January 26, 2023
Meet Sahil!
Hey there, I'm Sahil and I'm a 3B Mechatronics Engineering student who loves all things robots and airplanes!
Last semester, I interned as an Embedded Software Developer at Skydio in San Francisco, helping write code for autonomous drones.
Within Waterloo Engineering, I'm actively involved as the Technical Director and former Team Lead of WARG (Waterloo's collegiate drone team) and the Waterloo Engineering Endowment Foundation (WEEF) as a board member.
I also love to organize events for my class for us to get together and unwind. Outside of school, I love to race gliders in my spare time at SOSA gliding club in Rockton and hang out with friends on the weekends.
Why did you choose Waterloo Engineering?
In high school, I discovered that I was a huge fan of playing with robots through my FIRST robotics team. When the time came around to pick what program I should go into, Waterloo’s Mechatronics Engineering program was a natural choice as it offered me the opportunity to explore the intersection of hardware, software, and mechanical engineering.
What has been your favourite thing about your program so far?
Friends and adventure! Don't get me wrong, getting to play with robots and call it 'school' is a blast of its own, but my favourite part of Waterloo is the amazing friends I've made along the way and the chance to explore someplace new every co-op term. It gives me a special appreciation for the less-spoken 'fun' side of Waterloo's co-op program - the chance to vibe with friends on a beach in LA after watching a rocket launch, seeing the Oshkosh airshow with coworkers & having a blast while doing it all.
Your favourite co-op experience?
I look back fondly at my co-op at Tesla as a Robotic Conrol Systems Intern on the Tesla Bot team! I got to level up my skill in the areas of electrical and firmware engineering and got exposed to the technical challenges and constraints of humanoid control systems.
Although I was an intern, I got the chance to own several projects and see them being used on the bot. I was treated like a full-time employee, all while working on a cool robot. I also got to explore California and make a bunch of friends from all over the US and Canada.
Advice for first year/incoming students?
Be passionate! It's a cheesy thing to say, but it's easy to fall into a trap of doing what seems right instead of what feels right. University is a change from high school - for the first time, you'll get to make your path instead of it being laid out for you, and the best way to find out what that is for you is to discover what motivates you and seek opportunities to do just that.