Friday, June 10, 2022

Celebrating Waterloo's Class of 2022 valedictorians, Part One

This is the first installment of an article originally published on Waterloo News. Check back on Monday, June 13 for Part Two.

Convocation is a special time to celebrate a significant milestone. For the first time in two years, the University of Waterloo invites the graduating class to celebrate their accomplishments in front of families and friends during the in-person celebrations throughout the week.

These ten students have been selected by their peers, in recognition of their social and academic contributions to the Waterloo community, to represent the graduating class at their respective ceremonies.

Faculty of Arts

For Ola Idris (BA ’22) studying in the Faculty of Arts offered the perfect opportunity for her to balance both her academic studies and personal life while pursuing her passion for advocacy.

Extra-curricular activities played a large role in Idris’ time on campus: She was an Arts Ambassador and peer tutor at the Writing and Communication Centre during her study terms. Idris also participated in multiple speaker panels through student-led organizations such as the Women’s Centre, Racial Advocacy for Inclusion Solidarity and Equity, TedxUW, and the University of Waterloo’s UNICEF Club.

“I have many fond memories from participating in the clubs and extra-curricular activities with other African and Black students, but they are all encompassed by the feeling of walking into the Student Life Centre pre-Covid and seeing so many familiar faces of friends and feeling at home and welcomed,” Idris says. “That feeling is unmatched by any one specific memory.”

As a very active student in the Waterloo community, Idris recalls being most proud of her passion for racial advocacy and equitable change, where she joined the University of Waterloo’s Black Association for Student Expression — later becoming president of the student organization.

She uses that resilience as an advocate for more Black and Indigenous professors and courses. Idris helped curate one of the first Black history courses offered at Waterloo with Dr. Christopher Taylor.

Idris is graduating with an Honours Arts and Business degree in Political Science, with an International Relations Specialization and a minor in Economics.

Faculty of Engineering

Before coming to Waterloo, Ellen McGee (BASc ’22) was unsure what she wanted to study but was told she would like engineering because of her interest in math and science. But after visiting the fall open house and listening to the talk on Systems Design Engineering (SYDE), McGee knew the program was for her.

“It had a huge focus on the design process and looked at the big picture problems,” McGee says. “I was excited to learn about different aspects of engineering and I liked how SYDE allowed you to be creative while solving problems every term with a design course.”

Along with playing in intramural sports, McGee was heavily involved in the Waterloo Engineering Society (EngSoc) having spent time in different roles: class representative, director, commissioner, and even being president for more than one year. But McGee’s fondest memories were during orientation week as a leader with her friends and welcoming incoming first year students.

“I was also EngSoc president at the time and gave a presentation on Engineering traditions, including the purpling event,” McGee says. “We had a huge turnout of 400 first years at the purpling event, where so many people dyed themselves purple – the colour of Engineering – a week of being goofy and having fun on campus.”

After graduating with her Bachelor of Applied Science in Systems Design Engineering,

McGee is travelling through Europe with her friends before returning to Seattle to work as a programs manager at Microsoft, where she was hired after a successful final co-op term.

Chukwunonso Jeffery Moneme (BASc ’22) is graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering. Passionate about racial advocacy within Engineering, Moneme became one of the founding members of Waterloo’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. As well as being founder and chair of the Faculty of Engineering Community Roundtable which enables the faculty to enact change holistically with input from community members.

“The work in equity, diversity and inclusion that I have done through the Engineering society,” Moneme says. “However big or small, means the most to me overall.”

Moneme prides himself in his extra-curricular activities at Waterloo, including multiple roles within the Waterloo Engineering Society: a member of the Board of Directors, the inclusivity commissioner, the advocacy advisor and diversity director. He was also an orientation leader and an executive for UW EngiQueers. Outside of the University, Moneme’s milestones also include being founder and co-chairs of the Anti-Black Racism Task Force for the Engineering Student Societies Council of Ontario (ESSCO).

“Waterloo’s been a major part of my life for the past five years and I have enjoyed being here, it won’t be easy to leave,” he says. Post-graduation, Moneme will be continuing his education at Concordia University for a Master’s in Chemical Engineering.

Siddharth Kumar (BASc ’22) was drawn to the University of Waterloo after speaking to a friend who spoke highly about Waterloo’s co-op program and its widely respected Engineering programs. Kumar is graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering.

He spent much of his time getting involved in clubs over his five years, such as the BioMechatronics Club, an academic representative, a peer mentor, a first-year commissioner, an orientation leader, an EngSoc representative, and having the good fortune of being in the EngPlay for three different productions.

“I think the resources and the feeling on campus that we were working on something bigger than ourselves is a rush that I will continue to seek out for the rest of my life,” Kumar says. However, being an engineer is not the only work Kumar plans on pursuing after graduation.

While Kumar is headed to California as a full-time engineer at Apple Inc., he will also continue his journey as an artist and expand his horizons by working in film and tv productions. “In the upcoming years, I hope to launch some exciting products and also pursue a Master’s of Fine Arts in acting at an acclaimed institution.”

Veraj Paruthi (BASc ’22) was once a high school student who felt lost when it came to figuring out what program, let alone which university to apply. The University of Waterloo stood out the most for him because of the Co-operative Education program.

“I heard students landing amazing jobs not only after graduation, but during their undergrad,” Paruthi says. “These stories had me hooked.”

Paruthi is proud of his academic and career achievements and credits Waterloo’s co-op program for helping him hone his skills. He went from not knowing how to code programs to landing his first technical co-op and leading entire products at startup companies by himself.

When asked about his greatest achievements, Paruthi recalls being selected as valedictorian being high on the list. “Getting into my program was and still is something I’m very proud of, but it is my progression of co-op placements over the last five years is something that still impresses me.”

Graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer Engineering, Paruthi will be working as a software engineer at a startup.

Faculty of Environment

Jaskaran Dhillon (BES ’22) is graduating with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies in Planning. Dhillon came to Waterloo with an open mind for his future in urban planning and is leaving with a collection of memories and experiences he will never forget. With his outgoing nature, Dhillon has always been drawn to work with people especially those with different backgrounds and perspectives.

“I think the long, drawn-out group projects have been some of the most, if not the most, memorable parts of University for me,” Dhillon says. “Of all my experiences, I felt like these challenged me intellectually and academically to the greatest extent.”

Dhillon looks back on the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) taking up a large part of his life over the past few years, from being a teaching assistant to residence life ambassador and being a member of multiple student-led councils and clubs. Dhillon feels his journey as a Waterloo student came to a full circle when he received the honour of being nominated as valedictorian by his peers.

“Over my five years here, I tried my best to get involved in the school so I can interact with the faculty and so many of my peers in such meaningful ways,” Dhillon says. “Those experiences were really what I thought of when I accepted the nomination. To be able to represent a faculty filled with forward-thinking students who I have learned so much from is something I have a deep appreciation for.”

This article will continue on Monday, June 13 and feature the valedictorians from the Faculties of Health, Mathematics and Science. Read the full story on Waterloo News.

Supporting STEM students with self-paced academic integrity tutorials

A message from the Library.

As part of eCampus Ontario’s Virtual Learning grants, a new series of online self-paced tutorials that build skills in academic integrity for STEM students, was recently launched on the Library’s Online Learning Object Repository.

Available in both English and French and open to all students, the six modules cover foundational knowledge every STEM undergraduate student needs to know as they progress through their studies, including collaboration and sharing materials, citing sources, and strategies to act with integrity. 

Researchers discuss water sustainability at the TD Walter Bean events

This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

The Faculty of Environment is hosting a TD Walter Bean high school lecture titled Water Future: A New Generation of Sustainability Leaders on Thursday June 9, 2022. The lecture will be followed by a workshop on June 13 to 15 that will feature Professor Dustin Garrick, University Research Chair of Water Governance at University of Waterloo and member of its Water Institute, along with participants from across Canada and internationally. 

The Water Futures lecture will feature Amber Wutich, 2021 TD Walter Bean professor, Isabel Jorgensen, PhD student, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, Dax Dasilva, Founder and Executive Chairman of Lightspeed Commerce Inc and Sarah Burch, Canada Research Chair in Sustainability Governance and Innovation at Waterloo. 

The lecture, targeted at grades 8 to 12 pupils, brings into focus important environmental issues, and promotes a legacy of community involvement and commitment to youth. The goal is to encourage our youth to get engaged in water sustainability and learn about the opportunities available. 

It will consist of each speaker individually talking about their distinct but complementary interests, and their ongoing research or foundations regarding water sustainability. At the end of the lecture, there will be a campus tour for the students to see what opportunities the University of Waterloo offers.  

On the other hand, the workshop, with its overarching objective to advance cutting-edge research on water conflict and cooperation in the context of water and food security for researchers, will spotlight Professor Garrick and other researchers discuss on the topic Water, Sustainability, and the Commons: Pathways for Food and Water Security. 

Approximately 20 scholars made up of mid-career and graduate students, including Professor Wutich and participants across Canada and internationally will take part in the workshop.

The three-day workshop is an opportunity for water sustainability researchers to scale up interdisciplinary research initiatives focused on sustainable water and food transitions, leveraging a set of existing networks and building a common agenda.

Professor Garrick will bring expertise in water economics and governance and global networks addressing water and food insecurity. Discussions will examine hot spots of water conflict, new models' cooperation between cities and rural regions, and promising pathways for managing water and food systems that better account for sustainability and social justice.

This workshop and the lecture are in line with the Faculty of Environments' strategic goals. The research being developed on water sustainability and resource management creates solutions needed to address complex water scarcity challenges facing the world today.

Both events will provide campus and community leadership in environmental and sustainability research, education, and knowledge mobilization.

Click link below to watch the lecture.

Convocation parking considerations and other notes

This is a reminder, as Convocation preparations enter their final stages and the first celebrations are set for this weekend, that several on-campus parking lots will be repurposed for guests. Parking lots M, N, W, L, and R will be used to accommodate guests arriving on campus for the special events. Parking Services notes that the following relocations will take place from Saturday, June 11 to Saturday, June 18 inclusive:

• Staff Permits for L lot - Valid in Q or X;
• Staff Permits for R lot - Valid in J, S, or X; and
• Student Permits - Valid in C, or X.

Signs at the designated lots have been posted informing permit holders of the changes. For more information visit Parking Services' Convocation website.

And generally speaking, next week's Convocation ceremonies are the largest on-campus events the University has had since the start of the pandemic more than two years ago, and the increase in crowds and traffic may come as a shock, not just to the resident Canada Geese, but to our students and employees. Our advice is to expect delays around the Ring Road, and please be patient.

Here are the latest offerings from the Writing and Communication Centre (WCC):

Hybrid Writing Cafés

“It was nice to find motivation working with like-minded people during Hybrid Writing Cafés.”

Writing doesn’t have to be a solitary activity. Join the Virtual Writing Cafés. Tuesday and Friday from 9:00 to 12:00 pm and Friday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the SLC GSA lounge and on LEARN.  

English Conversation Circles 

The ECC program offers a place to share resources, tell stories, and practice everyday communication. Join us Wednesday from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.