Work

My entire life I have thought that everything happens for a reason and at the perfect timing, and I definitely cannot start this without saying that every single event in my life turned out perfectly for me to be here and now at Prince Edward Island, Canada. Last year, a couple of months before graduating with a Bachelor’s in Mechatronics Engineering, I was worried about how my professional future would look for me. If I could talk to my past version, I would like to say to that hard-working Mexican student that everything turned out to be better than expected and that nowadays, she is pursuing a career in one of the activities she enjoys the most: automation and control. Located in a small picturesque city in PEI, I found my first professional opportunity at Vdot Cleantech Inc as a Junior Mechatronics Engineer, or as I prefer to say, as a Software Controls Engineer of fuel cell systems. In simple, uncomplicated words, my main duty is to create the necessary programming codes to control a system that uses the chemical energy of hydrogen to cleanly and efficiently produce electricity. From the first moment I got to the company, I felt more than welcomed and I noticed that I was not only surrounded by a multicultural environment (which I must say, is an enlightening experience) but also by amazing, talented people. From the beginning, I received a caring and patient attitude from all of my co-workers, but especially from my manager Tatiane, and who I can luckily call today my friend, Laura. As a recent graduate, it was more than obvious that my mind was full of questions at first (well, it still is), especially since you don’t go for life automating fuel cell systems every day. Luckily, I met my guru and software engineer role model, Mike. He has been guiding me remotely from Vancouver with his more than 20 years of experience in this field and there are no words for me to thank him for all the knowledge he has taught me, always with immeasurable patience and a smile on his face. Thanks to him, I have been able to get to know about the process to follow software requirements, design, integration, validation, and verification. Additionally, my programming and electrical skills have been reinforced, as well as my knowledge to deliver high-quality software following established processes, procedures, and coding styles according to international standards. Looking back, I know that my 18/19-year-old version who had second guesses about her degree, would have not believed the engineer I am today and all that I have learned. But most importantly, is not all that we have accomplished and gained, but still, all the things we have left… which is intriguingly exciting.

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Experience

Situated by one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I’ve ever been, there was my red-brick huge (shared) house at the corner of the street and located on the third floor, you could see my room facing the most beautiful park in PEI: Victoria Park. My day started by taking a 10-min walk downtown so I could make it on time for the 7:45 am bus that took me and two of my co-workers to the office from Monday to Friday. After an eight-hour shift, I had all the time to enjoy the amazing places PEI has to offer, but definitely nothing better than grabbing ice cream on a hot summer evening while walking by Victoria Park Roadway with the smell of the sea and the particular wind of PEI hitting your face. Plot twist: you miss and appreciate the sunlight more than ever when the winter hits and there’s nothing more than to stay home reading a book or trying a winter sport like skiing, just as I did during my first weeks in Canada. Coming here has allowed me to learn not only about different people but also about different cultures, ways of thinking, and doing things. From the first moment, everyone on the island made me feel comfortable with their kindness and warm welcome. Along the way, I have danced, sung, laughed, and even cried with persons that are now part of my life’s story and that have created core memories for me. I’ve had the opportunity to try the Indian, Vietnamese and Korean cuisines, and of course, I gave myself to try the seafood from PEI, which let me tell you is great. If you ever come here, you need to try the lobster. Around Atlantic Canada, there’s a great city named Halifax, which is the ideal city to go on a road trip with your friends just as I did with Laura, Drew, Hafsa, and Bassey. There, we were able to ride electric scooters around the Citadel, visit the maritime museum, go out on a Friday night, eat different desserts and even get to experience an escape room. Trust me when I say that one of the best experiences in my life is seeing the sunset while sitting on a floating dock, looking at the fireworks on Canada Day, or even just taking a walk at night downtown with fascinating people that make your life incredibly so much better. Writing this makes me emotional because I feel extremely lucky and grateful for having the opportunity to be here. There’s nothing I would change about my life in PEI.

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2021 was a difficult year for me. I will resume it in 3 words: losses, changes, and depression. At that moment, all I could ever ask for was to find myself again. I wanted to be in peace, to be happy, to feel like me. Coming to Canada made me realize that I am capable of accomplishing everything that’s on my mind and that getting out of your comfort zone is always going to make you grow in all areas of your life. Being here made me realize that I want to pursue a career in automation and controls and that there’s nothing better to do than what you like. I confirmed that one of my passions is to encourage the new generations and especially women to study a career in STEM. Here, I have been able to love myself much more than I already did and to be grateful for the things that happen and the things that don’t too. I have learned to love the simple, but not less important things about life. Every single day I am thankful for having the opportunity to become a better engineer, a better me, a better daughter, friend, partner... human. I learned that there are marvelous moments, places, food, cultures, and people that are worth waiting for.

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