Introduction
My name is Aileen Agada, I am a recent University of Waterloo Environmental Engineering alumnus (‘21) and I am currently completing my Master's in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (MBET) at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business at the University of Waterloo. I am also the founder of BeBlended – a tech startup focused on the Black hair care industry–where I manage a team of 3 employees. I have a passion for engineering, solving systemic problems, and inspiring women to be their best selves. After working in a variety of companies in Canada and Belgium; I have decided to venture into the entrepreneurial world with my startup! As a founder, I attribute my success to my hard work, supportive network, and active Christian faith. When I am not working on BeBlended or diving into the world of venture capital, you can find me hiking, mentoring budding entrepreneurs within my community, and spending time with friends and family.
What did it mean to you to earn your iron ring and graduate as a Black engineer?
It meant so much!! It's really nice to have a physical symbol that embodies all your hard work. To me, the iron ring signifies strength, perseverance, and responsibility. For better or worse, that ring never leaves my finger!
With regards to graduating as a Black engineer, I found that I had (and still have) much pride in representing the black engineering and overall STEM community. There's just something about seeing yourself in a profession or field of study that encourages others who look like you to pursue it as well.
What is your favourite UWaterloo Engineering memory?
It's hard to choose! My favourite semester was definitely my 3A term in Spring 2019. That term had a lot of exciting field work - I found myself in a river, on a field, or on some sort of field trip every week! Some memories that were hard at the time (but I laugh about now) are the times my engineering friends and I would stay up incredibly late in the computer labs to study, finish assignments, and just rant about school and crushes. Oh, what a time!
What career paths has your degree encouraged you to pursue?
My engineering degree has encouraged me to pursue careers in entrepreneurship and venture capital! I had 2 pivotal co-op terms while in undergrad; one when I worked at a startup in Belgium, and another when I worked on my own startup during an enterprise co-op (E Co-op) term – where a student can work on their own project or startup and earn a co-op credit. These co-op opportunities opened my eyes to the possibilities of creating technologies that solve some of the world's biggest problems. Although my current startup may not be directly tied to my environmental engineering degree, it taught me how to solve problems with many constraints and minimal resources. In a nutshell, engineering helped me lay the groundwork for my entrepreneurial journey.
What changes would you like to see within engineering (either in school or professional spaces) in the next 5-10 years?
I would love to see a cultural shift in work-life and study-life balance. Engineering can be notorious for its "work hard, play hard" culture, which doesn't always render a balanced lifestyle. By the looks of it, schools and workplaces are beginning to focus more on mental health and workplace wellness, so I'm confident that we're all moving in the right direction!