Meet Eva, a former RoboEDU student who has recently been accepted into the prestigious Cornell University. Eva’s journey is a testament to the power of persistence, ambition, and a love for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
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Eva decided to pursue engineering when she was only in grade 11. Although she was unsure of the exact field she wanted to specialize in, her passion for math and science guided her towards this sector. She enrolled in advanced courses and participated in various STEM-focused extracurriculars, such as robotics, math, and coding contests. Eva also held leadership roles in her school’s science club and a student-led feminist campaign named FeMILY.
Her journey led her to a seminar at Cornell University in the summer of 2019, where she fell in love with Civil Engineering. It was the perfect blend of her interests: building and robotics, sketching and drawing, and physics. The seminar allowed her to experiment with the field, and she was hooked.
Eva’s academic journey has been marked by her commitment to her studies and her extracurricular activities. Her daily routine included attending workout classes, calculus sessions, English tutoring, badminton classes, and physics classes, demonstrating her excellent time management skills. On weekends, she participated in art classes and worked for RoboEDU, where she learned Computer Science since the summer of 2018, and vex robotics. Her time at RoboEDU not only strengthened her technical skills but also honed her ability to find solutions independently.
When asked to describe RoboEDU in three words, Eva chose: ‘Welcoming,’ ‘Full of Opportunity,’ and ‘Open-minded.’ These three words encapsulate the environment that RoboEDU strives to create for its students – a space where they can explore, learn, and grow.
Despite studying in the States, Eva plans to return to RoboEDU during her breaks to share her experiences with current students, ensuring a continuous cycle of learning and mentorship. She also has big plans for her future; aside from majoring in Civil Engineering, she’s considering minoring in Architecture. She dreams of participating in exchange programs to learn about unique structures worldwide from renowned engineers and designers. Moreover, she aspires to build schools in rural areas, emphasizing the importance of providing education to those in need.
Eva’s story is a shining example of how the right guidance, coupled with personal ambition, can lead to remarkable opportunities. The RoboEDU team is immensely proud of Eva’s achievements and is excited to see her future unfold at Cornell University.
Note: The brand Techblazers was formerly known as RoboEDU. Since its establishment in 2014, it has been in operation for ten years. Techblazers is a pioneer and leader in Canadian technology education and is the only educational training institution in Canada that spans both the East and West coasts, providing STEM education. Over the past few years, it has served more than 3,000 students, mainly targeting students aged 4-18 from different age groups.
Below is our interview:
Q: What department you enroll in at Cornell University?
A: Civil Engineering.
Q: When did you start to consider apply for Civil Engineering at Cornell?
A: I didn’t know that I was going into Civil Engineering at first, but I knew that I wanted to go into engineering. In order to prepare for this, I took courses that focus on math and science. I also did reach ahead courses so that I have the knowledge to take AP courses when I am in grade 11.
My extracurricular are focused on STEM as well. For example, I do robotics both inside and outside of school, I participated in math and coding contests, I am the president of my school’s science club, and I am the co-tech head of a student-initiated campaign called FeMILY that advocates for feminism. I realized that I wanted to go into civil engineering after taking a seminar at Cornell in the summer of 2019. The professor was able to let us experiment a little with what civil engineering is, and I fell in love with the major. I have always been interested in building and robotics, sketching and drawing, and also physics so civil engineering was the perfect fit for me.
Q: Would you mind sharing your daily agenda with us?
A: Monday after school I have a workout class and at night I have a calculus class.Tuesday after school I have English tutoring.Wednesday after school I have a workout class.Thursday after school I have badminton class.Friday after school I have physics class.Saturday morning I have art class in the afternoon I work for RoboEDU.Sunday morning I have VEX robotics at RoboEDU and in the afternoon I have badminton class.
Q: What course are you taking at RoboEDU? For how long? When did you start?
A: I took Computer Science at RoboEDU starting in summer 2018. It really helped me with succeeding in my CS university credit course that I took at Cornell during the summer.Right now I am taking vex robotics.
Q:How would you describe your impression of RoboEDU in 3 words?
A: Welcoming, Full of Opportunity, Open-minded.
Q: What have you learnt during your studies at RoboEDU?
A: During my CS lesson, there were a lot of times where I needed to seek for resources myself. What I was taught in class was not enough to complete the homework. The classes really strengthened my ability to look for answer myself instead of waiting for someone to help me.
Similarly, in vex robotics, I had to search up videos and designs and concepts online and discuss with my team the pros and cons of each design and idea. In vex, I also learned to plan ahead. There was a lot of time where my team and I struggle with time management because we ended rebuilding again and again. I learn that it is important to plan ahead and think about the design, the flaws of the design, and trouble that we might run into ahead of time to be efficient as possible.
Q:Will there be other forms of cooperation after RoboEDU graduates? Like participating in R & D or internships?
A: I’m not sure since I will be studying in the States. It is far from Toronto and I won’t be able to get back every weekend. However, I do plan on coming back during holidays such as Winter break, march break, and summer break to share my experience with the students at RoboEDU.
Q: Do you have any plan for your future?
A: I have to major in Civil Engineering, but I am also considering minoring in architecture. I know Cornell has an amazing architecture program and I would love to study it. In the future, I would like to participate in exchange programs where I get to see and learn about the different unique structures around the world from renowned engineers and designers.
Also, if I get the change I would like to travel to rural areas and build schools for children there. In grade 10, I traveled to Ecuador and experience life in rural areas. I believe education is extremely important so I want to help create a sustainable living condition for children in need.
