Keeley Isinghood (BMath ’25) came to Waterloo to pursue her love of numbers and problem-solving. In the Biostatistics program, she discovered a meaningful way to apply math to real-world challenges and a supportive community who deepened her passion.
“I remember one night, I finally solved a problem that I had been stuck on all week — it was a wonderful feeling to figure it out on the whiteboard with the help of my friends,” Isinghood says. “Working on mathematics collaboratively has always been a highlight of my degree.”
Isinghood was active in student life, from Women in Mathematics and MathSoc to participating in the curling club and intramural sports teams. She is especially proud of mentoring 20 first-year students as a peer leader in the Honours Math Living and Learning Community.
Isinghood will begin her Master of Mathematics in biostatistics at Waterloo this fall.
Before coming to Waterloo, Nina Tan (BCS ’24) carefully planned her ideal university experience, aiming to complete each co-op term in a different city. She succeeded by living and working in Vancouver, Boston, Mountain View and Munich.
“I’ve always loved adventures and exploring new places, so the co-op program really appealed to me,” Tan says. “I still look back fondly on the memories and friendships I made in each one.”
She also held several executive leadership roles within Women in Computer Science (WiCS), which include serving as director of Publicity, Outreach and Mentorship. Over the course of her degree, Tan helped organize numerous professional, mentorship and community-building events that became a meaningful part of her university experience.
Tan will be returning to Google, one of her former co-op employers, as a software engineer. In the long term, she hopes to build solutions in sustainability, education and women’s health, while reacquainting herself with old hobbies like singing and arts and crafts.
Karen Abdel Sater (BMath ’25) began her degree during a global pandemic, balancing her studies and extracurricular activities while adapting to a new environment. She turned these challenges into motivation, becoming deeply involved on campus — joining student clubs, serving as a residence life don and leading the Waterloo Arab Student Association.
“Building connections and creating spaces where people felt at home added a whole new dimension to my university experience,” Abdel Sater says. “It made me stay grounded in my own culture while encouraging others to embrace both our similarities and differences.”
For Abdel Sater, being named valedictorian is about representation. As a Lebanese woman in mathematics, she hopes her story inspires others to pursue unconventional paths.
Abdel Sater will join the Royal Bank of Canada, where she previously worked as a co-op student, to work full-time as a data engineer.
Read the full article from Waterloo News to learn about all fourteen valedictorians.