So, this is my last exec report ever. 16 months, 24 executive meetings, 13 EngSoc meetings, 12 executive reports, 5 executives, a slew of events, an array of services, and a dash of personality, and you get yourself my term as President.
But this term was a lot more than that. The first thing I need to say is I had a phenomenal team to work with. I can’t believe how lucky I was to work with Yasser Al-Khder, Alexandra Collins, Owen Coutts and Andrew Fisher. I was constantly surrounded by co-executives who were outstanding in their roles, brilliant with ideas, and, most importantly, supportive of me and each other in every initiative, executive meeting and endeavour we pursued. I hope the students and faculty were also able to see and appreciate the great work and all the time and effort they dedicated to making each student’s experience here a better one. They put countless hours into their jobs, and this little article of thanks hardly does justice for the thanks they deserve.
I got to work closely with my executives, and I think that’s why I can so easily appreciate all the work they did, but I know that our students are all hardworking and give this school a good name. I have mentioned this previously, but throughout my term as President I have made class visits to collect feedback from students about their experience in Waterloo Engineering, but I also get to meet new people through their volunteer positions in EngSoc, at our events, through our services, and various other mediums. If being President has given me one thing above all else, it was the opportunity to be exposed to all of the amazing people we have here in Engineering at Waterloo. I find our students can be quite modest about the extent of their capabilities and experience. I have never had a class visit where the ideas were just mediocre, our students are just so creative and have such insight.
Another thing I have noticed is that our faculty really cares about us. I recognize this is sometimes hard to appreciate amidst the exams, assignments and labs they hand out to us, but they really are working towards developing each student into a better engineer, and person. I find the administrators that I have had the pleasure of working with don’t just treat us as “students”, they treat us like people with a lot of potential, and that’s really something that stands out from other schools. I have been so gifted to work with the dedicated people behind our education, and I really hope that you, the student reading this article, can recognize that.
So I leave you with this: the Engineering Society really cares about making your experience in Waterloo Engineering better, and I have been able to see this through working with all of the students and faculty that work within and in conjunction with EngSoc. Events are supposed to break up your days of homework, services are to help you excel in your pursuits, and representation is supposed to keep the value of your degree for years to come. If you find yourself asking “What does EngSoc do?”, don’t rhetorically throw the question out into your group of friends, ask someone involved in EngSoc. Ask the incoming President, Yasser Al-Khder. He, like many EngSoc involved people, cares about you, what you think, and your needs here. He’s a determined individual, with an exceptional sensitivity for students’ needs. He’s going to do a great job, but only if you let him know what a “great job” means to you. I look forward to seeing the good work Yasser produces in his term. He will truly dedicate himself to your experience as a student, and I hope you can appreciate his work, along with the work of the other Engineering Society executives, commissioners, directors and staff.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
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