草莓污视频导航

Aug. 10, 2023

Schulich student named Gold Medal Student Award winner by Engineers Canada

Annemarie Summers hopes her experience will help inspire more girls to become engineers
Annemarie Summers
Annemarie Summers believes in the mantra, 鈥淚f you can see it, you can be it,鈥 and devotes herself to helping others realize their dreams.

Annemarie Summers considers it the biggest compliment to be called 鈥淢om of the First Years鈥 by one of her peers.

The Schulich School of Engineering student remembers being in their shoes, trying to find her place in the world, and has become a well-respected mentor and advocate, amassing a collection of honours for her hard work, including most recently the .

Having previously been named a Schulich Change Leader, Summers鈥 trophy mantle also includes a Leader of Equality Award of Distinction, a Schulich Change Leader and the .

While she is proud of her accomplishments, the mechanical engineering student says it hasn鈥檛 been an easy road and she hopes sharing her story will help inspire others.

Out of her comfort zone

Summers started the application process for the Gold Medal Student Award in January with the intention being, 鈥淲hy not?鈥

She didn鈥檛 think she would win, but like many students fighting 鈥渋mposter syndrome,鈥 she felt like she needed to enter the competition in order to prove to herself she could do it.

The award recognizes the 鈥渆xceptional achievements of undergraduate engineering students who have demonstrated leadership, resiliency, and positive impact in their engineering studies and their community.鈥

Summers says her engineering journey at Schulich allowed her to step out of her comfort zone, even talking about mental health with students as part of a series on the Instagram page for the Mechanical Engineering Students Society, where she is the vice-president of communications.

鈥淗aving the opportunity to speak with other young women and role models, I鈥檝e learned that if I can open up a conversation that it鈥檚 okay to not have everything figured out,鈥 Summers says. 鈥淭rust me 鈥 I sure don鈥檛, and I have learned taking care of yourself is so incredibly important for all of us.鈥

Standing above the crowd

鈥淚 was shaking and in disbelief, pacing and re-reading the letter,鈥 says Summers, as she recalled receiving the news via email. Then came the challenge of keeping the award under wraps until the official announcement was made.

However, she was able to tell her parents about the victory, as well as references like , PhD, the head of the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.

鈥淎nnemarie is a shining star among Schulich engineers and a role model for her peers,鈥 says Sun. 鈥淪he excels in all areas of her study and is committed to helping her profession to advance diversity, and holds tremendous potential as a future leader of her profession and our society.鈥

Engineers Canada Awards Night

Annemarie Summers, left, poses for a photo with the other winners during the Engineers Canada Awards Gala.

Engineers Canada

Summers was also lauded for her efforts by Alison Barrett-Ede, the manager of community and social impact at Schulich.

鈥淎nnemarie is very dedicated to getting involved in her community and supporting her peers and the next generation of change leaders,鈥 Barrett-Ede said in a video tribute at the . 鈥淪he really stood out as a leader among her student group.鈥

Inspiring the next generation

Referred to by some of her fellow students as 鈥渢he firecracker involved in everything,鈥 Summers is humbled by the accolades, but also wants to keep it all in perspective.

She believes in the mantra of 鈥渋f you can see it, you can be it,鈥 and is working every day to help everyone realize their dreams.

Summers says getting involved in student life at the 草莓污视频导航, along with her mentoring efforts like and her startup Math and More Education, will hopefully inspire more young girls to start their engineering journeys.

鈥淟ooking back on the experiences I鈥檝e had at Schulich, it鈥檚 honestly been the relationships I鈥檝e made, everything I鈥檝e had the privilege to be involved in, and the community I鈥檝e been a part of,鈥 Summers says. 鈥淚t has all given me the greatest sense of pride.鈥

It鈥檚 a cause Summers hopes to continue working on with her degree and then into her career.


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