Hi! My name is Maria Cheng and I am a recent graduate from the University of Waterloo. I studied Nanotechnology engineering, and realized by third year (a bit too late) that it wasn't the right program for me, and I had little passion for what I was learning. In fact, what I was interested in was software development. Nevertheless, the intense cirriculum of this program taught me a couple of important lessons and introduced me to newfound experiences that I would never had known, had I not taken this path:

1. Co-op experiences
2. How to learn
3. How to handle stress and pressure, and still perform

Co-op experiences

The co-op program introduced me to positions in both the industry and research settings. It allowed me to accept and explore software development as a possible career path, and realize that I was not interested in labratory work. It was through my last co-op placement that I encountered machine learning and implemented models on medical images for cancer detection. This was a completely new area for me and sparked my interests profoundly. I decided that this was a possible career path that I would pursue. In my final year, I immersed myself in the world of machine learning and AI. I took courses revolving around databases, pattern recognition, autonomous vehicles and the social impacts of AI. I thoroughly enjoyed this term the most and even though I did not have a formal foundation on programming, I managed to succeed in each course.

How to learn

Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise.
- Frank Ocean

There are two main lessons about learning I will forever continue to hold:

1. Hard work forever pays

I will never forget the hard work I put into this program and these courses, trying to meet deadlines and submissions with my best work forward. In the end, I can look proudly at my accomplishments and say that I invested 100% of myself into my work. As a result, I managed to graduate on the Dean's Honours List.

2. I learn more by doing than by absorbing knowledge like a sponge

I forget the things I learn in class if I don't end up using and applying those concepts in labs, assignments and at work. You can read up about a topic all you want, but to truly master the subject, you need to know how to use it in action.

How to handle stress and pressure, and still perform

Just breathe

I remember in third year, I had one term where the final exam season consisted of 7 exams within the span of 2 weeks. When I look back at this time, I think "How the hell did I manage that???" Yet I did, and I am still alive today. What motivated me during that time was the gratification of overcoming a difficult obstacle. Most of the courses weren't easy and were not my best subject; I wanted to prove that I had learnt something during the term and showcase my hard work in one grand finale.