Gabrielle Sebaldt
2016 Gold Medal Winner
Graduated in 2016 from University of Toronto, specializing in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering

“From an early age, I was always take stuff apart and building structures. Having two older brothers, we would always play with LEGO and other toys like that.” Gabrielle’s curiosity with how things work, combined with interest in math and physics, led her to U. of T.’s Mechanical Engineering program.

As a recent graduate, Gabrielle is able to reflect on her time in undergrad and the challenges she faced. “Engineering has its trying moments and it is definitely not a smooth ride. To get through that requires a good support network and time management skills,” she says. Gabrielle successfully managed her academic and extracurricular activities during her time at U. of T. She was the co-president of U. of T.’s Spark Design Club, which built electromechanical interactive displays to provide students with hands-on experience through workshops. She was also the captain of her intramural soccer team in fourth year.

As one of only two recipients of the Foundation for Education’s Gold Medal in her graduating year, Gabrielle was honoured to have been chosen for the award. “It was a surreal feeling. I never thought that I would get such an accomplishment at the end of my degree. Receiving official recognition was a reflection of the amount of work I had put in to my undergrad,” she says. Gabrielle also credits the award for some of her future career success, “Winning this award was very valuable in applications to make me a more competitive applicant and it allowed me to network with industry engineers and see what opportunities are out there.”

In 2016, Gabrielle worked on a research project at U. of T.’s ATOMS Lab, working in the biomedical field where she helped build testing devices to model the human circulatory system of people with congenital heart defects. In September 2017, Gabrielle began a Masters in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University, where she is specializing in biomedical engineering.