada is a post-secondary sector that rivals the world’s best and is at the core of our nation’s capacity in leading AI, writes Mark Schaan, Associate Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

An interdisciplinary study led by Waterloo Psychology professors is the first to suggest realistic ways to integrate wisdom into artificial intelligence to create AI systems that will be more robust, transparent, cooperative and safe.

James Malzahn explores AI, surveillance and human perception through immersive art to challenge audiences to question truth, authorship and the impact of emerging technologies

Francesca (Fanny) Patterson celebrates the legacy of her parents, who were among the first Arts professors, by establishing scholarships in their names that support the study of Indigenous histories and fine arts at Waterloo. 

See the latest fiction and non-fiction titles written by Arts alumni

For the Faculty of Arts, the 2026 Winter Olympics felt even closer to home with two Arts alumni competing (and winning!) on Olympic and Paralympic teams and a current master’s student contributing human-centred data analytics to the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Reunion 2025 brought back Arts alumni from as far as Malaysia and Singapore! Thank you for joining us—and for sharing photos from your visit. 

Sehaj Raj Singh graduated this spring with an Honours degree in Economics and Business and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

Arts alumni Lenore Johnson and Jin-Hee Song are serving up sweet treats.

How Global Business and Digital Arts prepared Naimah Venezia for the multiple disciplines required to be a founder

For more than four decades, Waterloo Arts students have prepared for diverse careers across business.

Victoria Stacey (BA '15) shares about a special 10-year reunion trip.

Enjoy the happy scenes at June’s convocation which welcomed 1,529 new Arts alumni.

Heather Matson (BA ‘98), Global Head of Nature & Biodiversity and Gender Finance at Bankers Without Boundaries (BwB), shares a bit about her experience — from Arts undergrad to finance leader.