Sarthak Bodhale is a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student in the Aerospace concentration at UBC Okanagan. Originally from India, he has spent much of his life across Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and China, which have shaped his global perspective. He completed a 16-month co-op with the City of Edmonton in Facility Asset Management, where he worked on building condition assessments, lifecycle cost analysis, and applied engineering decision-making. Outside the classroom, he is actively involved in UBCO Aerospace, currently serving as Vice-President Finance and competing in national UAV drone competitions. His academic interests focus on applied mechanical design, building and infrastructure systems, and sustainable infrastructure, with an emphasis on asset prioritization, lifecycle planning, and engineering-driven decision-making.
Portrait of Sarthak Bodhale.
Tell us a bit about yourself:
I’m a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student in the aerospace concentration who enjoys working on engineering problems where informed decisions matter just as much as technical accuracy. During my co-op in facility asset management, I worked on building condition assessments where recommendations had to balance structural condition, lifecycle cost, and long-term maintenance planning. In parallel, my involvement with UBCO Aerospace has allowed me to apply the same decision-making mindset to competitive UAV projects, where design choices directly affect reliability and performance. Outside of academics, I enjoy watching aircraft accident investigations, following geopolitics, and biking in the mountains.
What drew you to UBC Okanagan and the School of Engineering?
Having grown up across multiple countries, moving to Canada for university meant being miles away from family and stepping into a completely new academic and cultural environment. In my first year at UBC Okanagan, that transition felt daunting, but the smaller engineering community made it easier to find support and build genuine connections with classmates and professors. Getting involved early in student spaces and design teams helped turn what initially felt unfamiliar into a place where I belonged.
Kelowna’s environment also played a role. The campus and surrounding outdoors created a calm, inclusive atmosphere that made it easier to adjust, reflect, and stay grounded. Over time, the School of Engineering’s hands-on, people-centered culture made UBCO feel less like just a university and more like a community where I could grow both academically and personally.
“UBCO felt less like just a university and more like a community where I could grow both academically and personally.”
Sarthak Bodhale working on aerospace components.
What has been the best part about being a UBCO Engineering student so far?
The best part has been the ability to connect what I learn in class to real, tangible impact. Through co-op, design teams, and projects like competitive UAV development, I’ve seen how engineering concepts translate into decisions that affect performance, safety, and long-term value. The smaller class sizes at UBCO have made it easier to build meaningful relationships with both peers and faculty, creating an environment where discussions feel open and perspectives are genuinely acknowledged. Having instructors and teammates who take the time to engage with your ideas has made the learning experience more collaborative and motivating.
On the flip side, what has been the most challenging aspect of university so far?
One of the most challenging aspects has been learning how to manage uncertainty, both academically and personally, while being far from family. In my earlier years, I often took everything on myself and assumed that if a particular study strategy worked once, it should work everywhere, which wasn’t always realistic across different courses and learning styles. It took time to accept that not every outcome would be perfect and that growth sometimes comes from adjusting expectations rather than pushing harder.
Balancing demanding coursework with design teams and co-op responsibilities forced me to prioritize, adapt, and make informed trade-offs instead of trying to do everything at once. Through that process, I learned the importance of flexibility, asking for support, and trusting that progress doesn’t always follow a straight line.
What are your goals?
My goal is to work on sustainable public infrastructure projects where engineering decisions have a direct and visible impact on communities. I’m particularly interested in roles that involve building inspections, energy audits, lifecycle planning, and developing RFPs, where technical analysis supports long-term asset performance and responsible public investment. In the short term, I want to continue building hands-on experience in infrastructure assessment and planning, working closely with multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders.
Over the longer term, I aim to grow into a project management or leadership role where my voice is heard, my judgment is trusted, and I can help guide projects from early assessment through implementation. Ultimately, I want to contribute to infrastructure systems that are resilient, well-maintained, and designed with long-term sustainability in mind.
UBCO Aerospace team members with their drone.
What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
Most people don’t know that I genuinely enjoy watching aircraft accident investigations, not for the drama, but for the methodical and disciplined analysis behind them. I find the contrast striking: how something as fragile as human life is entrusted to a complex metallic system operating at the limits of physics, and how even small design choices, maintenance decisions, or human factors can shape the outcome. What resonates with me most is the focus on understanding systems, assumptions, and decision chains rather than assigning blame. Even after a failure has occurred, the emphasis on root cause analysis and patient investigation reflects how meaningful, truthful answers are reached, an approach that has strongly influenced how I think about engineering, decision-making, and responsibility.
Who or what inspires you? Have you had a mentor before, and if so, what did they help you learn about yourself?
My biggest inspiration has always been my father, not only as an academic or career mentor, but as a life mentor and constant source of support. He has always been someone I can turn to, whether for guidance on major career decisions or perspective on everyday challenges, and his advice is consistently thoughtful and grounded. Seeing him lead the engineering operations department at a multinational company taught me the importance of combining technical competence with empathy, accountability, and clear communication. One of the most important lessons he shared with me was to stay grounded and humble, and trust that everything else will follow. That advice has stayed with me, reminding me that no matter how skilled or academically accomplished you become, your attitude and character ultimately define how others experience and respect you.
Sarthak Bodhale assembling drone.
How has engineering changed your view on the world?
Engineering has changed the way I see everyday systems and decisions, shifting my focus from outcomes to the processes and assumptions behind them. I’ve learned to approach problems through a systems lens, questioning how design choices, constraints, and human factors interact over time rather than in isolation. This way of thinking strongly connects to my interest in aircraft accident investigations, where the emphasis is on root cause analysis and understanding decision chains rather than assigning blame. It has also made me deeply aware of the responsibility engineers carry, especially in public infrastructure, where decisions directly affect safety, sustainability, and communities long after a project is completed. Overall, engineering has taught me to value evidence, context, and long-term thinking over quick solutions.
In 5 words or less, how would you sum up the UBCO / School of Engineering experience?
Grounding, challenging, supportive, and transformative
What is one thing you know now that you wish you would have known in high school, in first year, or in an earlier moment in your life? If you could give your future self one piece of advice, what would it be?
I wish I had understood earlier just how valuable asking questions and actively seeking constructive feedback really are. Early on, I often held back, worrying that a question might sound obvious or unnecessary, when in reality many others likely shared the same uncertainty or line of thought. Over time, I learned that no question is meaningless, and that open discussion often clarifies ideas not just for the person asking, but for everyone involved.
Learning to ask questions openly also helped me become more confident in receiving feedback and using it to improve rather than taking it personally. I also came to appreciate how essential collaboration is in engineering. Working in teams exposes you to diverse perspectives, different problem-solving approaches, and insights you may not arrive at on your own. The advice I would give my future self is to stay curious, keep asking questions, remain open to feedback, and never hesitate to work with new teams, because engineering is ultimately a collaborative field where growth comes from learning together.
Sarthak Bodhale speaking at a podium.
With six courses per semester, balancing the technical demands of your degree can be tough. How do you manage to maintain a healthy work-life balance and meet the demands of your personal life?
I’ve taken six courses every semester, and I won’t lie, it was definitely tough at first. In the beginning, I struggled to balance everything, but over time I found a rhythm that worked for me. I started doing meal prepping to save time during the week, which helped a lot with staying healthy and less stressed. I also made it a priority to go to the gym around four days a week. It was my way of taking a break, staying active, and clearing my mind. Maintaining a work-life balance in engineering isn’t easy, but I learned that small habits and routines make a big difference. Planning ahead, taking breaks, and making time for yourself, even just a little, helps you stay focused and avoid burnout.
What advice do you have for future/current engineering students?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions early and often, and don’t feel pressure to figure everything out on your own. Engineering is collaborative by nature, and some of the best learning happens through discussions with classmates, design teams, and mentors who challenge how you think. Be open to feedback, stay flexible in how you approach different courses, and accept that not every study strategy or problem-solving approach will work the same way in every situation. Most importantly, try to enjoy the process and treat learning as something you actively engage in rather than a burden.
Anything else you’d like to share about your UBCO Engineering student journey?
My time at UBCO has been as much about personal growth as it has been about technical learning. Being far from family, navigating a new country, and balancing academics with co-op and student involvement challenged me in ways I didn’t expect, but ultimately helped me become more confident and self-aware. UBCO Engineering gave me the space to be curious, to collaborate, and to pause and reflect, allowing me to learn just as much from setbacks as from successes.
Sarthak Bodhale standing beside a fire truck during an engineering-related visit or event.
Along the way, I learned the value of taking risks and stepping outside my comfort zone, whether that meant moving to a new country, relocating for co-op, handling responsibilities like filing taxes for the first time, or signing off on my first industry-based technical documentation. Looking back, I’m deeply grateful for the people and experiences that shaped not only how I think as an engineer, but how I navigate challenges in life. I’ve learned to see setbacks as moments to learn from rather than failures, and to trust that growth unfolds in its own time.
“I’ve learned to see setbacks as moments to learn from rather than failures, and to trust that growth unfolds in its own time.”