Current students

Convocation is a time of immense pride and celebration across campus. It is also a day filled with tradition, as family, faculty and friends come together to celebrate the achievements of Waterloo graduates.

It takes many community members to bring this large celebration to life. This spring, more than 170 staff volunteered their time as convocation ambassadors making sure ceremonies ran smoothly, while 127 students served as ushers, wayfinders and accessibility assistants to thousands of Waterloo graduates and their families.

Anna Liebenberg ( BASc ’22) and Shreshth Mehra ( BASc ’22) bonded over a mutual love of fitness.

Both, however, experienced moments of isolation in their athletic pursuits. For Mehra, it was when he was training for Iron Man, a long-distance triathlon event. For Liebenberg, it was when she was lifting weights at the gym without help from a personal trainer.

The Government of Canada has awarded more than $1.3 million to University of Waterloo researchers to support small modular reactors (SMRs) research using nuclear energy and materials to protect health, safety, security and the environment. 

Over the past year, the Faculty of Arts welcomed four new faculty members as part of the Black Faculty and Indigenous Faculty Cluster Hiring Initiative. Among the four new faculty members is Jay Havens, a multi-media Two-Spirit artist, educator, collaborator and proud citizen of the Mohawk (Kanien’kehà:ka) Bear Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River.  

There is a vibrancy and a sense of excitement that flows across our campus in the spring as we prepare to welcome our graduating students for convocation. It is our honour to participate in fourteen ceremonies this week.

We are honoured to begin a new tradition this year with the inclusion of an Eagle Staff to our convocation ceremonies. The staff was presented to the University in March, and reflects the wisdom, strength, and honour of those that carry it in representation of Nations across Turtle Island.

Keval Tripathi, a third-year electrical and computer engineering student at the University of Waterloo, has been soaking up the sun “Down Under” since February. He’s on a four-month study abroad experience at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia – the furthest from home he’s ever been – and loving it.

Convocation is a special time to celebrate a significant milestone. These 14 exceptional students have been chosen to represent the graduating class of 2023.

Below they share about their academic journey filled with innovation, resilience and passion.  

Why did you choose to study at the University of Waterloo?  

Thomass Muir

All of humanity is impacted by digital ecosystems, but currently 2.9 billion people are excluded from the digital tech world and many more have limited access to reliable internet. In recognition, the United Nation’s has outlined mending this digital divide, expanding access to technology and promoting digital co-operation as areas of focus in the coming decade. Researchers at University of Waterloo are accelerating action on these pressing challenges in ways that uphold human rights.

For the first time on our campus, the Two-Spirit Pride flag is being flown alongside the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Progress flag, during the month of June as part of Pride Month activities. Flying the Two-Spirit Pride flag beautifully represents the intersection of National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month and signifies the University’s ongoing commitment towards indigenization across our campuses.  

Two Waterloo Engineering faculty members have been elected fellows by Canada’s most distinguished engineering society.

Dr. Monica Emelko and Dr. Carolyn Ren are among the newest cohort of 55 fellows to be elected to the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) by their peers. Fellows have been selected because of their "outstanding contributions to engineering and for serving as role models in their fields and communities,” said CAE’s president Dr. Soheil Asfarpour in a media release.