Finding Your Community
The Stratford School is a close-knit community of over 800 students, alumni, faculty, and staff representing a diverse culture of knowledge, history, and experiences, on both a personal and professional level.
As a result of this, there are a number of opportunities available for students, alumni, faculty, and staff to engage with the Stratford School community, by providing time, skills, feedback, resources, and more.
You have every opportunity to make this the community you want it to be, by taking part in the events, activities, and programs available.
GBDA Society
The Global Business and Digital Arts (GBDA) Society is the representative student body for undergraduate students enrolled in GBDA at the University of Waterloo.
Stratford School Ambassador Program
The Stratford School Ambassador program enables current students, alumni, staff and faculty to volunteer at campus initiatives, including campus tours, outreach events, recruitment events, high school activity programs and more.
Trained Ambassadors are the official 'face' of the Stratford School and ensure that every guest who visits has a positive and memorable experience. You might guide a campus tour, deliver a workshop to high school students, participate in an event as a greeter, take part in community fundraisers, and much more.
It's a great opportunity to develop your public speaking and leadership skills, build your resume, and be an integral part of your community.
Teaching Assistantship (TA)
Teaching assistantships are an important aspect of university education because they provide invaluable practice for developing teaching skills, such as clearly formulating concepts and conveying ideas engagingly, as well as mentoring skills.
TA's are paid positions. Duties involve consultation with students, marking assignments and exams, preparing examples, supervising classes, assisting with in-class activities, or assisting with tutorial sessions, as well as other course requirements depending on the nature of the class. The amount of work varies somewhat from course to course, but the duties of one full TA involve an average of 10 hours per week for the term. In the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, a full TA is 120 hours per term.
Instagram Takeovers
Give an authentic view of life at the Stratford School from your perspective.
@uwstratford Instagram account has an audience of current and prospective students, parents, staff, faculty, alumni and industry partners. We want to give them a glimpse of the day-to-day life of a student at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, and what better way than from your perspective?
Student Discounts
The Stratford School partners with local shops to provide a discount to students.
Clubs
Joining a club is an excellent way to meet new people, build your network, and have fun in the process!
The following clubs call the Stratford School home:
- Creators Collective: a student initiative that aims to empower and support our creative communities at the University of Waterloo. CC publishes edition, a zine showcasing the creativity of students; as well as hosting an annual gallery showcase. Learn more about Creators Collective →
- UW CUBE: an incoming design incubator hosted at the Stratford School. Learn more about UW CUBE→
- Film Club: more info coming soon!
The Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association facilitates plenty more clubs, but are primarily based in at the Waterloo Campus:
Pitch Competitions & Design Challenges
Are you up to the challenge?
Pitch competitions, hackathons, design challenges, and many other opportunities are great ways to share your skills, meet others, and maybe win some prizes in the process. The best part is that your GBDA class projects may be eligible submissions for competitions!
WaterlooWorks & Centre for Career Action
As a student at the University of Waterloo, you have access to our global network of industry partners. Students use WaterlooWorks to find positions during their co-op terms, but you can also look for positions during school terms, terms off, and as an alumni.
After logging into WaterlooWorks, select Hire Waterloo, and look for full-time jobs, and other jobs (internships, part-time positions, casual positions, volunteer positions).
Find your next portfolio piece on WaterlooWorks →
In addition to WaterlooWorks, you also have access to the Centre for Career Action (CCA) who can support you in all aspects of finding a job. Get resume building tips, portfolio reviews, mock interviews, help finding positions, and more. The CCA can help you during your time at the Stratford School as well as an alumni.
Student Mentorship Initiatives
The University of Waterloo offers several Peer Mentoring opportunities to students. They range from department based, international-student focused, 1:1 and group support.
Peer mentoring programming aims at assisting students academically, culturally and socially while building connection and support on campus.
Examples of ongoing Peer Mentorships at UW:
MATES: Lead by the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association, MATES is a one-to-one peer support program that provides community and support to students facing social difficulties and challenges transitioning to University.
RAISE: Offers peer to peer support to help address racism and xenophobia across UW campus.
International Peer Community: Coordinate social, academic and transitional events for new international students to encourage their involvement on campus, promote cross-cultural learning and support their transition to a new community and school.
GBDA Initiatives
GBDA Living Learning Community: It is an opportunity for GBDA students to live, and learn from one another in residence.
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To learn more about becoming a Living Learning Leader, or living in the community, please see here: https://uwaterloo.ca/campus-housing/living-learning