Girls and non-binary youth explore the engineering field at Conestoga College’s GO ENG Girl

Middle school and high school aged students learn about the possibilities of engineering at the Go ENG Girl event at Conestoga College on Saturday.

Conestoga College and its School of Engineering & Technology in Cambridge invited girls and non-binary students in grades seven to 10 to learn and interact with different engineering activities. The event is sponsored by the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering (ONWIE).It’s aim is part of a province-wide initiative to encourage more women and non-binary individuals to pursue careers in engineering.

Students went through various hands on stations, learning about the different engineering sectors firsthand. They also connecting with female engineering professionals, graduates and students.

The participants also had the chance to listen in and ask questions to a panel.

Fourth year engineering student Zoe Talbot was one of the panellists and had also come to Go ENG Girl as a teenager.

“Back in high school, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. So, my dad mentioned to me, ‘Hey, Zoe, there’s this Go ENG Girl’s event at Conestoga College,’” said Talbot.

Talbot attended in 2018, and said she found it interesting and decided to pursue Mechanical Systems Engineering at Conestoga College.

“In high school, there’s so much you can do, [so] going to events like this, it’s really nice to be able to think of it in a broader perspective.,” Talbot said.