Alexandria V.

Biography

Alexandria is enrolled in the Schulich School of Engineering. From a young age, she always had an appreciation for both mathematics and construction. She enjoys building concepts and problem solving. Pursuing a career in engineering seemed like the natural fit. Throughout her youth she always had a fascination with space, this interest has never faded. In the future she has ambitions to work for NASA designing vehicles of the future which will hopefully assist our planet and explore the universe.

Alexandria graduated from Cochrane High School, Cochrane, Alta. During her high school years, her top three achievements were being awarded the Governor General's Academic Medal for outstanding academic achievement throughout high school, successfully finishing four years of high school basketball and was captain of the team one year. She returned from an ACL tear and MCL strain to play and while injured she acted as an assistant coach. Additionally, acting as a member of the senior leadership team she reinstated and co-chaired the annual Hoops for a Cure fundraiser. That year they raised a record amount for Kids Cancer Care.

As she began researching top engineering programs during her junior and senior years in high school, the University of Calgary was consistently among the highest ranked schools in terms of their engineering faculty, their professors, student engagement, internship / research opportunities, campus life and post-graduation employment rates. Additionally, she was able to speak to some of the university's graduates and current professors who walked her through some of the positive aspects about the school. Furthermore, the common first year provided her the opportunity to experience all of the branches of engineering before deciding on a major. This also gave her the opportunity to create a diverse foundation going into second year. Finally, she was born and raised in Calgary. This city is her home and where she wanted to study. All of these factors made the University of Calgary stand out and made the decision to become a Dino easy.

Her Prestige Award will allow her to direct all of her attention to her academics and volunteering without needing to worry about how to fund her degree. It will also provide her the opportunity to pursue a masters degree and then a doctorate in the future. She plans on majoring in mechanical engineering and taking the new aerospace minor. She thanks the University of Calgary for providing her with this tremendous opportunity.