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I started my engineering journey as a kid with a dream to save a dog named Laika from space. Although at the time I didn’t know I was too late to build my rocketship and bring Laika home, this moment gave me inspiration on what I wanted to be. As I grew up, my passion for mechanical engineering never left me. Despite this, I found myself getting discouraged by people around me telling me I wasn’t “a good fit” for engineering.

The trajectory of my life changed when I found out about the WISEST SRP and applied. I am a 2021 SRP alumni and longstanding volunteer with WISEST. I’ve been everything from a mentor to a lab coordinator during my time with WISEST, but I am currently the co-chair of WISEST’s Indigenous Youth Council.

I’m a fourth year mechanical engineering student at the UofA, and thanks to my research experience through WISEST, I have been involved in a lot of incredible opportunities. Last winter, I got to conduct research on a new way to screen and track progression of scoliosis. Through this, I traveled to Spain to help conduct a screening study on over 300 adolescents. Currently, I’m working in an aerospace lab, manufacturing and testing braided composite materials. I’m also a founder of the Indigenous in STEM Students Association, and am their VP Engineering. WISEST has made a profound and lasting impact on my life, and I hope to continue helping them do good work in the future!