Hi! My name is Nicole, and I’m a
The Fellowship program has been an incredible opportunity. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many first-year students, connect with upper-year peers, and receive guidance from alumni and business professionals. I’ve attended sessions, such as “The Problem Lab: Misinformation” which allowed me to use critical thinking skills to analyze a relevant issue in today’s society. I received guidance on how to be a mentor from a professor within SAF, Konrad Pawlak, and I had the opportunity to mentor first-year students within my Peer Support Learning Champion (PSLC) crew family. It was insightful to hear how the crews within SAF have allowed for more connection with our SAF community during the period of online learning. It was also intriguing to hear about how courses were adapted within SAF to support an online learning environment.
One of the most insightful Fellowship opportunities I’ve had this term was the culminating Fellowship Café. This was where I met my Honouree, Krista Heuston. I heard about her credentials and how she has managed to accomplish a variety of impressive feats in her professional career. I also got to hear from another Honouree as well. Hearing about how the University of Waterloo allows for and encourages alumni to return as professors was inspiring. Hearing about Krista’s experience makes me hope that I will fulfil the role of a Teaching Assistant (TA) as one of my Fellowship activities!
I also enjoyed meeting other Fellowship program students, who ranged from
first-year students to fourth-year students! The different perspectives within the Fellowship Café were beneficial, as we had the student perspective and the management perspective. I had the chance to hear about how co-op employers during the COVID-19 pandemic have adapted to support their co-op students as they navigate learning new positions. It was also encouraging to hear that even upper-year students still get to find different ways to develop new skills in their co-op work terms. One of my favourite things said during our virtual chat was by Krista, who mentioned that “being a CPA means you learn how to learn.” Krista used this philosophy as she navigated roles in external audit and internal audit, the former of which I have the pleasure of exploring in my first co-op term! I’m excited to finally apply the knowledge I’ve gained in my courses and learn throughout my co-op term!
Most of all, the Fellowship Café provided me with the comfort that technology will allow us to connect with friends around us, despite the distance between us. Technology is allowing us to interact with our peers, colleagues, families, and friends, and the Fellowship Café concluded an enjoyable first term in the Fellowship program!