Recent graduate stories

My name is Jian, and I’m an international student from China. I am currently a Master of Science in Civil Engineering student here at UCalgary. In 2016, I was very lucky to be the scholarship winner from a consulting company named McElhanney and had two internship placements with the company. 

During the last year of my undergraduate studies I realized I have a strong interest in masonry structures, so I decided to continue my academic journey. Dr. Nigel Shrive was kind enough to accept me to his research group and helped me to apply for the Canadian Standards Association Graduate Scholarship. I was fortunate to be one of the first five recipients across Canada.

One fun fact about myself was that I seriously thought of being an opera singer when I was in high school, but I changed my mind and decided to be an engineer. Singing is still my biggest hobby.

Why did you want to become an engineer?  

My father was an architectural engineer who loved classical music, and he was my first exposure to engineering. Sometimes he took me to his site office. I could not go to the construction site due to safety reasons, but I could still see what was going on there through the window. I was inspired by him a lot and thought that structures, especially buildings, were very cool to look at and so useful to people. Back in high school, when I had to think about the future with so little knowledge of anything, he again encouraged me with his experiences.  

What Schulich experience best prepared you for your career today?  

I really appreciate all the information sent from Engineering Student Center or Engineering Students’ Society, such as industry meet-ups, scholarship info, speed interview, etc. Back in the first three years of my undergraduate study, I did not have a clear goal of whether I was going straight to the workplace or would continue studying after graduation. The information from ESC and ESS gave me a lot of “trial-and-error” chances, so I finally realized what I would like to do. 

Can you describe an accomplishment from your time at UCalgary that makes you feel proud?  

It’s so hard to name one, as there are so many of them - individual ones or group ones - but, the one that comes into my mind first was the moment when our group submitted our final capstone poster and report! That was a major and final milestone of our studies; all the laughs and tears were worth it! 

What advice do you have for new engineering students?  

Be as prepared as you can, but do not hesitate to try! My story is full of surprises: I did have plans and goals, but they always changed. 

What does it mean to you to be an engineer?  

To me, being an engineer means to be responsible and to be creative. We need to be responsible to all stakeholders and ensure public safety by following laws and codes. At the same time, we can always think outside the box and come up with creative solutions to real-world problems.