Story originally posted by Engineering Alumni & Friends. Adapted for Chem Eng News.
If you think you know what it means to be an engineer, think again.
That’s the message from four accomplished U of T Engineering students, who were recognized for their academic and extracurricular accomplishments at the Engineering Student Awards virtual event, held March 10, 2021.
More than 60 alumni and guests attended the event from around the world. In addition to thanking the generous alumni donors who made their awards possible, the recipients shared their experiences from the past few years.
Third-year chemical engineering student Stephanie Obeta (ChemE Year 2) is also blazing her own trail to engineering practice.
Presented the 5T3 (1953) Engineering Award for character and leadership within U of T and the community at large, she has made it her mission to foster new pathways for Black engineering students, serving as an executive member of the U of T chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers among many other commitments.
“In accepting this award, I hope that we can create a shift in the way that people view the engineering profession and normalize the idea that engineers don’t have to fit any sort of description or idea to belong in academic or professional spaces,” she says.