From classroom to industry: Engineering her future

After completing her BASc in Iran, Sogol ShaghaghiAfzali, was eager to enter the exciting world of working in industry as soon as possible. However, a friend was applying to graduate school at the University of Waterloo, and that piqued ShaghaghiAfzali’s interest.

She soon applied and was accepted into the MEng program in the Department of Chemical Engineering. ShaghaghiAfzali started out in the regular MEng program and quickly switched into the MEng Co-op Program.

“I think the MEng Co-op Program is really beneficial. With co-op, you really get to know industry. What are they looking for? It's not just about knowledge, it's about developing soft skills like communication, especially as an international student,” said ShaghaghiAfzali.

ShaghaghiAfzali’s first co-op was in the Department of Chemical Engineering in the analytical labs. For her, it was a great starting point as she felt safe and comfortable in the environment. While she was still tentative and nervous about talking to people, she began to feel more confident as her co-op position required her to take part in meetings and work alongside many students, faculty and staff members.

ShaghaghiAfzali’s second co-op was with Nova Chemicals Corunna at the site in Sarnia, Ontario. This move took her out of her comfort zone in many ways. Moving to a totally new city where she had no friends or family was a big step in her journey.

Her position at Nova Chemicals was as a chemical engineering co-op in area and contact engineering. The team she worked with was in charge of making changes, troubleshooting and monitoring the plant.

“My role was to assist people with numerous projects, ranging from facility change management to process simulations and safety system analysis.  So, it was great because I had to work with multiple people from multiple sections,” said ShaghaghiAfzali. “I worked mostly with area contact engineers, but I also worked with people who were in the safety section and process control section. It gave me a really broad understanding of everything. I learned so much from that hands-on experience.”

At Nova Chemicals, it was a professional environment where teamwork was strongly encouraged. The company culture encouraged employees to ask questions to learn more. The philosophy was that employees did not have to know everything, but they should come up with good questions about the problem they were trying to solve, and those good questions may lead to the right answer.

“It was a great learning curve for me to develop and ask questions. I realized that while I could learn something on my own in a month by asking questions and working with a team, I could learn the same thing in just a week. This experience showed me the value of collaboration and the power of asking the right questions. By doing co-op and actually entering working environments, I learned and grew.”

She is excited about her future and is hoping to continue working within the process systems branch of chemical engineering. Process systems engineering uses math, data, and computer tools to solve complicated engineering problems using simulations or virtual models.

Process systems engineering can be applied to almost every industry, from pharmaceuticals to food processing and everything in between, so she has no shortage of options.

Her advice for prospective MEng students is to dive right into every opportunity and challenge themselves to go beyond their comfort zones.  ShaghaghiAfzali believes that stepping outside familiar boundaries is essential for personal and professional growth. Without doing so, students risk missing out on discovering areas that need improvement and valuable learning experiences.

ShaghaghiAfzali graduated in the spring term. Graduating feels bittersweet, as she has come to view the University of Waterloo as home.