How does it feel to be returning to UBC Okanagan for your graduation ceremony?
I am excited to be returning to UBCO! The people that I met on campus and the experiences we shared are irreplaceable. I have mixed feelings about my time in University with its thrilling highs and sickening lows, but I am decided that the people – staff, faculty and students – made it worthwhile.
What is the first thing you are going to do when you are back on campus?
Walk around the EME! I got to know the engineering side of the building well between my studies and undergraduate research. I especially look forward to finding some familiar faces on the 3rd and 4th floor.
What are some of your fondest memories from being at UBC Okanagan?
Hunting down an available white board to hash out course concepts among classmates; those aha! moments dimly perceived through a professor’s sketch; the nervous energy of my colleagues, all buzzing about an exam we had just written; playing volleyball with my lab group during the summer months; milling in the machine shop; breathlessly sliding into the #8 bus moments before its doors closed; and yes, falling in love.
How have your studies at UBC Okanagan prepared you for your journey after your Engineering degree completion?
While I have yet to apply much of what I studied at UBCO, I have made frequent use of the connections and resources that I made and found there. Whether it be consulting with colleagues about job searching, getting professional support from faculty members, discussing ideas with classmates, or even just catching up with friends made on campus, I feel supported at this early stage of my engineering journey.
Describe what you have been up to since your degree completion?
Since I finished my degree, a lot of exciting things have happened! I got married, went on a 5-week long road trip through a foreign country, applied for graduate school in an industry-led project, lost that opportunity when the industry partner cancelled the project, and worked a couple of jobs as a technician. Then, my wife and I bought a gutted motorhome in hopes of realizing our dream of living in a small space, and we have been renovating it ever since. Also, I just became the proud dad of a beautiful baby girl!
What does the future hold for you?
Throughout whatever surprises the future holds, I hope to apply my capacities inventing and designing solutions that meet a need.
Aside from that, a fully renovated motorhome.
If you could share a message to your fellow graduating class, what would it be?
As a mature student, this program pushed me to my limit, so I was humbled to witness the courage and resilience of my younger colleagues during my degree. I would like to congratulate them on their remarkable achievement! I would also like to specifically mention the heroic effort of the graduates who studied in a new language, a new culture. Your perseverance and hard work continue to inspire me. Finally, to all of my fellow graduates: I honour your accomplishment, I embrace you as a colleague, and I look forward to congratulating you in person when we meet.