Name: Adele Chui
Program: Systems Engineering
University(s) / College(s) Attended: University of Waterloo
Education / Degree(s): Bachelor of Applied Science, Systems Design Engineering Honours, Co-operative Program
Current Job Title: Product Development Specialist
Current Employer: XSENSOR Technology Corporation
Fun Facts About Me
If your best friend had to describe you in 10 words or less, what would they say?: Works hard and hustles
Share one fun fact about yourself: I really enjoy listening to heavy metal and reading weird fiction! Currently jamming out to Trivium and mulling over 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.
What do you want to accomplish in the next 10 years?: Ship a product that makes a positive impact on people's lives and learn the skills to do that over and over again
The most inspiring engineer I know is ....... Because ........ ?: Elizabeth MacGill for being essentially the first woman to earn an engineering degree in Canada and then work on fighter planes. She made a huge impact and paved the path for women like myself to be able to become engineers.
Profile Questions
Why did you choose to study engineering?: When I was a kid, all I did was make things with my hands in order to tell stories or play games. Growing a little older, I was comfortable enough with math and science that I knew that engineering would be something I could study and reasonably enjoy.
What are your best memories of your engineering education?: There are so many! I can genuinely say that engineering was the best choice I could have made - from the skills I learned to the people I've met to the memories made. One of the highlights was being a lead organizer for my school's Engineering Orientation Week and being able to really shape that first experience for other engineering students. I know that Orientation was a huge part of what made my engineering education so special, both from my first Orientation as a first year to my last as a lead organizer.
How do you apply your engineering degree to your current career?: My degree was focused on using user centered design to solve problems - as a product developer, this will be a huge asset in ensuring that the products I design are both solutions to problems and actually useful and usable.
What do you love most about your career?: The ability to make things that will have a tangible impact on people's lives. Also being challenged and pushed to learn all the time.
What was the most enjoyable project you've been involved with?: I think one that forced me to think in a different way involved working on the problem of municipal waste management and identifying a solution that would reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills - not glamorous in any manner but it involved thinking about larger users like the municipality and other organizations that really required a different mindset.
What's next in your career?: I just graduated from school so my next step will be joining the workforce with a full time job!
What advice would you give to someone hoping to pursue a career in engineering?: Be humble and ready to work hard - engineering isn't easy but it is so rewarding!