This week in our series highlighting UBC Okanagan School of Engineering Student Ambassadors, we visit with Venedict Tamondong.
Venedict is a second year specializing in mechanical engineering.
What is your role as a Student Ambassador?
I specifically work with Social Media Communication to ensure students stay informed about what is going on in the Faculty through our Facebook page and regular announcements. I also work with Outreach initiatives to bring students in K-12 a greater understanding of what Engineering is as a profession.
Why is it important for you to give back to SOE & UBC Okanagan?
The School of Engineering provides great opportunity for students to get involved and to become more holistic professional engineers upon graduation and completion of the EIT program. As a result, it’s my hope to share in the school’s objective to encourage more students to get involved, whether it be in research or academics, or in social events. I couldn’t imagine what life would be like if I didn’t take a leap of faith and get involved.
What extra-curricular activities are you involved with?
I am a current Vice-President External for the Engineering Society at UBC, advocating, vocalizing, and representing UBC Okanagan in the regional organization (Western Engineering Student Societies’ Team) and the federal organization (Canadian Federation of Engineering Students). I also work on providing students professional events for personal development. I was also recently elected as the incoming Vice President Finance for WESST, representing 12 of the universities of Western Canada and its finances, and have been working on this transition in preparation for my term.
What has been your favourite course so far? And why?
I quite enjoyed APSC 171 (Engineering Design and CAD/CAM). I loved the hands-on portion and being able to learn computer aided-design through SolidWorks.
What have you learned about yourself during your time at UBC Okanagan?
I’ve learned that there’s more to being a student than academics. It’s imperative that students find a balance between working hard and playing hard, while creating a holistic profile of academics, leadership, and collaboration.
If you had a theme song, what would it be?
All Star, by Smash Mouth!
Favourite misconception about engineers and engineering?
My favourite misconception is that Engineering is all work and no play. Engineering can be a lot of fun! It’s a matter of knowing where to look and getting involved with things that you have a passion for. Things like conferences, OEC, E-Week, or research are fantastic things to get involved with depending on what you’re interested in!
Looking ahead 5 or 10 years, where do you see yourself?
In 5 or 10 years, I would love to see myself working in the Aerospace industry, but I would also love to go to grad school to further study Public Policy and Engineering Management.
Best advice you have received so far at UBC?
The best advice I’ve received is just to try. There’s no way to actually know if you can conquer something without trying. And, if you’re unsuccessful, you’ve learned something about yourself that you didn’t already know!