Discover Engineering

The First Year Office

Jen Fabro // First Year Assistant // Feb 17, 2010

The First Year Office is a great place to work, and a place that First Year Students should feel welcome. From basic questions about where to buy lunch, to complicated questions about what it takes to get through first year academically, the First Year Office staff is always happy to help.

I started working at U of T in late 2008 as the front desk Information Assistant for the Registrar’s Office, and switched over to the First Year Assistant role at the start of the 2009-2010 academic year. The staff in the Registrar’s Office and First Year Office are very kind and supportive, and we all work together to make sure students have the information they need and that things like schedules and exams run smoothly.

Being a graduate of U of T, and therefore a one-time First Year student myself, I know how intimidating and huge U of T can seem. It’s really rewarding for me to help students navigate the school’s campus and policies, and to see students grow in confidence as they get acclimatized to their surroundings. Engineering is a tough program, and the students who come to U of T are among the best and brightest in the world, but no matter how awesome their grades were in high school, it’s still a challenging transition for most individuals. At the First Year Office, we try to make sure that students are as well-informed as possible so that they can make the best decisions for their academic careers. Some of the things we handle at the First Year Office include programs like Success 101, the T-Program and ReFresh, as well as day-to-day academic advising by the First Year Counsellor, Leslie Grife and the Student Success Specialist, Lesley Mak. As the First Year Assistant, my job is to make sure students get the help and advice they need, and it’s a pleasure to interact with such bright and diverse individuals every day here at U of T Engineering.

My Experience With Engineers Without Borders

Mina Shahid // 4th Year Mechanical Engineering // Jan 21, 2010

I started Skule Engineering in Sept. 2005, and during my first year of mechanical engineering I focused on succeeding academically. However, it was at the beginning of my second year of university I began to wonder what other experiences I could gain from Skule. That’s when I wandered into an Engineers Without Borders (EWB) member learning session where a recent overseas volunteer (Hans Hesse) was talking about his experiences while working in Malawi in Southern Africa.
What really struck me were the connections he made between studying Engineering Science, and working in international development, and the unique skill set that engineers had to offer in solving the most complex problem of our time- extreme poverty. It all made perfect sense to me and for the first time in my education I realized how important the problem solving skills gained at Skule were.

Soon thereafter I got involved with the EWB-UT chapter, organizing events and eventually becoming the VP Outreach in my third year of university. It was also then that I decided to apply for an overseas volunteer placement with EWB, and to test how my problem skills would hold up overseas. The experiences gained at Skule both academically, and socially I feel prepared me to succeed while overseas in Zambia during the summer of 2008. And as I worked to help Zambians work their way out of poverty, I couldn’t appreciate more these experiences.
I’m a firm believer that engineers have so much to offer to this world beyond their technical knowledge and if there was one piece of advice I’d give to incoming engineering students, it would be to get involved in extra-curricular activities. The opportunities for personal and professional growth are endless.