MME student finding her place in STEM

Friday, September 16, 2022

As the only female in her secondary school computer science class, Elin Liu felt the pressure of representing women in STEM. A scholarship provided by donors Yves and Cynthia Bled gave her a boost of confidence. Now, she wants to help other female engineering students find their place in STEM.

Elin Liu

As early as grade 8, Elin Liu knew she wanted to apply to Waterloo’s Mechatronics Engineering program. “I joined my school’s robotics team because I enjoyed problem-solving and things that move,” she says. In secondary school, Elin’s favourite courses were in science, technology and math (STEM). However, as the only female student in her Grade 12 computer science class, “I felt that I was representing females in STEM and I was terrified of messing up,” she says. “I was scared to ask ‘stupid’ questions in class, I would second-guess my answers before participating in discussions, and I worried that I wasn’t smart enough to be in STEM.” Go to Finding her place in STEM for the full story.