Co-op and Experiential Education

Growing up in Cambridge, Ontario, Dr. Doug Kavanagh (BSE ’06) always had a sense of where his future might lead. Long before he arrived at the University of Waterloo as part of the inaugural software engineering cohort, he was already imagining how he might one day follow in the footsteps of his parents, health-tech entrepreneurs who built a company from the ground up.

When Canadian athletes step onto the podium at this year’s Olympics, their journey to a medal will have been supported by coaches, teammates, family, friends and support staff. Among those support staff is third-year University of Waterloo co-op student Diane Choi.

HLTH 480 is one piece of a University-wide effort to expand experiential, interdisciplinary learning through capstone courses. Dr. Jennifer Yessis, associate director of professional graduate studies in the School of Public Health Sciences (SPHS), co-leads this Global Futures Network-funded project along with colleagues from Engineering and Environment.

Michael Volovyk
Undergraduate student, Faculty of Mathematics
> Co-op and Experiential Education

At Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), a new step using artificial intelligence (AI) is showing how technology can strengthen employee efficiency. And a Waterloo co-op helped build it.

Hoang Do
Undergraduate student, Faculty of Environment
> Co-op and experiential Education

Growing up in Vietnam, Hoang Do was interested in economic development in developing countries, and the need to combine economic considerations with environmental issues.

Did you know your optometrist is likely a University of Waterloo graduate? Or that Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy offers Canada’s only pharmacy co-op program? Waterloo doesn’t just teach — our programs transform our students into allied health professionals who diagnose, treat, rehabilitate and support patients, improving lives across Canada and beyond.

Waterloo students, researchers and alumni are at the forefront of unconventional innovation, shaping industries and increasing productivity.  

This year brought countless reasons to celebrate as Waterloo students, alumni and researchers took bold new steps to innovate and create solutions for a complex future. 

As we wrap up 2025, we reflect with pride and share just a glimpse of student success, on-campus initiatives and groundbreaking research of our Waterloo community.