By Ty Burke
In celebration of Carleton University’s 2023 Throwback week–a homecoming for alumni and community members–we sat down with seven alumni to see where they are now. Their stories moved us and reminded us of the impact our engineering and design alumni have on creating technology for good, sustainability, health and wellness, and social innovation.
Building Support Networks
Maryam Tse’s Carleton education helped her become a Director of Engineering at a major networking services corporation. And she wants to pay it forward to other women.
“I started out in software development, and worked on products of increasing complexity from an engineering perspective. I like that complexity,” says Tse, a graduate of the Bachelor of Electrical Engineering program.
Maryam Tse, Co-Founder, Ottawa Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, electrical engineering alumna.
“Technology changes over time, but my Carleton education gave the basics, which has allowed me to pivot in many different directions. It taught how to break down obstacles and not dwell on the negative. That helps unleash a team’s productivity, and is especially useful at the beginning of your career, when there is a firehose of learning.”
In 2019, Tse co-founded an Ottawa affiliate of the Society of Women Engineers, which promotes the retention and advancement of women engineering professionals.
“There is a staggering number of women who, after achieving engineering degrees, choose not to practice engineering,” says Tse.
“Instead of focusing on the factors that cause women to leave, we paid attention to the factors that are highly correlated with the women who persist against the odds. Two factors are key: self-efficacy and support networks. Self-efficacy is more than self-confidence. It is the strong belief in your own skills and knowledge. And these insights inform the direction of our events, which focus on connecting, networking and career development.”
Want to participate in Carleton’s 2023 Throwback events? Visit the alumni website to learn more.
Friday, September 22, 2023 in Alumni, Feature Stories, Research, Women in Engineering
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