Co-op and Experiential Education

For Global Entrepreneurship Week, we’re spotlighting some incredible University of Waterloo entrepreneurs making a difference for humanity and our world.

Sukh Singh (BASc ’12) co-founded Ground News, a media platform designed to offer users a comprehensive view of news coverage across the political spectrum.

For Global Entrepreneurship Week, we’re spotlighting some incredible University of Waterloo entrepreneurs making a difference for humanity and our world.

The University of Waterloo has officially opened the Innovation Arena, a new collaboration space in the heart of Kitchener’s innovation district which will empower businesses, founders and community partners to engage researchers and entrepreneurs in solving local, national and global health challenges.

A University of Waterloo student developed an AI-powered app to help people exhibiting early signs of a mental health condition. 

Described as “your daily mental health coach,” the app, Doro, offers 30-minute chat sessions where users can express their concerns and feelings about anything. From feeling overwhelmed with an assignment to self-esteem issues, the chatbot can suggest various cognitive and behavioural techniques commonly used by therapists like journaling, exposure or mindfulness.  

A passion for art and drawing led Nicole Cao to pursue a degree in architecture, a journey that has now led to graduate studies at Yale University. Studying at the University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture and living in Cambridge, Ontario provided Cao with unique experiences that inspired a desire to continue learning and researching in her field. 

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.”

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.