A message from Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor
Every May, we celebrate Asian Heritage Month. Over the past two centuries, Asian communities in Canada have overcome challenges and thrived. This history is full of many barriers, but also countless stories of resiliency and success.
According to the Canada’s 2021 Census of Population, nearly 20 per cent of Canada’s population is of Asian heritage. The top four most reported mother tongues after English and French are Punjabi, Mandarin, Arabic and Cantonese. It is troubling to see that recent surveys also highlight that many in this population have experienced discrimination in public spaces, in the workplace and even in the classroom. At the University of Waterloo, we are proud of the diversity and inclusiveness of our campuses. Our equity survey notes that close to 50 per cent of our student population has Asian heritage, and we also have a large Asian community represented within our staff and faculty. Community members from a wide variety of Asian cultures and backgrounds contribute to our University community in so many ways.
Our stories
Waterloo is fortunate to possess a dynamic community of individuals of Asian heritage.
As we commemorate Asian Heritage Month, take the opportunity to explore the remarkable accomplishments of members our Asian communities.
Nurturing community through cultural engagement
UWaterloo student Pallavi Thapar embraces cultural connections to successfully navigate the transition to university.
Navigating the transition to a new country to attend university can be a daunting task, fuelled by numerous uncertainties and challenges. Pallavi Thapar, an Honours Arts and Business student from New Delhi, India, was able to overcome these challenges by finding community through Waterloo’s Indian associations and organizations. Read the full story here.
Waterloo researcher wins 2024 Dorothy Killam Research Fellowship
Adam Wei Tsen receives prestigious fellowship to help advance transformational research of 2D quantum materials and devices
PatientCompanion is a tech-solution to support nurses
Christy Lee, a Waterloo student, developed an app to triage patient requests to enhance communication between hospital patients and their health-care providers
Developing personalized cancer vaccines
Dr. Ming Li, a Canada Research Chair in Bioinformatics and University Professor in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science Deep learning technology is making immunotherapy treatment more accurate and affordable.
Using technology to help humans flourish
Opinion: Edith Law, a professor at the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science delves into how we can ethically harness the power of new technologies for the betterment of humanity.
Alumni in Asia gather to celebrate the global University of Waterloo community
Events in Tokyo and Hong Kong connected local alumni, current and prospective students, friends and University officials.
A Decade of Balinese Music – 10th Anniversary of the Gamelan Ensemble at Grebel
Dewa Made Suparta, Artist-in-Residence of Balinese music and performing arts at Conrad Grebel University College delves into the experience of Balinese music for performers and audience members.
Alumni groups
Connect with our Asian alumni chapters on LinkedIn.