Rachel Braganza
2015 Entrance Scholarship
Third Year Student at Ryerson University, specializing in Civil Engineering

Rachel’s interest in structural engineering was something that gradually grew over time. “Whenever I would travel the world I would see all these structures and as a kid I would dream about eventually being able to design them. My mom is an architect and my dad is an engineer. For me, it made sense that it was something that I wanted to do.” Rachel combines her interest for design and engineering with Ryerson’s Concrete Toboggan team and TimberFever, a design build competition that pairs architects with engineers to build life-size structures from wood.

Rachel reflects on what it means to win a scholarship from a well-respected organization, “Realizing that there is a huge network of professional engineers who are supporting me and receiving a scholarship from them motivated me to work hard during the year. It was the best part of winning this scholarship.” Having only worked one summer job before beginning university, Rachel was overwhelmed by the cost of beginning an engineering degree. “On top of tuition, I needed books, supplies, and a new laptop. I would have had to use all the money I made in the summer to buy those things but with the help of the scholarship I bought a new laptop and could focus on paying my tuition.”

Rachel is enjoying her summer learning experience at Metrolinx where she helps to implement new initiatives at transit stations and this position has reinforced her aspiration to work in project management. “I am really interested in looking at a whole project from beginning to end. Working under a lot of project managers at Metrolinx, I have been able to see how their engineering backgrounds have helped their career.” After completing her engineering degree, Rachel hopes to receive her project management certification or an MBA. “Definitely more studying,” she says, “I’m not done yet.”