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I graduated from Okanagan Mission Secondary in Kelowna, BC. Some of my greatest accomplishments stem from my role in our book club. Though our group was small, we made a significant impact. In the spring of 2023 we organized a city-wide book drive in partnership with Niteo Africa, sending hundreds of second hand books to Uganda. I am incredibly proud of this accomplishment because I know how hard everyone, including myself, worked to bring it to life. After the book drive’s success, we organized a fundraiser for the same charity and raised $3000, enough money to build 6 libraries and fill them with Ugandan books. Through my passion for inspiring literacy, I feel that I have made a big difference and learned how important it is to give back to communities in need. Growing up as someone who had a passion for reading, I was disheartened when I found out that these schools in Uganda have very limited access to books and literature. If I even help one little kid experience the same magic of reading, that would be enough. Throughout high school I also played many sports including volleyball and golf, but nothing was more fulfilling than teaching the game of golf to elementary age girls. Playing a male dominated sport was difficult as there were very few girls my age and a lack of female role models to look up to. When I had the opportunity to coach I jumped at it. I want these girls to feel like they belong in this sport from the very beginning and I aspire to be the woman that I wish I had as a young golfer. I strive to keep on showing up and being a positive role model for these girls. In addition to golf, I have also been highly involved in the competitive volleyball space as I have been playing on both high school and club teams since we moved to Kelowna in 2019. My journey with the team became a highlight of my high school experience as we all built such strong connections and bonds. This let us play to the best of our ability, becoming the top team in our province and winning the 2022 ‘AAAA’ Provincial Championships. The feeling of winning will stay with me forever and I will always value the lasting friendships and personal development that have come from this. Making these friendships has pushed me to be more involved in my community which let me have confidence to participate in our book club as well as student and grad council.

My passion for innovation and interest in science from a young age drew me to Engineering, specifically Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. When I was 7 years old I asked for a telescope for Christmas and my dad and I would wake up before the sunrise to try and catch a glimpse of the ISS crossing the sky. The thought of working to design and build new space stations or spacecraft has always been fascinating to me. Learning how machines work and using that to possibly further human knowledge is something that I am looking forward to discovering during my undergrad and career as an engineer.

I hope to pursue a career in Mechanical Engineering, hopefully branching into the Aerospace field, working with planes or spacecraft. Working in this area would be so fascinating and whether it’s contributing to safer, more efficient aircraft or being part of a team that develops space exploration vehicles, I want to be involved in projects that make a real impact.

I am so grateful for the support that my family, friends, coaches and teachers have given me throughout my life. Their encouragement has shaped who I am today and who I will become as I pursue Engineering.