For Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) alumna Divya Lala, entrepreneurship has never been about fitting a traditional mould. Instead, it has been about creating meaningful, human-centred solutions rooted in empathy, education, and community.
A 2025 graduate of the part-time MBET program at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business, Divya brought with her a strong academic background, including a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Science in Mathematics and Statistics from Queen's University. After years of working in higher education, she was searching for a way to combine her passion for education with her desire to build something of her own.
“MBET aligned with my goals and entrepreneurial plans,” says Divya. “I wanted to pursue my dream of building something meaningful in education.”
Today, Divya serves as an Instructional Support Coordinator in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, where she coordinates course logistics, supports teaching assistant teams, develops educational programming, and helps improve the student experience through innovation and systems thinking. Among her accomplishments are the creation of an experiential learning Teaching Assistant Training Certificate program and the development of automated processes that streamline teaching assistant course assignments.
Alongside her work at the University, Divya is the founder of Integral Learning, a tutoring and academic support company focused on personalized, research-informed learning strategies that help secondary and post-secondary students build confidence and succeed academically.
While Divya entered MBET expecting to gain business skills, the experience became something much more transformative.
“MBET was not what I expected,” she reflects. “There were a lot of pivots, a lot of figuring myself out.”
Like many professionals returning to graduate studies, Divya arrived to MBET during a period of significant personal and professional reflection. After years of pushing herself to meet expectations and navigate demanding environments, she experienced burnout that forced her to reconsider how she approached work, learning, and success.
Divya also received a late diagnosis of AuDHD (Autism and ADHD) during the program, which ended up being a moment that helped her better understand experiences she had carried throughout her life. Rather than viewing the diagnosis as a limitation, she began to see it as a framework for understanding many of her strengths: deep curiosity, creative problem-solving, pattern recognition, empathy, and the ability to see opportunities and connections that others might miss.
“The diagnosis helped me make sense of things that had always been part of who I am,” she says. “It gave me permission to stop trying to fit a mould that wasn't designed for me and instead lean into the ways I naturally think and work.”
That shift in perspective influenced both her personal growth and her approach to entrepreneurship. As she explored new ideas through MBET, she became increasingly interested in creating learning environments and support systems that recognize different ways of thinking, learning, and succeeding.
Divya Lala, MBET '25
Rather than seeing entrepreneurship solely as startup creation, Divya began to view it as a way of solving meaningful problems, building supportive communities, and creating opportunities for others. Her experiences with burnout and neurodivergence reinforced a belief that innovation often comes from people who see the world differently.
“The core of what I do is empathy-centred,” says Divya. “How do we build supports for people? How do we create community? I want students to know there doesn't have to be only one path.”
As she worked through these challenges, Divya found unexpected encouragement within the MBET community. Through collaborations with classmates, conversations with peers who followed unconventional career paths, and mentorship from faculty members, she began rebuilding confidence in her ideas and ambitions.
One mentor who had a lasting impact was the late Professor Wayne Chang.
“Wayne was one of the first professors who really brought that confidence back for me,” she says. “He encouraged me to trust myself and reminded me that your path can look different, and that's okay.”
By her third year in the program, Divya found herself re-energized.
“The MBET program helped re-ignite my passion for education and reminded me that this is what I love doing.”
The experience also reinforced an important realization: diverse perspectives are essential to entrepreneurship and innovation. As someone working in education and social impact rather than a traditional technology startup environment, Divya initially questioned whether she belonged in the program.
That uncertainty eventually became one of her greatest lessons.
“I'd encourage more people to do the program who don't feel like they belong,” she says. “You might not fit the stereotype, but you should still be there. You bring value.”
Reflecting on her experience, Divya believes one of MBET's greatest strengths is its ability to create space for experimentation, growth, and different ways of thinking.
“MBET was a place where it was safe to try things, make mistakes, and learn,” she says. “The more different you feel, the more you probably do belong there.”
Today, that philosophy continues to shape both her professional work and the future of Integral Learning. Whether supporting students, designing educational programs, or building new learning opportunities, Divya remains committed to expanding access to education and helping others discover their own potential.
For her, entrepreneurship is ultimately about people.
“MBET showed me that innovation is not limited to startups or technology companies,” she says. “It can happen anywhere people are trying to solve real problems and create positive change.”
Divya's advice to future students and aspiring entrepreneurs is simple:
“Even if entrepreneurship or an idea you're working on doesn't become the thing you do forever, go for it. Especially if your interests are outside the traditional tech space, those ideas and perspectives are needed too.”