Co-op and Experiential Education

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.

During his time as president and vice-chancellor, Feridun Hamdullahpur has invested deeply in the success, support and development of Waterloo students. Known for approaching students on campus to chat or say hello, Hamdullahpur often took the time to make connections. Over the past decade, he has overseen the growth and development of our campuses, a renowned co-op program and many diverse initiatives, all designed to foster student learning and growth.

You probably didn’t picture Zoom calls or working six feet apart when envisioning your first co-op work term. Instead, you may have practiced the perfect handshake or purchased actual “work pants” for your first day – both of which no longer apply.  

Tomographic 3D printing is a revolutionary technology that uses light to create three-dimensional objects. A projector beams light at a rotating vial containing photocurable resin, and within seconds the desired shape forms inside the vial. The light projections needed to solidify specific 3D regions of the polymer are calculated using tomographic imaging concepts.

The University of Waterloo is launching a new style of work-integrated learning specifically designed to help co-op students seeking their first work term during the COVID-19 pandemic.