Chukwunonso Jeffery Moneme certainly made the most of his time here at the University of Waterloo! He was one of the class of 2022 valedictorians for the Faculty of Engineering. The two main themes of his speech were the resilient nature of his generation and that training in the Faculty of Engineering has ingrained in him the idea that public duty is paramount.
For Moneme these are not just hollow words, his exemplary public service record as an undergraduate student speaks for itself. He served as Diversity Director for EngSoc and went on to become Vice President (VP) of Communications. Moneme was one of the founding members of University of Waterloo’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. In spring of 2020, he chaired the Anti-Black Racism Task Force for the Engineering Student Societies Council of Ontario.
Moneme served two terms as V. P. of Media for EngiQueers. He supported the establishment of University of Waterloo’s chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) whose mission is to assist Indigenous students, faculty and staff in STEM fields to feel connected and create a culturally safe space.
Moneme also served in the role of undergraduate student-at-large on the University’s Committee on Student Mental Health. He collaborated with Professor Carolyn MacGregor, and Katie Arnold to establish the Faculty of Engineering Community Roundtable to address mental health issues within the engineering community in a holistic and compassionate manner.
Moneme’s experience as a chemical engineering student informed his passion for advocacy work,
My favourite thing about chemical engineering is probably the way that it teaches us to look at systems and processes holistically. We learn about how seemingly small changes can make notable differences in the output of a process, and how important it is to monitor our systems throughout them, and not only the output. I've applied that kind of thinking to my personal and professional life and it's been very helpful in navigating complex situations.
Earlier this month Moneme was presented with the Roy Duxbury Award for Leadership in recognition of all his undergraduate volunteer work.