Manjarres graduates this fall with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the School of Engineering Science. She learned coding, electronics and other technical skills throughout her program to become an engineer. However, she believes the most useful part of her program was enabling her to learn and think like an engineer, problem-solve and troubleshoot any technical issues that came her way. Her advice to first-year students is to “seek more opportunities to become more involved with research on campus” and to try to “relax as all your hard work will pay off.” Manjarres also encourages her graduating class to not be discouraged when pursuing the next challenge whether that may be in further education, career or any other path. “It may not always be easy, but by graduating, you have proved that you are capable of amazing things; good luck as you embark on your next adventure!”

Soares graduates this fall with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering. Soares found a passion for electric vehicles through Team Phantom, a student-led competitive design team that is building a zero emissions electric race car that he co-founded and an eight-month long internship at Tesla. SFU gave him the opportunity to continuously learn, develop new skills, and adapt to new situations, which have been invaluable in all aspects of life. His advice to first-year students is to join as many engineering design teams as possible. “They are worth it and are where the real engineering and entrepreneurial skills are learned,” he says. Currently, Soares is using his skills and experience at Moment Energy, a start-up he co-founded with his classmates, where electric vehicle batteries are repurposed to store renewable energy and reduce diesel dependency in remote areas.

Stacho graduates this fall with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the School of Engineering Science. During his time at SFU, he discovered that he really enjoyed problem solving and engineering design. His favourite moment was completing his undergraduate research where he was able to apply his knowledge, develop a concept and design, and create a finished product that can be tested. He also learned that problem solving and project management are useful and important skills to have for any line of work. His advice to first-year students would be to have fun and to find research opportunities earlier in their degree. “It might be hard to balance, but the experience can help you decide what to do after your undergraduate degree,” says Stacho. He joins Matthias Danninger’s research group in SFU’s Department of Physics to pursue his master’s degree with the hope to be involved in the design of components for neutrino detectors.

Othman graduates this fall with a PhD degree from the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering. One of his highlights at SFU was successfully defending his PhD thesis via Zoom while his children were around, and not running into any technical difficulties. “My journey at SFU was not just about the research, the experiments or even the results, but about learning to stop comparing myself to others, to accept failing as part of the process and to talk to the beloved people around you when you feel alone,” says Othman. Other highlights include playing ping pong and doing yoga on campus as a way to take a break from his research and to make new friends. He recognizes that the year 2020 has not been an easy one and encourages fellow graduates to not give up as they were able to defend and complete their degrees in this tough year. Othman recently joined Umm Al-Qura University in Saudi Arabia as a faculty member in the electrical engineering department.

Fickling graduates this fall with a PhD from the School of Engineering Science. During his time at SFU, he learned a valuable lesson about Parkinson’s Law: work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. He also learned that mental health is more important than anything. Through a psychology class, Fickling’s outlook on research completely changed; he further believes that the opportunities for collaborations are endless, and that bringing people together with different disciplines and backgrounds is a much better way of solving challenges. In addition to being interviewed on his research on the Global News Morning show and other media outlets, Fickling was also involved in the SFU men’s rugby team that went on to win the BC Provincial Championships in 2015. For Fickling, his highlights included defending his PhD thesis from his kitchen via Zoom and the opportunities to travel abroad for conferences and field-research trips. Fickling will be using his skills to join HealthTech Connex Inc. as a Senior R&D Scientist.

Jiang graduates this fall with a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Computing Science. As a graduate from the dual degree program, he is also earning a degree from Zhejiang University in China. During his time at SFU, Jiang developed a passion for new knowledge, along with the patience for learning and exploring, and decided that he wanted to pursue a career as a researcher after his degree. The highlight of his degree was contributing to a published research paper. Working in computing science professor Angel Chang’s lab as a research assistant, Jiang developed a passion for 3D vision, and is interested in constructing and reconstructing the 3D world. Now a master’s student in the same lab, Jiang is planning on pursuing a PhD and hopes to one day become a professor.

Peng graduates this fall with a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Computing Science. She has a passion for machine learning research, developing new skills and building solutions to challenging problems. The highlights of her degree include volunteering at the SFU Fitness Centre and conducting research in professor Martin Ester’s lab as an undergraduate research assistant. She advises first year students to ask for help when needed and to keep an open mind during their degrees. For Peng, the skills that she learnt in her program that she found most useful were interpersonal, communication and teamwork skills; problem solving and critical thinking skills; and the ability to quickly learn and grasp new concepts. She will be carrying these skills forward as she continues to work in Ester’s lab as a master’s student and plans on doing a PhD degree afterwards.

Rattan graduates this fall with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering. In her program, she was able to develop skills in different engineering fields, including mechanical, electrical and software engineering. “In the end, you can choose to dig deeper into the parts you love the most,” says Rattan. Her highlights at SFU include co-founding and leading Team Phantom, a student-led competitive design team that is building a zero emissions electric race car, and being a part of SFU Befikre, a Bollywood fusion dance team. “As different as each group is from each other, I was able to meet many amazing people,” says Rattan. Currently, she is working full-time on building Moment Energy, a start-up she co-founded with classmates. At Moment Energy, electric vehicles are repurposed to store renewable energy and reduce diesel dependency in remote areas.