Co-op and Experiential Education

Years of study, hard work, headaches and triumphs have culminated in 1,298 students completing a math degree from the University of Waterloo. We offer sincere congratulations to all math students convocating.  

To help commemorate the occasion, we took a trip down memory lane with Kyle Adams, one of this year’s math grads, who shared the twists, turns and highlights of his academic journey.   

For Kyle, there was no question about where he should study math. As he put it, “Where else but Waterloo?”

Switching from Science to Arts might sound terrifying to some students, but that’s exactly what May Nemat Allah decided to do after her first year of undergraduate studies. While she had enjoyed studying drama in high school, she initially chose to focus her university career on another area of interest: chemistry and biology. Yet theatre remained close to her heart, and she had a happy accident of stumbling upon the University of Waterloo’s Theatre and Performance program.

Waterloo Engineering is offering free tutoring to high school students across Ontario to help them succeed with remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new program, known as Hive Mind, is aimed at Grade 10, 11 and 12 students who are struggling in advanced functions, calculus, chemistry and physics—all key subjects required to pursue post-secondary engineering programs. 

Do you remember the excitement and apprehension of being a new graduate? Lana Dadson (BA '21) is in the thick of that experience.

She discovered a love for non-profit work as a Waterloo co-op student. We caught up with Lana just before she graduated in June 2021 to chat about her first full-time job out of school, why she plans to pursue a career in the non-profit sector, and how she feels as she enters a new stage in life.

Graduating from university is a significant achievement. Culminating years of dedication and hard work, convocation is a time for celebration — looking back with pride and looking forward with hope.

This milestone is even more meaningful for Waterloo’s six undergraduate valedictorians, who, for their social and academic contributions, have been chosen by their peers to represent them at their respective graduation ceremonies. Read about their Waterloo journeys below.

It’s September 1989. Two fourth-year engineering students are sitting in POETS drinking $2 beers.

To say Sheha Akbari made the most of her five years as a Waterloo Engineering student could just be an understatement.

She graduates June 19 in a remote convocation ceremony with a BASc in management engineering as an inventor with an Apple patent in the works, a volunteer with experience as a refugee interpreter and translator, and a passionate leader of several initiatives to help improve the lives of disadvantaged women and youth living in Afghanistan.

In the final sprint toward completing their engineering degrees, students normally can be found huddled together on campus at all hours of the day and night putting final touches on what they hope may just be the next big innovation.

But the 2020-2021 school year was, of course, anything but normal.  

The pandemic resulted in all Waterloo Engineering students learning remotely and senior-year undergraduates also working on their Capstone Design projects remotely – from start to finish.   

After a year of playing games to empty bleachers, sports franchises are beginning to welcome back fans. Yet, with COVID-19 circulating and a significant portion of the population still unvaccinated, finding ways to open safely is paramount.

Rui Su (PharmD ’18) is used to rejection. The Rx2018 pharmacy grad has worn many hats over the years, but the one that suits her best is trailblazer. Su is an entrepreneur committed to improving Canada’s health-care system. On this journey, she’s learned that rejection is part of the process.