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Co-op gives student a path to Parliament
by Andreea Perescu
Zuhair Zaidi, a student in the Master of Public Service program at Waterloo, has been interested in Canadian politics since the age of 15. Thanks to Waterloo’s flexibility in allowing students to arrange their own jobs, Zaidi landed a co-op work term in the House of Commons this past spring.
Born in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Zaidi and his family moved to Toronto in his early teens. “Back in Dubai, I was the first one to wake up and read the newspaper,” he explains. “I knew all the news and I was always trying to get my head around what was happening around the world.”
During his time at the House of Commons, Zaidi’s day-to-day tasks involved supporting his MP in parliamentary matters. He focused on committee meetings, prepping questions and gathering necessary information about businesses. While Zaidi’s achievements are impressive, he insists that his success is partially due to many hours of volunteering.
Throughout his teenage years, Zaidi spent his summer breaks volunteering in government offices. He interned for the Liberal Party of Ontario and the Ministry of Economic Development in Queen’s Park. “I volunteered for different elections –I was always there, always helping out. I just wanted to contribute somehow to the political process.”
When asked what he thinks of the Master of Public Service at Waterloo, Zaidi highlights the practicality of the program. “The courses Waterloo offers are extremely specific. They make you think critically. You’re dealing with things that really forge policy.”
Zaidi’s advice to co-op student reflects his proactive approach to success. “Ask questions and put yourself out there,” he says. “At this age, it is imperative to take the necessary risks – without conversations and without being bold you won’t know what opportunities lie ahead. Embrace each situation and tackle it head-on. Every individual has the potential to succeed.”
Zaidi continues to challenge himself in his new co-op work term at the Ontario Public Service as a public servant for the Ontario Ministry of Children, Youth and Social Services.
For more information about arranging your own co-op job, please visit the Co-operative Education website and follow @HireWaterloo.
Musculoskeletal disorder prevention centre gets funding boost
Waterloo’s Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD) will continue to forge new ground in the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders with $379,000 in funding from the Ministry of Labour for 2016-2017. The funding is part of a multi-year agreement extending through 2021 and will assist the Centre in pioneering a new MSD prevention guide for Ontario.
Earlier this month, CRE-MSD appointed Professor Jack Callaghan as the Centre’s new director, succeeding Professor Richard Wells, who headed the Centre for 12 years. Professor Callaghan, of the Department of Kinesiology, will begin his role as director by spearheading the fall conference Sit to Stand Job Rotation for Wellness and MSD Prevention. The conference will showcase the latest research on the implications of prolonged sitting and standing on the body’s vast system of muscles and nerves.
Today CRE-MSD boasts of a network of over 47 dedicated researchers from 13 different institutions in Ontario, provides bi-annual seed grants to researchers, thematic position papers, conferences and symposiums in the prevention of MSDs at work.
Stop and Talk, Tableaux and Trio, and other notes
President Feridun Hamdullahpur will be hosting a Stop and Talk event today from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Student Life Centre, and students are invited to stop by and chat about how their terms are going and what's on their mind about campus life. There will be free cookies.
The next event in the Noon Hour Concert Series, Tableaux and Trio, takes place today at 12:30 p.m. in the Conrad Grebel University Chapel. Soprano Elizabeth Rogalsky Lepock, a Waterloo graduate, will sing a number of Canadian pieces drawn from Seven Tableaux from the Song of Songs and Selections from Trio, composed by another Waterloo grad, Erica de la Cruz, who will be playing piano at the concert. The event also features Ben Bolt-Martin on cello and Linnea Thacker on violin.
Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include Oracle, Tesla Motors, 500px, Spin Master Ltd., RSA Canada, TimePlay Inc. Visit the employer information sessions calendar for more details.