Meet Georgia Dunn
Georgia Dunn is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering at the University of Alberta. She currently volunteers with the Engineers in Action University of Alberta Chapter as VP of Fundraising, and is also part of the student club Diversity in Engineering, which focuses on empowering traditionally underrepresented minorities within the STEM field. In her spare time, she loves spending time with a paint brush in hand.
When did your love of STEM begin?
I'm a huge nerd, so I first entered Civil Engineering because I liked math and it has good job opportunities upon graduation, which is a very common answer! However, my love for STEM didn't begin until second year when I found out about the University of Alberta's chapter of Bridges to Prosperity (now Engineers in Action). With this group, I have been fortunate enough to travel to Bolivia twice to build footbridges in two small communities, while also getting to know the culture and the community members. Rural isolation is a root cause of poverty and these footbridges are slowly connecting people and empowering them to better their lives!
What did you love most about study in your field of STEM?
I love STEM because it allows me to use my skills and knowledge to help others. There are so many ways to apply yourself in the real world and so many ways to connect with other people! It's exciting to know that I have the ability to help change the world, even if it's just in a small way. I have a lot of goals for my career I'm looking forward to where it takes me in the future!
What advice would you give to young women considering a career in STEM?
It can be really difficult to get caught in the grind of University and only focusing on your grades. But that's not what it's all about! Explore your options, reach out to other students or professors and find something that makes you love what you're doing. It also doesn't hurt your future to take an extra semester or an extra year in order to finish, STEM is hard and you need to take care of yourself!