From growing up “in awe of Siri” to experimenting with machine learning models in university, Navya’s journey to the Faculty of Mathematics at Waterloo has one major theme: “I was intrigued by the raw expression of innovation. The opportunity to build something. Anything.”
As a third-year Computing and Financial Management (CFM) student, Navya followed that fascination all the way to Waterloo where a unique mix of co-op roles, courses, extracurriculars — and even his involvement in launching a startup — have given him a “deep appreciation for the power of computer science to reshape the way we do business.”
The right equation
“The calibre of the Computer Science program was one of my main deciding factors in choosing Waterloo,” says Navya, an international student from India. “In general, I think the rigour is unmatched. Studying in the Faculty of Mathematics has been an unparalleled opportunity to combine my interests in data science and scientific computation.”
From understanding the world of finance to exploring applied and theoretical problems in computer science, Navya is developing highly relevant skills and knowledge. And he’s already putting them to work through co-op jobs that challenge him to translate theory into practice.
Experience gives you currency
“Co-op has been a really good experience for me because it has allowed me to explore different industries and work environments (everything from insurance to capital markets, consumer retail to B2B data security), while specializing in a niche area that I’m really passionate about. Everything from insurance to capital markets to dealing with retail or data management.”
His second co-op experience on the trade floor of BMO stands out as “a really amazing learning opportunity. My role specifically involved trying to build machine learning models that can identify any trading opportunities on currency pairs — may it be between the U.S. and Canadian dollars or the British pound and the Euro.”
As part of a team that conducted research to improve trading accuracy, Navya’s work had the potential to generate massive business value for the organization.
You’re getting hands-on experience before dissecting the theory which, I think, is an effective learning trajectory.
On top of demonstrating real impact, Navya says “the constant switch between school term and work term forces you to pick up on skills that you can become complacent about in a regular university program.”
In his first and second co-op terms, he was able to work on machine learning projects “dealing with theoretical concepts that a university education doesn’t cover until fourth year. You’re getting hands-on experience before dissecting the theory which, I think, is an effective learning trajectory.”
In sync with innovation
Taking ideas out of the classroom and into the world isn’t limited to co-op for Navya. He’s been involved in everything from the WATonomous Self-Driving Car Project to Hack the North to FinTech Club to mentoring other students in CFM.
As someone who was drawn to Waterloo for its focus on entrepreneurship, he got a taste of the startup world firsthand through a pitch competition in first-year Problem Lab and exposure to Velocity, one of Waterloo’s most prolific startup incubators.
Since launching the startup, WOMBO, which uses machine learning models to generate lip sync videos, Navya has been working on the project part-time during study and co-op terms.
The challenge is “essentially to superimpose a music video onto a still image. We’re working through interesting engineering problems that come with computer vision.”
Calculating your balance
As an international student, Navya says getting involved in clubs, extracurriculars and residence made the transition to a new culture easier.
“I lived at Ron Eydt Village (REV), and that entire sense of community I built there — more or less my entire friend circle that I have right now — I found at REV.”
As an international student, I can relate culturally to many more people.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that “Waterloo’s diversity, especially in direct comparison to other places, is much stronger. As an international student, I can relate culturally to many more people. That entire slope that you’re climbing coming into first year, just setting yourself up in a new country, becomes much easier.”
Juggling the transition to a new culture on top of academic, social, extracurricular and co-op commitments may seem like a daunting task, but for Navya, it all comes down to balance — what he calls “the most overstated but underrated idea of all.”
“When I started first year, I wanted to pick up all these advanced courses, get into student government, make friends, hang out, get good grades. And it piles up. Instead, what worked best for me was just prioritizing my goals for every term. So, you have the variety that you’re continuously trying everything you want to and exploring all there is to university.”
Discover what to expect during your first year in Math
Navya shares his experience in getting involved on campus, learnings from 4 a.m. pool games, jogging along Columbia Lake, and taking advantage of entrepreneurship resources.
