All The Colours Of uWaterloo

A Waterloo Winter Adventure

On Tuesday I attended a photography exhibit, showcasing student submissions, in the Student Life Centre (SLC). The exhibit, arranged by the One Waterloo Campaign, focused around the question, “what does diversity mean to you?”

The collections of photographs were beautiful. Each one was so different from the next as the illustrations ranged from gardens, to buildings, to people, even candy and shoes. Collectively they portray the same message about diversity.

The exhibit, being a celebration of uWaterloo's diversity, was a wonderful representation of the One Waterloo Campaign's purpose. Founded in September 2005, One Waterloo was created to develop a unified environment of tolerance and respect at uWaterloo. Through awareness campaigning, they encourage ongoing discussions about diversity and discrimination prevention.

The more I thought about diversity, the more I began to see how important it should be in our university experience. Every student is different so why shouldn't our education reflect that? Well, that's exactly what being in an Arts program is all about! You have the opportunity to express yourself and explore your passions.


The Arts faculty is the largest faculty at uWaterloo. We have 7400 students which means our community has a broad and diverse student body. This is reflected in our:

• 6 unique and innovative entry programs (Honours Arts, Arts and Business, Accounting and Financial Management, Social Development Studies, Computing and Financial Management, and Independent Studies),
• 30 Arts majors (from Fine Arts, Geography and Environmental Management, Italian Studies, to Sexuality, Marriage and Family studies),
• and a total of 425 degree options students can choose from.

Each student is recognized as being unique and is encouraged to make their undergraduate experience custom to their set of interests and goals. With over a hundred different classes, offered by professors from a wide range of backgrounds, your academic experience at uWaterloo has the potential to be filled with variety, not to mention all the opportunities available for you to gain experience outside the classroom (as mentioned in previous post).

You should leave university not only with an undergraduate degree but as a well-round person ready to apply your knowledge in various settings. uWaterloo supports every student in exploring who they are as an individual which makes us a strong unified community.

So when thinking about university, don't ask yourself, "will I fit in?". Instead ask, "what will my diversity add?"

Read about the Diversity Gallery in uWaterloo's official student newspaper, the Imprint.