How Being a Woman in Engineering is Empowering.
Who is Simran?
Simran Kaur is a 3rd year Chemical and Biological Engineering student who aspires to learn more about sustainable processes. In her time of studying in the CHBE program, she finds it to be sustainable, innovative and challenging yet rewarding. She loves the amazing opportunities her program provides such as the 3rd year industry tour where students are able to see real life applications of what they have learned and making friends with peers. Not only is she an engineering student at UBC, she is an active member in the Outreach and Education committee of WiE, where she helps to create opportunities to promote engineering to young women through workshops and the High School Mentorship Program. Through this blog, we will navigate through the ups and downs of Simran’s journey and what inspired her to get out of her comfort zone and thrive in a male dominated role, especially the effects of her cultural society norms.
From Doubt to Determination: Simran’s Journey to Chemical Engineering
Simran was born and brought up in India, where she constantly felt that she is never enough and how she can do to be better, which was heavily influenced by her upbringing and the environment around her. When she immigrated to Canada, she studied and did co-ops first at Sheridan College for three years. During her co-op with Fortis BC as a gas lab technician, she had the opportunity to work with engineers on a renewable natural gas project. She specifically remembers seeing them standing around a table challenging and questioning each other over a piping and instrumentation diagram. This positive memory sparked her interest in sustainable and innovative energy solutions and is why she chose to go back to school to pursue chemical engineering as she sought this memory to be powerful and inspiring that one day she too can be influential and make an impact. When applying for UBC’s chemical engineering program she felt doubtful and unconfident in securing a spot, despite having an outstanding academic record. This is rooted from how she was raised and the wariness of English not being her first language. If she did not make it into CHBE, she ranked environmental engineering second as it is in a similar field with more of a specialty. Although the key reason she chose CHBE is due to its diverse and broad field where she can choose and create her own path and center her studies towards being more sustainable.
Advice to her Younger Self and to Aspiring Young Women
Some words Simran would like to share to her first year self and those who are aspiring to study engineering is to believe in yourself and remember it is a journey to get through. To enjoy making friends and giving every opportunity a chance as you can make a new friendship along the way. The workload in engineering can sometimes be tough so time management is key. But, it is not a skill that can be gained in a day, it's through a trial and error process. What Simran learned that works for her the best is when waking up, she prioritizes her tasks and uses Fridays to plan how busy the upcoming week will be. Another piece of advice from her would be to lessen self doubt in the first year as she can do so many amazing things and for everyone to not be afraid to share your experiences as you are not alone! Finally, engineering is not an easy degree, you need to put in the time and effort into it but, even if you have the slightest interest in engineering, reach out to someone in the field to hear how less daunting it sounds.
“Believe in yourself and give it a chance!”
- Simran Kaur