Volunteering sparks confidence and career skills for EDGE student
By: Matthew King (he/him)
EDGE student receives WUSA’s volunteer award honouring outstanding commitment and service
When University of Waterloo Biomedical Sciences student Radha Vyas (she/her) received the WUSA Volunteer Award, she was both surprised and grateful.
At the Women's Centre, Vyas welcomed students, listened to their stories and helped promote campus events. Although at first, she didn’t feel like her work was extraordinary, receiving the recognition affirmed the positive impact she made at the Centre.
The award is one milestone in Vyas’ broader journey. A third-year student, Vyas is completing her EDGE certificate. Her volunteer roles have been key to fulfilling her program requirements and helping her develop transferable skills. EDGE allows non-co-op undergraduate students to build work and community experiences. Students utilize professional development (PD) courses and career development workshops along the way.
“I started volunteering because I knew it would help strengthen my medical school application and improve my communication skills,” Vyas says. “Later, I realized EDGE would give me credit for these experiences and help me reflect on what I was learning.”
Radha Vyas (she/her), third-year Biomedical Sciences student
Vyas’s volunteer snapshot
- Providing support as peer facilitator at WUSA’s Women’s Centre
- Writing articles for Imprint
- Serving as a pre-surgical clinic volunteer at St. Mary’s General Hospital
- Assisting as a teaching assistant in Brampton
- Cleaning wetlands with a local environmental group
Through each experience, Vyas gained new insights into herself and her future path. At St. Mary’s General Hospital (now Waterloo Regional Health Network @ Queen's Blvd), she built empathy and professionalism by guiding patients through forms and procedures. At the Women’s Centre, she discovered the importance of simply listening to fellow students, recognizing that sometimes people just need to be heard. And as a writer for Imprint, she strengthened her communication skills in a second language, building the confidence to share her perspective with a wider audience.
Building skills through EDGE experiences
Volunteering showed Vyas how EDGE can serve as an alternative to co-op. EDGE offered many of the same professional development opportunities without the need to extend the time it would take to complete her degree.
I didn’t want to add another year to my studies, but I also didn’t want to miss out on building those skills. EDGE gave me a way to build my skills, what I was already doing through volunteering, and turn it into something that strengthens my future.
Vyas also sees volunteering as a way to test her future career environment before committing to a career path.
“In healthcare, I like when I can help patients, even just showing them where to go,” Vyas says.
“When they smile back, I can feel their satisfaction. It makes me confident that this is the right path for me.”
Unlike paid jobs where compensation is the main reward, Vyas believes volunteering has intangible benefits, including community-building, skill-building and personal growth.
“Every time I showed up, I became more confident,” Vyas says. “It’s improving me not just professionally, but personally as well.”
As she nears completion of her EDGE milestones, Vyas hopes her story encourages other students to consider volunteering.
“Volunteering has challenged me in ways I didn’t expect, especially with communication and confidence,” Vyas says. “For me, every experience has helped me grow more confident and discover what I enjoy doing.”