What’s one thing you wish you knew about engineering back when you were in high school?
When I was in high school I had no idea that I would be working in technology let alone enter in to the engineering world. This field is so diverse that the opportunities are endless. I guess I would have loved for someone to come speak to my class and show me a few areas of professional outcome to open my eyes to the wonderful world of engineering.
What’s your proudest accomplishment as an engineer?
I can’t think of just one, so I will summarize it this way. Everyday I come to work and lead a team to make meaningful changes to the way we live. Working under the healthcare umbrella I am changing the world and prolonging lives. As Technology experts and Engineers we are often forgotten about, however we are the ones that change visions into reality. It is an amazing world to be part of and I am proud of all the work I have taken part in; both the success’ and failures.
Tell me about a time in your career when your work has been about discovery or curiosity?
I am very blessed to work in an area of innovation. We get ideas sent to our team daily and we are always in a mindset of discovery and curiosity. I manage my team to have fun and ensure that we are open to mistakes as we discover the best solutions from our failures.
What are you doing these days?
I’m leading a team in Pharmaceutical technology. My team of talented individuals are always working on efficiencies for the workflow and quality to ensure patient safety with less user intervention allowing technology to replace most if not all human intervention.
Do you feel your work contributes to society? How so?
Absolutely, my team and I change lives daily. Working in the healthcare industry we are part of the future demands to help society live longer and healthier. Without teams of engineers making all these process’ and visions come to life we would not advance as humans.
Why do we need more female engineers?
We need more engineers in general,
Do you have any hobbies/passions that give you a unique perspective in engineering?
Well I must admit, I live a simple and boring life outside of work. I do a lot of keynote speaking to younger students to give them an opportunity to ask questions and see through my lens of life in technology. I am a single mother of two boys age 18 and 16 and they teach me new things everyday, encouraging me to be better, stronger and faster in all aspects of life.
When you were becoming an engineer, were you nervous and stressed out about all the math and science? What made you push through and become an engineer? Were you sure that you wanted to become an engineer when you were in gr12?
I honestly had this field fall into my lap, it was not something that I thought I would have considered in grade 12. I changed my direction after first year of university and have not looked back. I think that it is critical for a successful engineer to want it, feel it and love what they do, not just have the degree.
Tell us about a cool project you’ve worked on.
Me! I am my best project. I think that we should all focus on what we are and have ourselves as the best project in life as it’s the only project that you can’t control the start and end date. I continue to work on myself and each project that my team completes under my direction is another level of maturity and excellence that is embedded in my brain that can’t ever be forgotten. I use these to learn, adjust, and grow. Be a “Learn it all” not a “Know it all”.