Stream of study: Co-op
Favourite co-op: My favorite co-op job would be working with the York Region Transportation Asset Management team. For a beginning placement, I had the opportunity to develop valuable industry skills while working under a supportive team with substantive expertise in their fields.
Are you involved in any campus clubs?
I've had the opportunity to serve first as the VP-Education and then as the current President of the Environment Students' Society for the past two years. In my role, I serve as a role model and community leader by advocating for the improvement of student life within the faculty. Elsewhere, I've dressed up as a professional banana for Orientation, participated in a harrowing weeklong game of survival in Humans vs. Zombies, and performed as a beatboxer for one of the campus acapella groups.
Why did you choose to study in the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo?
I chose to study in the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo because I wanted an undergraduate program that would allow me to continue pursuing my passions in geography, history, and sustainability while gaining valuable co-op experience that can translate to countless career options. My program, Geomatics, smoothly incorporates problem-solving, career-relevant analytical skills, and global citizenship into one tidy package, something you will not find easily elsewhere.
What do you love most about your program?
Geomatics is a program that combines the best of both geography and computer science. A primary focus of Geomatics is geographic information systems (GIS), spatial analysis, and making connections with other interdisciplinary applications within the scope of real-world problems. I get to develop valuable skills in a highly coveted and employable field while networking with other passionate students within the Faculty of Environment. There are countless opportunities to get involved, and I've worn many hats throughout my undergraduate experience. Ambassador, president, and banana to name a few (yes, the last one is not a typo).
What problem would you like to solve?
I'm interested in fostering student engagement and leadership toward solving contemporary world challenges we face today as a society. I believe that our generation has been blessed and burdened with the growing need to get involved in local and global issues that have far-reaching impacts on our future, and there has never been a greater need for decisive action. Through Geomatics, I'm learning about the different perspectives on how people approach issues, and how we can use data to better understand how to engage and interact with stakeholders across the board.