Waterloo Engineering alumnus Amy Charette (BASc ’94, mechanical engineering) remembers how in her first-year of studies she was one of four women students in a class with 76 men. It surprised her but didn’t faze her. She got involved with EngSoc and put her hand up for leadership roles in class and at her residence – mainly because it was a great way to meet people.
On December 6, 1989, during Charette’s first term, 14 women – most of whom were engineering students – were murdered at the École Polytechnique de Montréal in an antifeminist mass shooting. This horrific event led to the formation of Waterloo's Women in Engineering (WiE) committee and Charette soon became a member.
Charette recalls the WiE committee needing students who could speak up openly and directly about how women experience traditionally men-dominated events and environments – as well as confidently discuss possible solutions with University leaders to make these spaces on campus more inclusive. It was a role she was only too happy to take on.
Waterloo Engineering alumnus, Amy Charette, uses her time and talent to lift others up.
“I wasn’t just an engineering student,” says Charette. “I was a young woman with a voice and I used it to invite others to share theirs too and feel safe doing so.”
Charette works as a management consultant for the Poirier Group, focusing on supply chain management, performance analytics and project management. To this day, she maintains a close relationship with WiE and the broader Waterloo Engineering community through her volunteering and mentorship work.
“As a woman engineer, helping other women engineers pursue their ambitions is important to me,” says Charette.
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