Q&A with Kylie Paliani

Kylie is a student ambassador here to answer your questions. Click here to contact Kylie.

Do you remember when you decided you wanted to pursue engineering? What sparked your interest?

In Grade 11, as I began to think about my post-secondary education, I started to attend open houses at many different universities. At the time, I was quite interested in Medicine and was considering pursuing Medical Sciences or Kinesiology as an undergraduate degree. In Grade 12, I continued to visit various universities and began to include Engineering on my tours. As I began to investigate Engineering more and more, I realized that I was very interested in many of the disciplines within Engineering and the vast opportunities that Engineering offered. I wondered, however, was this for me and would there be many other girls in the program?

In Grade 12, I decided to attend the Fall Preview Day at Western University and I again returned in March. At the March Break Open House, I was invited to attend a Women In Engineering Luncheon and so, I decided to attend. During this event, I had the opportunity to meet so many other incredible current and future female engineering students, as well as the Dean of Engineering and some of the professors. It was at this very event that everything changed for me! I realized that Engineering is not only what I wanted to do, Western Engineering was the place for me! I will never forget that day and I still tell people about how significant it was on my career journey.

Why Western Engineering?

I chose Western Engineering because when I came and visited the campus it just felt right. On my many visits to Western Engineering, I was amazed how friendly the students and professors were and how willing everyone was to talk with me and answer my numerous questions. I love that Western Engineering offers first year students a general first year because I, like so many, was not sure what stream of Engineering I wanted to pursue. Western Engineering allowed me to be exposed to many different areas, so that I could make an informed decision about what discipline I wanted to pursue. Being from London, most of my friends wanted to leave and attend Universities in other cities. Although I visited many other Engineering programs, I was always most impressed with Western Engineering including the curriculum, the many student Engineering clubs, the professors, the close-knit student body, and the incredible facilities including labs and student club areas. Western also offered me a beautiful campus, state-of-the-art athletic facilities, great residences, student spirit and an overall great student experience.

Can you talk about your residence experience?

Last year I lived on the 6th Floor of Essex Hall, which is one of the Engineering Floors. I lived in a suite-style residence and lived with four other girls who were also in Engineering. My roommates became my closest friends and not only did we study together, we also enjoyed hanging out, working out and having fun together. I loved living on an Engineering floor because many of us had the same classes and would walk to class together each day. Living at Essex Hall was also very convenient because we were the closest residence to the Engineering building. Since many of us in Essex Hall were in Engineering, when we did group assignments, it was easy to get together and work in the common room. In my residence, we had a cafeteria on the main floor, which made mealtime easy.

We also had a kitchen in our suite, so if you wanted to cook a quick meal, pack your lunch or grab a snack, you could. In addition, Essex Hall was great because it was close to the athletic centre and stadium. Due to the proximity of the athletic centre, some mornings before early class, I would go work out or do an early morning jog around the track. Although I live in London, I decided to live in residence to meet new people and I am so glad that I did!

How do you manage school-related stress?

The fact that I know there are other students going through the same program as me helps to manage my school-related stress. Everyone in Engineering helps one another out during stressful and busy times, which is beneficial. Being able to talk about how I am feeling with others and having my peers around me who are going through the same situation makes me realize that you are not alone and lessens the stress level. Also, I find taking the time to exercise before or after class gives me the time to listen to music and just forget about everything that I need finish... for the moment.

Favourite study spot on campus?

I love studying in my room with music on because I have access to all my textbooks and notebooks and it takes me away from running into people I know and getting distracted by talking to them.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

In my spare time, I enjoy working out with my friends or running outside, if the weather is nice. I also love snuggling up with my dog and watching a good movie or TV-series on Netflix. I am also a competitive Irish Dancer and enjoy going to dance practice and talking with all my friends.