Introduce yourself briefly:
Hi! My name is Subeka, and I’m a Systems Design Engineering Student in the Class of 2026 (currently on my 1B co-op) :)
Waterloo Engineering in one word:
Exposure
I choose Waterloo Engineering because:
The interdisciplinary nature of SYDE made me feel like I could explore different, even unconventional, engineering paths while still gathering various industry-relevant skills from school. Co-op is a great way to gain exposure to all the technical (and non-technical) roles out there for everyone!
The best thing about my program is:
The community! Our cohorts are fairly small compared to the average image of a university lecture hall filled to the brim with over 1000 students, and we spend our entire degree with those same people. We have the opportunity to curate genuine friendships and watch everyone grow over those years, and that shared sentiment really keeps us strong as a cohort
About my Co-op experience:
I’ve done my first co-op and am currently doing my second co-op as a Product Management Intern. In my first co-op, I worked at PC Optimum, a division of Loblaw Digital dedicated to their loyalty program. Currently, I’m working at Shoplogix, a company dedicated to Smart Manufacturing solutions!
I wish I had known before I came:
Engineering definitely has its workload and difficulties, which may often seem intimidating and impose the idea that I always have to be working towards that next assessment. However, what I will take home from my undergraduate experience isn’t just going to be a degree and some technical knowledge. It will be the experiences, friendships, and the moments that I’ve spent living, trying new things, and doing things I love with the people I love. Sometimes, the stress of working just isn’t worth it and that’s okay too.
Outside the classroom, I’m involved with:
I am a part of two design teams; I’m one of the Subteam Leads for Connected Software at WATOLINK, which is a neurotech student design team. I am also the Director of Product at WAT.ai, a student design team focused on the real world application of AI. I also spent the last term as an Academic Representative for my class, where we acted as liasons between students, professors, and department administration to address any academic concerns from the class regarding coursework. I also love music and I’m super involved in acapella! I was a part of two acapella groups in 1B (The Waterboys and the Acabellas), and I’m definitely looking forward to continuing that in future terms
A fun project I’ve completed:
I was the project manager for the Data Team working on the SYDE 2026 Class Profile! We had a group of about 20 SYDE 26 kids, and we created our own leadership and core members to curate an interactive website and a data report based on findings from a portion of our class relating to a myriad of topics including high school and background, demographics, co-op, lifestyle, etc. Check it out! https://syde26.life/
One more thing about me:
I love trying new things, which is what’s led me to pursuing so many different opportunities just because it seemed interesting. I almost wish I had an algorithm to picking and choosing stuff though…