Currently Studying: 

McMaster Mechanical Engineering & Society Level V

Most Recent Co-op Job:

MDA

Alumni of Teams:

FIRST Robotics Competition Team 4039 Makeshift Robotics

Involvement as a FIRST Canada Alum:

As an alum, I continue to volunteer through FIRST Robotics Competition Team 4039 as a mentor, FIRST Tech Challenge Team18433 as a mentor, FIRST Robotics Competition refereeing, FIRST LEGO League judging, and STEMathon planning. 

Story of FIRST Journey:

In September 2015, I was in grade 9, had little academic motivation and was extremely quiet. I was never the type to speak up, try new things, or think about a future career in the STEM field. On my first day, MakeShift approached me at a school demo to ask if I wanted to join the robotics team, and my two best friends urged me to say yes. Nervously, I went to my first meeting, fearing nobody would welcome me in. The exact opposite thing happened! I was welcomed with open arms and blown away by how accepting people were. I got to work in a workshop for the first time, learn how to use CAD and work with a team. It didn’t take long for me to find my passion for mechanical engineering and design within my first season, and I quickly started to come out of my shell. 

In my second year, my mentors encouraged me to try being a FIRST Impact Presenter and the team’s Human Player. Presenting and being a part of robot matches in front of other people was extremely scary then, but everyone was incredibly supportive. I took a chance and went from being unable to present without stuttering to presenting in front of the judges with my co-presenters and being on the drive team for the next three years of my high school career. This newly-found confidence also led me to opportunities such as being a sub-team lead, team lead, a Dean’s List nominee, and a lead in our Girls R Brilliant project. 

I cannot describe how amazing it is to find your passion, drive, and who you want to be – FIRST and MakeShift did just that for me. As I headed towards graduation, I entered my dream program at McMaster to pursue mechanical engineering. To my disbelief, I was also fortunate to receive the Inaugural Canadian Women in STEM scholarship and the Arcelor Mittal Dofasco FIRST Robotics Scholarship before graduating in 2019. Both took me by complete surprise; I am still speechless about it to this day! Fast-forward to the present day, thanks to my FIRST experience, I look forward to pursuing my love for engineering every day. I am now in my fifth year of my mechanical engineering degree and completing a 16-month internship at MDA as a mechanical engineering student working on Canadarm 3. I also am a mechanical lead on the McMaster Interdisciplinary Satellite Team (MIST), which launched its first satellite into space on the 27th ISS resupply mission in March 2023, which I had the honour of working on. 

As an alum, I continue to volunteer through FIRST Robotics Competition Team 4039 as a mentor, FIRST Tech Challenge Team18433 as a mentor, FIRST Robotics Competition refereeing, FIRST LEGO League judging, and STEMathon planning. All of this is because of FIRST, and I would not be the person I was meant to be today, pursuing my dreams, if not for this program. I don’t think I will ever be able to fully repay the organization or my team for everything they’ve done for me, but I look forward to continuing to do my best through mentorship and volunteering. 

How has FIRST impacted your education choices,  career choices, and overall life

Overall, I would never have considered engineering if it hadn’t been for FIRST. I grew up believing girls couldn’t occupy careers like engineering, but FIRST and my team showed me otherwise. It was a hidden passion that I would never have found without my introduction to robotics. Moreover, I would never have built up my confidence without all my incredible robotics experiences. Speaking to one stranger used to be extremely scary, and now I am always the first to volunteer to speak in front of large audiences, especially when it involves inspiring others. Presenting and taking on leadership roles with so much team support gave me my confidence and drive, and I truly believe that is a huge part of all the success that has come my way! I cannot imagine heading down a life path where I didn’t pursue my passion for mechanical engineering, didn’t learn how to advocate for diversity in STEM, didn’t learn how to enjoy speaking in front of others, didn’t have the confidence to use my skills to put something in space, didn’t get to take part in running the STEMathon, didn’t feel ready to put my name forward for meaningful scholarships, and didn’t get the chance to pass on all these skills to the next generation of FIRST participants as a mentor. However, none of it would’ve happened if it wasn’t for FIRST! As such, again, I am forever grateful and will always want to do my part to give back to the community that changed my life.