Hear from SFU Students

Matthew, Kevin, Salea, Natesh, Prashan and Bren

Why SFU?

Learn what these students value by choosing to study at SFU, whether it's the practical education, the opportunities available to students, the connection to the community, or the rewarding challenges of university, and how their choices have shaped their student experience.

Tianna Sequiera

Developing a sustainable career

Tianna decided to study in SFU’s School of Sustainable Energy Engineering (SEE) because she wanted to gain hands-on experience tackling environmental issues. She appreciated that the program was based around current research and was excited by the opportunity to learn skills in engineering and science alongside coursework in environmental policy, resource management, and entrepreneurship.

When she first transferred to SEE, an early assignment challenged her group to develop a new product to solve a problem in sustainability. They responded by developing usable new composting technology out of a discarded bread maker, giving Tianna inspiration for how to approach future career aspirations.

She recognized that SEE's focus on problem solving, communication, and building prototypes as a team was ideal training for an emerging field that relies on innovation and collaboration.

“I found that my vision really aligned with my peers in SEE. I thought, ‘These are the people I want to be working with.’ Our driving question is how can we decrease the impact our technology has on the Earth? I’ve always wanted to work in aerospace, but I want to do so by bringing a clean tech

and environmental perspective to the industry. Clean tech in aerospace is a growing field with a lot of potential. Now I am about to start an eight-month co-op at Space Engine Systems in Edmonton working on sustainable methods for rockets.”

Golrokh Nouri

Finding unexpected opportunities at SFU

Golrokh came to SFU to compete as a wrestler and study mathematics in the Faculty of Science. After an on-campus work opportunity unexpectedly provided a valuable lesson about career aspirations, a professor advised her to apply her math background to anything she wanted.

Her interest in neuroscience and pharmacology led to work on federally funded research, using her math skills to improve our understanding of drug tolerance. Thanks to this independent research, Golrokh discovered a new passion and unlocked new career goals.

“Individual independent research taught me all the things I didn’t think I needed. Once you initiate it, everyone is there to help. They either have the answers, or they tell you where to get them. I feel so lucky to have had that opportunity. I didn’t think it was something I could do.”

Sharon Kular

Stepping up during the pandemic

When Faculty of Health Sciences student Sharon saw that she could apply to work for the Fraser Health Authority as a co-op student during the pandemic, she jumped at the chance. Not only was she able to support Fraser Health’s response, but she also eventually oversaw general operations at a vaccine clinic.

Sharon has gone on to mentor incoming SFU Health Sciences students, further volunteer work with the Fraser Health Authority, and a job at BC Children’s Hospital. She recognizes that her vital field experience informed her ongoing studies and her aspirations to become a doctor.