Recently, two UBC Okanagan School of Engineering students – Alqeshira Feyza (third-year, Mechanical Engineering) and Keira Page (first-year) – sat down to interview one another about their unique SoE experiences.
Read what inspired each student to choose UBC Engineering, and their advice for high school students considering engineering as an education and career path.
Meet Keira Page
Interview conducted by Alqeshira Feyza
Edited/produced by Alice Xie
Tell me about yourself
My name is Keira Page. I’m from Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province, where I grew up with my brother and two stepsiblings. I’m the youngest sibling, and we’ve always had a house full of animals—I currently have two dogs, including a recent rescue from Texas.
Growing up, I spent 11 years as a competitive gymnast, which taught me the importance of hard work and determination. After retiring from competitive gymnastics, I coached for three years and even led my own competition team. Prior to attending university, I graduated from high school with an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.
How did you end up choosing to pursue your degree at UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering?
UBC has a prestigious reputation—it is among the top three universities in Canada and one of the top two engineering programs in the country. I also noticed that other top schools require students to choose an engineering discipline right from the start. This could be difficult, as most students haven’t been exposed to the different types of engineering and might end up choosing a degree that doesn’t suit them.
What was nice about UBC is that you take a general first year to get an idea of the opportunities in engineering. Then, in the second year, you start taking courses based on the specialty you want to pursue. This gave me the flexibility and space to think through my discipline choice.
The UBC Okanagan campus is also very special. It’s smaller than the Vancouver campus, which is great for fostering a close-knit community. It’s easy to get one-on-one time with professors and develop strong professional relationships. Coming from PEI, I didn’t feel comfortable making the big jump to a city like Vancouver, so I appreciate that the campus is close to Kelowna’s city amenities while also being an escape from the busy city core. There are also beautiful sights close to UBCO—we’re only two hours away from the world-renowned Rocky Mountains, and there are amazing hiking trails all around. The ability to easily immerse yourself in nature isn’t commonplace at many universities, and it’s a highlight of UBCO.
Which extracurriculars did you pursue in high school to prepare you for university?
I wanted to challenge myself academically, so I pursued an IB diploma. With only 30-50 students in my province taking IB, this achievement demonstrated my ability to pursue an academically rigorous program.
I’ve also been active in volunteering and work. I spent a semester as a camp counsellor at a Christian camp, volunteered in children’s musical theatre, and coached competitive gymnastics for three years. I’ve also volunteered at community events like the Canada Games, a senior home choir, and more recently, at an animal shelter. This summer, I worked as a camp counsellor at the BellAliant Center.
I also participated in the ProGRES program, where six high school girls were chosen to conduct research in partnership with UPEI through an engineering project. My project, in collaboration with the AVC vet college, involved testing the hardness of Sable Island horse hooves to explore whether it contributed to their abnormalities.
What was one of your toughest academic moments, and how did it shape your resilience and passion for engineering?
During the IB Program, I had to push myself academically more than ever. The program’s challenges required me to find new study methods, especially since my ADHD makes it difficult to learn through traditional lectures and reading. Because of this, I would frequently get in trouble for not paying attention in class before I received my diagnosis in grade 10. I was able to overcome these challenges and do well academically in the end by finding the right balance with my medication and developing study techniques suited to my needs. Through this experience, I learned the importance of self-reflection and understanding how your own mind works in order to reach your full potential. I also learned that problem-solving stimulates my brain and keeps me engaged in my work. When I didn’t understand things, I have to solve problems and find a way to learn the concept.
This process was exciting for me and a huge reason why I picked engineering. Engineering is all about problem-solving—taking difficult tasks, breaking them up, and finding a solution—which I found kept me excited and engaged in my work.
What advice would you share with high school students interested in applying for UBC engineering?
The best advice I can give is to get involved as much as you can in high school.
Grades are, of course, very important, but volunteering, getting a job, and gaining unique experiences will make you a well-rounded student ready for the interdisciplinary nature of engineering.
Get involved in extracurriculars that excite you and help you push your boundaries. Your experiences outside of academia should show how they’ve helped you grow. They should also reflect your values—whether that’s leadership, helping animals, supporting other students, or something else.