Meet the new UES President: Myeesha Siddique

myeeshabanner1

The Undergraduate Engineering Society (UES) represents all undergraduate engineering students at Western University. We caught up with Myeesha Siddique, fourth-year Mechatronic Systems Engineering student and the new UES President to learn about her student experiences, passion for engineering, and her new role as president. 

Tell us about yourself, your background and your program 

I am currently completing my long-term co-op at Trudell Medical International as a New Product Development Engineering Intern. Next year, I will be going into my fifth year of Mechatronics Systems Engineering. I’m originally from Bangladesh however I grew up in Botswana and recently moved to Canada to pursue higher education. I’ve always been super involved with extracurricular activities, especially basketball. I started playing basketball in grade four and I was captain for two years in high school.  

What sparked your interest in engineering?  

When I was younger, my brother and I used to take apart remote-controlled cars that our parents got us because we were always curious about how the little controller would make the cars move around. I guess I’ve always been curious about how everything is made and how things work. In school, I really enjoyed the sciences, especially physics and math. Combining both my curiosity about the world and my love for physics and math made engineering an easy choice. However, it wasn’t until I started the program that I found a genuine passion for engineering. I realized how much difference we can make in the world and the impact we can have in peoples’ lives, especially in the biomedical field.  

Can you explain the importance of your extracurricular activities at Western (UES, other clubs, teams, volunteer work, outreach activities, athletics etc.) and your work as an ambassador? 

Extracurriculars are probably the best way to make the most out of your university experience and it is a great way to meet new people, make friends, and get hands-on experience. I have had the pleasure of serving as Co-President of the Bangladeshi Student Association; Student Ambassador; UES Yearbook Editor; Design and Analysis Team Member for the Concrete Canoe Association; and Director of Media and Recruitment for WE MARS. Being part of different engineering clubs will give you all sorts of different opportunities to learn skills outside the classroom. The UES Council is also a great way to get involved as you get to run fun events and do exciting activities but, at the same time, understand and advocate for the needs of our student body. Joining and being active in extracurriculars also helps you improve your interpersonal and leadership skills. 

What is the role of the UES President?  

The UES president wears a lot of different hats. They act as the main liaison between the UES Council, the Faculty of Engineering, and Western University. They are responsible for directing UES activities and operations and ensuring that UES Executives are held accountable for their responsibilities. The president also represents and advocates for all the needs of the undergraduate engineering student body. 

Can you share a high-level overview of what you hope to achieve as UES President over the next year? 

Hopefully, next year will see a full return of students to campus since in the last couple of years we missed out on a lot of fun engineering traditions. I am hoping to restore our traditions, club activities, and student experiences. Being on co-op myself, I understand the importance of experiential learning for engineering students, and this is why I am planning to collaborate with Career Services and returning co-op students to re-strategize and improve our program. I also want to make the UES Council more inclusive and increase its visibility. Not a lot of students know about our day-to-day operations, and I want to create more opportunities for students to get more involved and bridge the gap between us.  

Are there any accomplishments for which you are particularly proud?  

In school, programming was never my strongest suit however, during my co-op I had to push myself to get out of my comfort zone. I took on a coding project for some of the testing I was doing with my team. I faced a lot of challenges but through hard work and Stack Overflow, I overcame all the hurdles to complete the project. In doing so, other members of the team were inspired to take on similar projects to make our testing process more efficient. Now I am way more confident in my coding skills, and I am proud of myself for getting out of my comfort zone.