Creating Balance

Mechanical Engineering, Honours Co-op, Music Minor

Justin is a second year student majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Before attending the University of Waterloo, he performed in the Canadian String Orchestra and the Ontario Strings Association of Youth Orchestra. These ensemble groups gave Justin a strong sense of belonging, and he wanted to pursue similar opportunities in university. When the first opportunity arose, Justin joined the orchestra@uwaterloo and signed up for as many Music courses as he could at Conrad Grebel University College. Now, he has a minor in Music and participates in the winter 2021 online ensemble.

During his time studying music and engineering, Justin found that the two subjects “both bring ideas to life with the potential to reach so many people. The capacity to impact lives on a large scale is very special.”

As a Mechanical Engineering student, Justin has a very heavy course load, but an important thing he realized was that he still had time to do activities aside from schoolwork. “I found that treating ensembles as a fixed part of my weekly schedule was a way to help me do this,” Justin said. “Looking forward to ensemble helps me stay motivated and productive throughout the week.” Another strategy Justin uses to stay organized, on top of his work, and mentally healthy is by keeping all his assignment due dates in a schedule planner. “This helps me visualize my availability and works as a healthy reminder that I do have time for leisure. Simply planning ahead of time and seeking help when necessary makes things a lot more manageable.” It is crucial to keep work balanced with stress-relieving activities like music.

The online setting has made it far more difficult to run music-related events and activities, but Justin credits the Music Department for doing an excellent job in making things work. In fact, his favourite part of his Grebel experience so far has been the online chamber ensemble. “This term I have been assigned to two trio groups where we play a variety of music from different eras,” Justin explained. “I have learned so much and gained a strong interest for chamber music from working closely with other talented musicians. I am hoping to be a part of more chamber ensembles and music-related opportunities in the future.”