“I’m excited to be in a place where I’m adding value, learning fast and living up to the Waterloo reputation of pushing boundaries.”
From fostering student engagement on campus through the Arts Student Union to winning an interdisciplinary Velocity pitch competition, Sehaj Raj Singh has spent five years at Waterloo driven by a passion for connection and a desire to improve himself and the world around him. He’s excited to graduate this spring with an Honours degree in Economics and Business and a minor in Entrepreneurship.
What sealed the deal for me was Waterloo’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. There’s an energy here, a startup mindset to experiment, build, fail fast and bounce back faster. I knew if I was going to hustle, this was the place to do it.
Economics was a discipline I genuinely enjoyed, not just because it made sense, but because it made everything else make sense too. It’s one of the most transferable subjects out there. It trained me to think clearly, act rationally and break down complex problems, and that’s a skill set that quietly wins in any room.
The drive to be in the room, to contribute, to shape things, is what first pulled me into student engagement. Over time, I realized these roles were about something much bigger. The little things – organizing events, rebuilding societies, showing up for students – they add up. They create belonging, opportunity and momentum.
I’m proud to say that I was part of the leadership when two of these student societies went from completely dormant to thriving. From “no budget, no buzz” to becoming real communities for like-minded people to grow, share and lead. It might sound cheesy, but I say this with real humility – maybe my own hustle gave or will give someone else a platform. Maybe someone found their voice in something I helped build. That thought? It stays with me.
This was hands down one of the most fulfilling moments of my undergrad. I used to sit in the audience at Velocity pitch competitions, completely inspired by students turning bold ideas into real solutions. In my final year, I stumbled upon the Future City Innovation Challenge. No pre-existing team or startup required, just ambition and a good idea.
I met three incredible teammates – one in architecture, one in urban planning and one in computer science. We came up with the idea of Permitly, a platform to tackle Canada’s housing crisis by fast-tracking planning and building permits. Tech, policy, design and business all coming together.
That didn’t just get us to the finals. I got to pitch to two mayors … and we won. One of the judges, a huge home developer in Ontario, even invited us to Ottawa to explore making it real. Standing there, pitching Permitly, felt like the perfect full-circle moment. From being in the crowd to being on stage, I’m just glad I bet on myself.
My family is here from India for my convocation, so I’m looking forward to spending time with them. I also just accepted an offer from Caivan Communities where I’ll be working as an Analyst in their Land Development Engineering team. Their CEO, Frank Cairo (UW BES '05), was one of the Velocity judges who we visited in Ottawa, so in many ways Permitly led me to this opportunity. And so that drive to be a part of something bigger sparked conversations, opened doors and gave me a taste of what it means to turn ideas into action.
I’m excited to be in a place where I’m adding value, learning fast and living up to the Waterloo reputation of pushing boundaries.
