Awards, Honours and Rankings

Growing up on a reserve, Amanda Michano’s (PharmD ’22) dream of working in health care was sparked by a visit from a pharmacist.

“I was in awe of the pharmacist who came to help me understand how to use my inhaler for my asthma,” Michano says. “It was in that moment that I knew I wanted to help teach people how to use their medication.”

Dr. Scott Leatherdale, a professor in the School of Public Health Sciences who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, gave this address to more than 600 students at the University of Waterloo's 126th Faculty of Health convocation:

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.

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. 

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

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. 

When Hannah Blair first started her journey at Waterloo, she never imagined her undergraduate path would include switching programs, breaking records and winning numerous athletic awards.

Two chemical engineering graduate students have topped a national video competition for their research related to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Waterloo does it again.

Just as a trio of Waterloo coders had in 2021, a team of three Waterloo algorithmic programmers topped the competition at the 2023 International Collegiate Programming Contest North America Championship, held on May 29 at the University of Central Florida.

Waterloo overcame the competition, including trios of programmers from Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Harvard and the University of Toronto.

Completing a PhD is at once the end and the beginning of a journey of exploration and discovery in a student’s academic career.

The biggest hurdle for many PhD students is the formal dissertation defence, while the convocation ceremony itself is often a moment of reflection on their journey and where they plan to go from here. That, and a time of celebration.

Join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of some of this year’s graduating PhD students who will be crossing the stage at the 2023 Spring Convocation.