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Implemented in early 2021, the Stantec Equity & Diversity Scholarship (E&D Scholarship) was an overwhelming success. We were able to give scholarships to 30 deserving students to help in their pursuit of post-secondary education. Of the 30 students, we also found internships for five of them within our Â鶹´«Ã½ offices.

Hairong Dang, Christina Monterrosa, Lauren Quesada, Tina Nguyen, and Fiona Wu have all found themselves interning at Â鶹´«Ã½. We sat down to chat with Christina and Hairong, who were happy to share their experience.

Christina is studying graphic design at the California Institute of Arts. ¡°It¡¯s been an amazing experience so far¡ªit¡¯s an incredible privilege to study at a smaller private college. My cohort is made up of just 13 students, myself included. My classmates are all talented, inventive, and playful; they encourage me to do my best work,¡± Christina said. ¡°Graphic design itself is a multidisciplinary field, and as a curious person who has always wanted to do everything, I¡¯m so excited to pursue whatever path my education takes me.¡±

Christina¡¯s dream has always been to contribute to the world in a positive way. ¡°After I graduate, if my skills can enact a positive change in the world, then that would make me happy and fulfilled,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m interested in all matters concerning policy, social justice, and environmentalism. I¡¯ve been thinking about how most problems we face on a larger scale tend to feed into each other, and how solving one problem can help solve many others when the right approach is taken.¡±

Christina knows design is, at its core, a discipline about problem-solving. ¡°Our work defines problems, considers who we must solve the problem for, then produces the best possible solution for everyone involved. With all that in mind, I hope to help problem-solve with organizations whose values and goals align with my own.¡±

The E&D Scholarship was the first time Christina had seen the acronym ¡®STEAM¡¯ (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) in lieu of STEM. ¡°I thought this was amazing; this scholarship values the arts as much as it values science, tech, engineering, and math¡ªwe need more humanistic thinkers to work alongside STEM majors,¡± Christina said. ¡°What good is all our scientific progress if we aren¡¯t constantly considering its impact on humanity? The E&D Scholarship opened a door for me, the biggest door in my life thus far.¡±

As for her internship, Christina helps the Creative Services team develop project proposals in Colorado. Her team is made up of other designers and marketers that are passionate about collaboration. ¡°I¡¯ve been loving it so far! Everyone I¡¯ve met has been kind and eager to work towards a common goal. It¡¯s been a refreshing experience,¡± Christina said. ¡°I¡¯ve also had the pleasure of meeting coworkers from other countries, and it¡¯s been interesting to hear not only their differing perspectives, but also where our views overlap.¡±

Additionally, Christina has been learning more about water as a resource than she ever imagined. ¡°Listening to engineers discuss sustainability almost makes me wish I went into a scientific field, but I remember that I have my own part to play in relaying their knowledge back to other laymen. I¡¯m grateful this internship has allowed me to explore so many of my interests.¡±

Christina has learned a lot during her internship, including how many moving parts Â鶹´«Ã½ has. ¡°It¡¯s such a huge company that I haven¡¯t had to go out of my way to speak to someone new with a different skillset,¡± Christina said. ¡°My favorite meeting so far has been with our Visualization Technology team. I learned about how Â鶹´«Ã½ is utilizing new media technology to solve construction issues and visualize projects before they¡¯re built.¡± Christina has also attended a lot of different training sessions ranging from design issues to climate change. ¡°I get invited to new meetings about a myriad of topics weekly, whether its leadership training or handling imposter syndrome. I love how accessible learning is within the company, and how much the culture encourages it.¡±

When Hairong and her family moved to Canada in 2018, she found herself in a new environment filled with obstacles. In her first chemistry class, not only did she realize she had to overcome a language barrier, she was also overwhelmed with the different materials being used and not knowing how to use them. A self-starter, Hairong introduced herself to classmates, watched YouTube videos on the subject matter, and emailed her teacher until she understood the assignment. As a result, she transformed from someone who had never seen a lab material to a leader who led the entire lab group to finish difficult lab activities.

Hairong is pursuing her Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. With a heavy workload and difficult subject matter like understanding organic chemistry and how proteins interact, Hairong sometimes finds her studies difficult. ¡°My major gives me a delayed gratification when I finally understand a new concept; I am really enjoying it!¡±

After graduation, Hairong has two possible paths she wants to pursue her career in: medicine by becoming a physician or becoming a scientist. ¡°I¡¯m also interested in managing a pharmaceutical/biomedical company in the pursuit of making healthcare more cost effective,¡± she reflected.

¡°The E&D Scholarship helped pay my tuition and buying my textbooks,¡± Hairong said. ¡°It also really helped boost my confidence as it feels like a reward for all the hard work I¡¯ve done over the years.¡±

As an intern here at Â鶹´«Ã½, Hairong was a junior environmental assessor and data analyst with our Environmental Services team in the Markham, Ontario office. ¡°I was in the office organizing and analyzing field data as well as drafting reports for different soil sampling programs,¡± Hairong said. ¡°I mostly helped out my colleagues and supervisors who were out in the field as an in-office support.¡±

Hairong learned a lot about data analysis and was also able to improve her writing skills. ¡°The reports I needed to write needed to be clear and concise. I became a more organized person who actively communicated with my team.¡± And, she learned how to make coffee.

We are proud of our E&D Scholarship recipients and interns. Our second installment of this scholarship has officially wrapped up and we¡¯re sure we will receive some amazing applicants once again.?