Yinghao Song: Preparing for next steps after graduation

Introducing Yinghao 

Yinghao is a master's student in the School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development studying Sustainability Management, which Yinghao says means “[he is] interested in social science, environment, and economy, which are the three pillars of sustainability”.  Of these three pillars, Yinghao shares he likes social science most because “[he] can feel [his] value in helping people in need”.  

Before pursuing his master's degree, Yinghao completed his bachelor’s degree in Recreation and Sport Business and Tourism Development with a minor in International Trade. He shares that his music taste reflects his interest in globalization and international cultures as he listens to music in different languages. He is fluent in English and Chinese and has also learned some Japanese as a hobby.  

Preparing for next steps after graduation 

Thinking about his graduation and what comes next after his master’s program, Yinghao is looking forward to seeing the return on investment from his time studying and says he wants to focus on starting his career and connecting with society. After many years as a UWaterloo student, Yinghao is looking to maintain his connect with the University and “expand [his] comfort zone slowly”, so is prioritizing future opportunities in student services, such as working as a student coordinator. Yinghao shares he is also interested in the ESG field (environmental, social, and corporate governance), which aligns with his research, but may not happen in Canada. Yinghao told us, “I am an international student, [and] I am the kind of nostalgic guy who misses my hometown so much, so I may return to my hometown to find a job in the same fields”.  

The excitement of seeing the return on investment and starting his career doesn’t come without its challenges. In particular, Yinghao said, “I always worry about my lack of internship experience. Until now, I never had a formal internship, and I only have a few part-time experiences. I hope my previous part-time and volunteer experiences can be strong enough to attract companies to pick my resume”. Though Yinghao didn’t have a formal internship, he did engage in many opportunities presented to him that have built up his resume! Opportunities which added to his resume as well as providing him an opportunity to expand his network on campus were volunteering with the EGSA (Environment graduation students association), WUSA, and Renison.

Yinghao has also travelled to Tokai University in Japan for an international student experience, which Yinghao realizes makes him more competitive in the job market as “international experience is significant for many companies when they hire new employees”. As with volunteering with the EGSA, this opportunity also allowed him to build a network, this time internationally! Yingao says he built a network not only with his host supervisor but also her students, “one of her students is also Chinese, so he and I may maintain our friendship in China in the future if we are both in the ESG field”.  

Yinghao would like to thank UWaterloo units that supported him as an international research student, “I want to thank the Immigration Consulting team in the Student Success Office. I was helped to extend my student Visa and Study Permit and was given some information about the [Post Graduate Work Permit] (PGWP) application.” He also appreciates his supervisor’s V2V Global Partnership, which leads small-scale fisheries in many countries from vulnerability to viability and gave him a change to do his data collection in Japan. He says, “Not only do I have a deeper understanding of the academic knowledge in my research field, but I also [had] a large amount of time to get involved in Japanese activities and habitats to expand my multicultural horizon.” 

Advice for other students 

Yinghao suggests to his fellow graduate students to explore the resources on campus, “maintain your network with your faculty’s student associations, build some foundations for international culture and knowledge in Renison College, and go to the SLC from time to time to find something interesting.” For international students, Yinghao also recommends the Student Success Office to support with any questions or problems regarding Visas.