Meet Meghan Smith

Meghan Smith earned her Bachelor of Medical Sciences in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Western University. She is a currently a Data Analyst at Western University. In her free time she enjoys camping, watching anything Harry Potter and musical theatre.

When did your love of STEM begin?

I think my love of STEM really began in high school. My family is very musical so I always thought I'd go into a musical career and I didn't really consider anything else until high school. As I got into the higher level math and science courses I realized how much I loved the problem solving involved in math and chemistry and I decided to pursue STEM instead. Looking back, I always liked math because it just made sense to me so I probably should have realized it much earlier!

What is the best part about working in the field of STEM?

I love the impact that my work makes and the fact that there is always more to learn. It is incredibly satisfying to put hours/days/months of work into a problem and have the product of your work make a noticeable impact on the world, but also know that there is always be more to be done. I also really enjoy the collaborative work that a lot of STEM relies on. Nobody is an expert in everything, so you almost always need to work together to create the best quality work possible.

What advice would you give young women interested in a career in STEM?

It's okay not to know what exactly you want to do; there are so many more fields of STEM than you think! I had no clue that epidemiology even existed until my second year of university and now I can't imagine doing anything else. You don't have to have it all perfectly mapped out - just start with some courage and keep an open mind!