Hello WiCS Students,
We hope you are settling into the winter semester smoothly and finding a good balance between your new responsibilities and taking care of yourself. January kicks off with an exciting WiCS schedule, with many opportunities lined up for you to start the Winter 2026 term strong.
Overview of the beginning of Winter 2026 term:
WiCS Events Overview:
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WiCS x Rocket Innovation Studios | January 9th
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WiCS x Meta: Demystifying Tech Interviews | January 29th
Little WiCS Events Overview:
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Beginning of Term | January
Other Opportunities:
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Technovation CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS | January to April
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Citadel’s Women’s Datathon 2026 | Application deadline: January 12th
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Citadel x Poker Studies Club: Poker Tournament | January 12th
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Citadel x Waterloo Quant Club: Info Session + Trading Challenge | January 14th
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Citadel x Co-operative and Experiential Education: Info Session with Equities Engineering Team | January 15th
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Black in Math @Waterloo: Winter Welcome Gathering | January 16th
WiCS Study Room:
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Request for a study room fob | First batch by January 19th
WiCS Events:
WiCS x Rocket Innovation Studios
Kick of the Winter 2026 term with a boba event hosted by Rocket Innovation Studios! Meet the team from Rocket Innovation Studios and gain valuable insight into how to thrive in the ever-evolving tech world. This networking event gives you the chance to connect with staff, ask questions, and learn how to start building the foundation that helps you level up your career, create networks, and even land your next big co-op!
Date: January 9th, 2026
Time: 12:30PM - 1:30PM
Location: DC 1301
WiCS x Meta: Demystifying Tech Interviews
Get the inside scoop on how to crush technical interviews. You’ll learn what happens in coding assessments and live problem-solving rounds, how to think out loud without overthinking, and what interviewers pay attention to. Expect practical strategies, common patterns to watch for, and smarter ways to prep without burning out. It’s everything you wish someone would tell you before your first tech interview.
Date: January 29th, 2026
Time: 11:30AM - 1:00PM
Location: DC 1302
Little WiCS Events:
WiCS Undergraduate Committee Events
From matcha nights to info sessions with major tech companies, WiCS truly has it all. Build connections, make friends, and learn from industry experts who can help you navigate your career. We’re also kicking off the beginning of term, so now is the perfect time to get involved and see what WiCS has to offer. Sign-ups for our Winter 2026 events open in early January. Follow @uwaterloowics on Instagram to be the first to learn about events!
Other Opportunities:
Technovation CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
“I have acted as a Technovation Girls mentor since 2018, and every year I learn something new about leadership, teamwork, technology and thinking big! I am always amazed at how teams start from almost nothing and end up building something innovative and cool, having fun all the while.” – Ryan Dechamps, Technovation Mentor
The Waterloo Technovation Chapter relies on volunteers to make our program happen! There are several different positions with varying time commitments we need volunteers for:
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Mentor: work directly with one or more teams, supporting them through every step of the competition!
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Time Commitment: 1-2 hours/week per team from February to April, + 3 hours for training in January
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Ideal for anyone 18+ with a passion for mentoring youth in tech!
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Coach: help teams with topic-specific questions related to your area of expertise!
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Time Commitment: 1+ hours (depending on the number of workshops signed up for)
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Ideal for graduate students, professors, and industry professionals
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Speaker: deliver a presentation on one of our content topics during a weekly online workshop!
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Time Commitment: 3 – 4 hours (including prep time)
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Ideal for upper-year and graduate students, lecturers, and professors
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Judge: review submissions, provide feedback, and help decide which team(s) move on to the semi-finals at our Live Regional Pitch Event!
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Time Commitment: 10 – 15 hours during the last week of April/first week of May
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Ideal for graduate students, professors, and industry professionals
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Event Volunteer: help to facilitate our in-person events!
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Time Commitment: 3 hours/event
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Ideal for students
Citadel Women’s Datathon 2026
Hosted by Citadel, Citadel Securities, and Correlation One, the Women’s Datathon is open to top women-identifying students across North America. This February the invited participants will be flown to Miami for a fully funded three-day competition, where teams use data science to tackle real world challenges in areas like urban traffic, renewable energy, and education. It is a national level event, bigger and more exciting than the regional Datathons.
Application Deadline: January 19th, 2026
Date: February 6th – 8th
Location: Miami, FL
Eligibility: Undergraduate students who identify as women
Prizes: $15,000 + Exclusive recruiting opportunities with Citadel and Citadel Securities
Admissions are made on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply now! If you have any questions, reach out to competitions@correlation-one.com
Black in Math @ Waterloo Welcome Event
On Friday, January 16th, Black in Math @ Waterloo will be hosting their Winter Welcome Gathering, their first event for the term! Stop by MC 6201 anytime between 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM for an afternoon of snacks, icebreakers, and a chance to connect with the community. If you have any questions, please reach out to blackinmath@uwaterloo.ca for more information.
WiCS Innovation Fund
The WiCS Innovation Fund supports student-initiated activities such as hackathons, workshops, conferences, and more that uplift women and non-binary students in computing. WiCS still has funding available for one Winter 2026 initiative and is currently seeking two Spring 2026 initiatives to award two Innovation Fund grants. If you are interested, email wics@uwaterloo.ca with a brief explanation of the use (e.g., organizing an event, attending a conference or hackathon) and what you hope to gain.
DISCLAIMER:
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The Fund supports future events only (not past events)
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For the foreseeable future, WiCS funds cannot be used for travel to the United States to attend a DEI event.
WiCS Study Room
WiCS study room is the perfect study spot, with features like:
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Full-Size Refrigerator
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Microwave
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Formal study space (2 worktables and 8 chairs)
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Informal study space (a high-backed sofa and stools that can serve as additional seating or as side tables).
DISCLAIMER:
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To be included in the first batch of fob pickups, please submit your request by the end of this week.
To claim YOUR study spot
Resources
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WiCS Feedback Form Whether you have concerns, suggestions, or ideas, we want to hear from you. Express yourself openly without revealing your identity. We are here to listen.
That’s all for this month. We hope to see you at one of our events!
Manya Govindugari
WiCS Event Facilitator
Women in Computer Science
University of Waterloo