My name is Soumya and I am a Software Engineering student graduating in 2026!
Waterloo Engineering in one word:
Engaging!
I choose Waterloo Engineering because:
Every day when I step foot on campus and learn with passionate and like-minded individuals, I feel inspired and innovated to create new ideas. Along with committed professors and faculty members, Waterloo also provides a co-op program that provides students with the opportunity to build networks within their industry and get hands-on experience to apply their learning in the real world. Engineering at Waterloo also allows students to become a part of design teams, explore entrepreneurship, and research which gives them the opportunity to expand their knowledge in their field of choice.
The best thing about my program is:
The best thing about my program is my cohort and faculty. Software Engineering consists of a comparatively smaller group of students than other engineering programs, which allows us to easily build connections with people in our program. My cohort is extremely supportive and committed, which makes learning with them fun and engaging. Moreover, the SE directors have always been motivating and given insightful advice which has helped my throughout my time at Waterloo.
About my Co-op experience:
I am currently on my second co-op term at Versa Networks. I am working as a front-end engineer and my role includes developing their new website model, and maintenance on the company’s current site. My previous co-op was at Ford Motor Company where I was on the server cloud team as a full-stack developer. Both of my co-ops have allowed me to learn new skills within the software engineering industry and also given me insight about which specific fields of SE I may want to go into in the future.
I wish I had known before I came:
Before I came to Waterloo, I wish I had known that university is not all about academics. Moving to Waterloo and hearing how committed you have to be to your studies when pursuing engineering was very scary at first. And while, your academics are a big part of university, being here is also important in other ways as well. University encourages you to build confidence, explore your interests, and meet new people; all of which shape you in different ways. While most of your time is spent working or studying, you also need to learn to take care of your health and pursue things that make you happy.
Outside the classroom, I’m involved with:
Outside of the classroom, I am not only involved with engineering ambassadors but also the University of Waterloo Robotics Team. Currently at UWRT we’re working on building a mars rover, and I am involved on its software team. I also help out with the engineering orientation to welcome incoming students into the Waterloo community.
A fun project I’ve completed:
A fun project that I’ve completed is Eatco for a hackathon a couple months ago! Eatco is a search engine that provides vegetarian and healthy alternatives to any food-item, along with its recipe and a personalized Spotify playlist to listen along to as you cook!
One more thing about me:
One more thing about me is that I was born in India and raised in Vancouver, BC!