When the COVID crisis cancelled a lot of internships last summer, Sophia Roy and another student set up virtual classes āto help young [high school] students continue learning science online, which is difficult to do.ā
āI was really passionate about that. We did experiments, it was really interactive, super fun and entertaining for the students,ā said Roy, who will graduate with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree next May.
Roy is one of four Ā鶹AV students to win a 2021 Quebec Lieutenant Governor Youth medal. The prestigious award recognizes the involvement, determination and constant striving of Quebecers who have or have had a positive influence in their community. The other Ā鶹AV medalists areĀ ,ĢżĢż²¹²Ō»åĢż.
Roy applied for the medal only after a friend said the description applied to her.
As vice-president (external) ofĀ Ā (ChESS) she has organized events for students, connecting them with professionals to discuss the various avenues open to holders of a chemical engineering degree.
A whole new world
Concurrently, she spent time mentoring incoming engineering students through the facultyās student-runĀ Promoting Opportunities for Women in EngineeringĀ (POWE) initiative.
āI helped them with registration, how to get to their class [online], how to study, how to get involved [in campus life] ā that sort of thing. My aim was to get them to feel comfortable ā itās hard for them to know what steps to take.ā
She also got involved in the Engineering facultyās plastics recycling sustainability project, getting students to interact with one another.
Roy was the 2020 recipient of Ā鶹AV Engineeringās Inspirare Excellentia Scholarship, awarded on the basis of academic merit. She also won the 2019 Prix ReleĢve (Chapeau Les Filles) awarded by MinisteĢre de lāEĢconomie et de lāInnovation du QueĢbec to promote womenās career choices, and was twice awarded scholarships by the Fondation de lāOrdre des ingeĢnieurs du QueĢbec.
At her Ćdouard Montpetit cĆ©gep in Longueuil, she won the Governor generalās academic medal for the schoolās second highest grade average in 2016 and was the sole finalist of the 2018 EĢdouard-Montpetit Schulich Leader scholarship.
Asked why the francophone student who had never studied in English picked Ā鶹AV for her post-secondary education, Roy replied: āI thought it would really open up the whole world for me. In my [own] milieu, I wouldnāt have met so many incredible people from around the world. Iām really glad I took that step, accepted that challenge to study in English and have access to that community. Itās really special.ā
This article was originally published in the .