Feature

Star quarterback shows why it takes more than talent to succeed

The systemic racism that has historically kept Black athletes from the quarterback position denies opportunity off the field in business, academia and other sectors in society

Relentless and beautiful: Serving those left out of the economy

40 years after they established the Working Centre, Joe and Stephanie Mancini are serving a new generation of people unhoused and unemployed in the wake of a pandemic

How does Waterloo produce so many founders?

Investing in universities and the talent that is derived from them will have to be a central pillar of Canada’s innovation strategy.

From building robots in the basement to putting algorithms on the moon

Four Waterloo Engineering students started building robots in a basement. Today, the company they founded is a global enterprise with a team working on Canada’s first lunar rover.

Gen Z: Changing the world one co-op term at a time

Waterloo co-op students are a force for good, advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in organizations and workplaces around the world.

How do we support talent when life happens?

Employers are losing talent as women carrying the physical, emotional and financial burden of fertility treatments take a step back — or leave the workforce entirely

Investing in a 'uniquely human' future of work

Brigette Lau wants nothing less than better opportunities for all. Her venture fund, Firework Ventures, is betting on tech companies that ignite human potential

Brigette Lau wants nothing less than better opportunities for all. Her venture fund, Firework Ventures, is betting on tech companies that ignite human potential

Seeing the quantum light

Researchers from vastly different disciplines — quantum physics and vision science — collaborate on new device that may one day prevent vision loss

This is how you make a dent in the universe

Janelle Resch changed career plans and launched a biotech company with her husband Eric Ocelewski after he was diagnosed with cancer.

When co-op comes full circle

Alumni share how their own co-op experiences shape how they mentor the next generation of talent

Remembrance Day: Uncovering my grandfather’s story of war

The long night in a lifeboat on the Atlantic Ocean

My grad studies in history helped lead me to details of the night in 1941 that my grandfather narrowly escaped death after a Nazi sub attack

78,000+ vaccine doses

Tears of joy and smiles behind the masks of clinic volunteers

During a critical moment in our history, Waterloo alumni found connection and purpose at the University’s COVID-19 vaccine clinic

The connection that saved her life

From battling depression on her own to a circle of support

Caitlin Brydges was a varsity hockey player secretly living with depression. Then one day she opened up to her coach.

Beyond Ring Road: Where will Waterloo's self-driving shuttle go next?

The WatonoBus has gained attention around the world

Technology driving the WATonoBus may find its way into hospitals and long-term care homes and mine sites

From farm to community

Snyder's Family Farm creates an experience of connection

A short documentary gives an insider look at Snyder's Family Farm

Connecting compassion to cancer care

Coaching the next generation

Dr. Edward Chow mentors and inspires co-op students to become cancer doctors and medical researchers

Connecting cryptocurrency to everyday banking

Matthew Reyes hopes his company’s work in blockchain technology will change your financial future

Matthew Reyes hopes his company’s work in blockchain technology will change your financial future

Connecting the bottom line to climate action

Waterloo tech startup helps businesses with sustainability reporting

Amr ElAlfy’s startup uses machine learning to help businesses connect financial performance to sustainability

Connections that help us answer: Who am I?

Meet the alumnus who illustrated this issue of the Waterloo Magazine

After years of global travel, Bianca Weeko Martin finds home in research about her father’s ancestral house in the Philippines.

Changing the world by investing in talent

Waterloo ranked first among the Schulich Leader Scholarship university partners for number of candidates

The prestigious Schulich Leaders Scholarships connect STEM students to their passions

Inking the bond: Memorial tattoos connect us to those who have died

Death doesn't end a relationship - it transforms it

Tattoos tell stories and express a connection that endures beyond death

Quarantine connections that endure

How a silver samovar found its way home

Waterloo alumnus writes book about two local families connected during a quarantine almost 100 years ago

Representing the future of entrepreneurs

Chekema Prince wants to see more Black women in the technology space

Chekema Prince is using her startup experience to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs

The power of Indigenous entrepreneurs

A new entrepreneurship program helps Indigenous students add value to Indigenous communities rather than extract resources

A new entrepreneurship program helps Indigenous students add value to Indigenous communities

This is what 5G means for you

Waterloo researchers are on the front lines of faster connectivity on one of Canada’s first 5G smart campuses

Cancer survivor builds startup for pelvic health and better sex

Rachel Bartholomew (MBET ’14) was shocked to learn that rehab involved a vaginal dilator invented in 1938

It takes a particular kind of resilience to pitch an idea for a startup—while you’re in hospital waiting for your cancer treatment.

Drag queen math teacher rises up from loss and shame

Kyne Santos (BMath '21) reflects on being eliminated from Canada's Drag Race and what her late father taught her about life

For LGBTQ+ youth: "I can be the flouncy, flamboyant professional that younger Kyne needed to see."

Looking to the land around us during lockdown

Illustrator Julia Nakanishi (BAS ’18, MArch ’20) reflects on her research in Japan and how the pandemic changed her experience of nature

Our resilience as humans is deeply tied to the non-human environment around us

Black women scientists need unreasonable levels of resilience

Physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein (PhD '11) combats racism and sexism in science and society

As a queer Black woman and a physicist Chanda-Prescod Weinstein understands resilience

A president's legacy of student connection

David Tubbs (BA '08) reflects on his time working with President Hamdullahpur

One of the most memorable moments I had working with the University of Waterloo’s sixth president.

The beloved pets supporting us through the pandemic

Waterloo alumnus publishes book about the connections between pets and people during isolation and loss

Award-winning author releases book about our relationships with pets

How to outrun a bully: Build a startup for math learning

Travis Ratnam (BASc '06) co-founded Knowledgehook, which raised $20 million during the pandemic, to improve math learning

Travis Ratnam (BASc 06) remembers the first time he felt self-conscious about his grades

Writer finds resilience in stories of Black women and girls

Nadia L. Hohn (BA ’01) is an award-winning author of books for children who took a leap of faith during the pandemic

Nadia L. Hohn (BA ’01) is the award-winning author of books for children including A Likkle Miss Lou and the Malaika series. Her most recent title, Malaika's Surprise, was released in March.

First Indigenous leader of Canadian Bar Association

Brad Regehr (BA ’93) is working to ensure all lawyers address systemic racism in Canada

Brad Regehr’s journey began while working a shift at the Turnkey Desk on campus

What research, depression and a pandemic taught me about resilience

Recipient of prestigious academic award opens up about her mental health struggles

During the darkest days of the pandemic, I joined a Zoom call to speak with my PhD supervisor. With a face puffy and red from crying, I occasionally muted myself to blow my nose and tried to explain, through a tight throat and broken voice, why I wanted to quit my program.

Vintage Black Canada: Reframing a cultural narrative

Aaron Francis (MA ’14) uses family photos to challenge stereotypes of the Black experience in Canada

For Aaron Francis (MA ’14, PhD in progress), each picture captured by his late grandfather is worth more than a thousand words.

ER doctor on the pandemic frontline says resilience is learned

Dr. Robert Norrie (BSc '96) and his health-care team practised, over and over, how to respond to different scenarios

In those early days of the pandemic, Dr. Robert Norrie (BSc ’96) was running drills in the parking lot with his team

Building startups while fighting cancer and a pandemic

Khallil Mangalji (BCS ’16) says resilience isn’t about grit and tenacity—it’s about being lighthearted

Khallil Mangalji (BCS ’16) has built two successful businesses in difficult circumstances

Four ways to do more and better with less

Student Mayuri Punithan interviewed Trishala Pillai (BA '16) about the growing importance of doing more and better with less 

TBD

Working on purpose

Waterloo's new Future Ready Talent Framework helps students and employers engage in meaningful work

Finding purpose in a pandemic with talent and technology

Two Waterloo alumni wanted to make an impact on a world in crisis

A scientist works on a vaccine while an engineer develops COVID-19 screening tool

Normalizing the struggle

When finding your purpose isn't a straight path

The pandemic has highlighted how careers in public health are among the most impactful jobs in health care

World-renowned architect says ideals come before ideas

Alison Brooks brings joy and her values to solving big problems

Architecture alumni are designing with purpose to address three global crises

A flying car with a larger purpose

A co-op term at Tesla opened the door to big dreams.

Building a flying car sounds like something out of science fiction but two alumni say their venture is grounded in a larger purpose

Don't call me an urban planning pioneer

Katie Turriff’s reconnection with her Mohawk heritage sparked interest in decolonizing her profession

Katie Turriff’s reconnection with her Mohawk heritage sparked interest in decolonizing her profession.

Unlocking a purposeful career in her family story

An award-winning scholar is inspired by her mother's career as a care worker

Kimberly Lopez is working to bring care work in long-term care out of the shadows

Making bricks from recycled plastic for more sustainable housing

GreenBricks co-founders want plastics out of the oceans and landfills and into affordable housing for marginalized communities

Marc Mirella-Sanchez (BES in progress) discovered something extraordinary on a trip to Colombia: a company building schools with bricks made from recycled plastic at a fraction of the cost of conventional building materials.

Painting outside the lines

From studying science to building a business as a thriving artist

Pursuing a health sciences degree while competing on the varsity tennis team prepared Trisha Abe for her career as an artist

Putting his trauma to work for others

Researching homophobia for real-world impact

Harrison Oakes once dropped out of high school after being bullied for being gay. This year he received one of Canada’s most prestigious academic honours.

She started university at 14 – then found her purpose by iterating

A brilliant researcher and founder of the Engage Africa Foundation says getting used to change is one way to find your purpose

When she arrived for her first year of studies at the University of Waterloo, Ebele Mogo (BSc ’09) was just 14 years old and already a top science student in her home country of Nigeria.