Jordyn Maywood’s Journey of Leadership, Community and Engineering Excellence

For Jordyn Maywood, the secret to navigating the intensity of a Biomedical Engineering degree at the University of Waterloo began with finding her circle.

By choosing to live at United College in the Women in Engineering Living-Learning Community (LLC) during her first year, she gained a vital support system that fostered both confidence and inclusion.

"It was a great opportunity to feel like you had a circle of people all in the same situation as you," she explained, noting that the community was instrumental in helping her "be more confident and feel more included.”

This experience of peer support became the blueprint for her own leadership journey. Inspired by her own first-year Don, Jordyn spent three years in the role herself, aiming to provide the same guidance she had received.

"I saw how helpful it was to have engineers in sort of leadership positions here to be able to provide advice and support for students," Jordyn said. And her impact was tangible; she found the most rewarding moments were "just making close connections with my students, such as helping them successfully prepare for job interviews and so on.”

As she prepares to graduate this week, Jordyn reflected on a holistic university experience that balanced rigorous academics with international exploration. Her five co-op terms, including three in Ireland, were pivotal in validating her career path.

"Getting the opportunity to apply it professionally can help to sort of validate that you're on the right path," she added.

 This professional growth culminated in the celebration of receiving her iron ring, which she described as "a big celebration for engineers as they finish their school and . . . an opportunity to celebrate all our hard work.”

Looking toward a future in design and process engineering in Europe, Jordan leaves behind a legacy of balance. Her advice to incoming engineering students, specifically, remains a testament to her own success: "It's important to take time out of engineering to play sports or do hobbies, whatever it is that interests you. It definitely keeps you sane and motivated throughout the whole four years,” Jordyn stressed.