Current students

Brendan Pinto (BSc ’15, Kinesiology) first took up swimming to improve his fitness, but enjoyment and skill in the sport led him to take it up competitively.

But in 2011, the summer before starting his undergraduate studies at Waterloo, he suffered a leg injury while cross training that resulted in nearly a year of recovery.

“Not being able to swim for the first time had a huge impact on me psychologically, socially and physically,” Pinto says. “A year is a long time to keep having symptoms without any clear idea of whether I’m getting better or not.”

The University of Waterloo is pleased to recognize three esteemed individuals with honorary degrees at the Fall 2024 Convocation.

An honorary doctorate is the highest honour conferred by the University with each degree awarded to individuals who inspire and demonstrate exceptional service and leadership within their discipline. Each recipient of the award this year has made significant impact on a local and global scale through their personal and professional experiences.

For Aparajita Bhattacharya, who is graduating with a Master of Arts degree in Public Issues Anthropology, the interdisciplinary nature of her graduate student experience opened doors to new research paths and an exciting future.  

With a background in data science and a passion for anthropology, particularly bioarchaeology, Bhattacharya’s research explored how bioinformatics can be integrated with anthropology and bioarchaeology to answer questions about infectious disease in the ancient past, and the social and cultural contexts in which they emerged.  

Convocation is a momentous occasion that honours the dedication and achievements of graduates. Family and friends come together with the University of Waterloo community to celebrate graduating students as they embark on exciting new adventures.

This year, graduate students will take the stage as valedictorians representing the Class of 2024 for the first time during the fall convocation ceremonies.

For Tia Lewis, who graduates this October with a Bachelor of Mathematics in Actuarial Science and Statistics (Finance specialization), her career is the result of years of hard work, mentorship and real-life experience.  

Over the past year, the Waterloo Climate Institute has collaborated closely with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH), which serves the regions of Oxford County, Elgin County and the City of St. Thomas, to identify critical climate-related health risks in the region. Using the latest climate change projections and focusing on the most vulnerable populations, the resulting report lays out recommendations to enhance preparedness and resilience in tackling these challenges in the region. 

The University of Waterloo's Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute (CPI) hosted its annual conference on October 10, 2024, bringing together academic and industry experts to address pressing cybersecurity issues in Canada.  

The conference panels didn’t hold back and started with an important discussion on the potential for cyberattacks and how financial institutions can safeguard customer data in this evolving digital landscape.