Helping others holistically

Transforming passion into action through hands-on learning

While the pandemic has put public health in the spotlight, when Manal was applying to university programs a few years ago, she admits she “had to Google it.”

What she discovered in Waterloo’s Faculty of Health was a holistic perspective that explores diverse determinants of health while maintaining a solid grounding in science.

“Instead of treating someone when they’re sick,” says Manal, public health is about “looking at ways we can prevent that. And looking at someone’s social, economic, and political environment.”

Community-connected learning

For Manal, who has lots of diverse interests and was never big on textbook learning, the hands-on experiences she’s had while studying at Waterloo are game changers.

From pursuing co-op to conducting community health initiatives to drafting a mock policy brief proposal for Health Canada in one of her classes, she’s been able to apply her learning to the real world and explore how health intersects with pressing global issues like climate change.

“I can confidently say I no longer feel like academics are a chore! I just had to find a program I was passionate about.”

After she graduates, Manal hopes to explore a career as a sexual health educator with Black, First Nation, Inuit, Métis, and other Peoples of Colour, along with 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

“Sexual health is still pretty taboo. Even considering the world we’re in, it’s something that we shy away from. I think it’s really, really important to have those conversations.”

Witnessing health in the workplace

While choosing co-op has been a great way to explore diverse jobs in health and beyond, what it’s really taught Manal most of all transcends her career interests. She’s learned the value of a job that’s rewarding for both the work and the workplace culture.

In her role as an events, marketing and recruitment associate for the Faculty of Health, Manal “realized what a healthy work environment looks like.”

Co-op has also helped boost her transferable skills while giving her a reality check about it’s like to work in a professional setting.

“It was a bit of a learning curve to understand the expectations of a professional work environment. In school, you’re accountable for you. But on the job, it’s more collaborative. It’s really important to get to know how to work with people in a non-academic setting.”

Home of the people people

Above and beyond her academic and co-op experiences, the thing Manal loves most is the community.

“I remember the first time I came to campus — right when I walked through the doors — it was super busy, super hectic, but everyone was so nice. I think you’re always going to find someone in Health that’s willing to help and who genuinely cares. We are the people people!”

She became an orientation leader and residence don because she wanted to channel that welcoming energy into a positive role on campus and “give first years what I had when I was in first year.”

That love of helping others infiltrates much of her involvement on campus. On top of supporting incoming students as a Student Ambassador, Manal volunteered as a Peer Health Educator, advocating for safe substance use through a harm reduction approach. 

Getting involved makes the social aspect of university easier but, ultimately, she tells first-year students in her residence not to sweat it.

“You’re going to make friends, you’re going to have a good time—and you’re going to be anxious, and that’s okay, too. But everyone is in the exact same boat as you — everyone wants to make friends, everyone is nervous, and no one knows what they’re doing!”