Six hundred and three students graduated from the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Mathematics on Friday, including 378 of undergraduates and 225 of graduate students. The students represented four departments – Applied Mathematics, Combinatorics and Optimization, Pure Mathematics, Statistics – as well as David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science and graduates of Mathematics, Business, and Accounting programs (in partnership with Wilfried Laurier University).
Supportive family and friends joined students for the 2:30 p.m. Math convocation, which took place in the Physical Activities Complex (PAC). The program opened with the singing of “O Canada,” as well as a territorial acknowledgment, Indigenous traditional drumming, and remarks from Myeengun Henry, an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper.
As part of the ceremony, world-renowned statistician Dr. Claudia Klüppelberg received an honourary doctorate in Mathematics. In her remarks following the award, she drew attention to the advances she had seen women make in STEM over the course of her tenure in academia, and encouraged all graduates to let “dedication, enthusiasm, and passion” guide their careers.
Dr. Mark Giesbrecht, dean of Mathematics, also addressed graduates on behalf of the faculty, emphasizing students’ persistence through the Covid-19 pandemic. “Whatever you do next, you can be sure that all of us – your professors, your supporters, your family, your classmates – are cheering you on,” he concluded. “You are going to do incredible things. You already have.”
Following the conferring of degrees to undergraduate and graduate students, valedictorian Ehrin Turkovich (BMath, BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University) addressed her classmates, emphasizing that “math makes its greatest impact when we come together: math is community.”
Dr. Benoit Charbonneau, director of Undergraduate Studies, presented the K. D. Fryer Gold Medal for academic excellence and good citizenship to Jalisa Karim; Karim graduated with a BMath in Biostatistics and received a BA in Sexuality, Marriage, and Family Studies the following day.
Following the convocation ceremony, graduates and supporters took photos, enjoyed refreshments, and celebrated with faculty and staff on the BMH Green. The signature pink sunglasses gifted to the graduates were especially welcome as classmates posed for selfies on the unseasonably sunny day.
Congratulation, class of 2022!
If you missed convocation, you can watch a recording of the ceremony at this link. You can also find full profiles of Ehrin Turkovich and Jalisa Karim on our website.