Meet our Build a Dream Team! Sarah!

We are thrilled to share that we will be attending the 5th annual Build a Dream Windsor event next Thursday! This year’s event will be held next Thursday November 7th from 4:30-8pm at the Ciociaro Club.

Build a Dream is a fantastic locally started initiative that strives to introduce young women to exciting career opportunities that fall under five pillars: skilled trades, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), emergency response, and entrepreneurship. We are happy to have been able to be a part of this event for the past few years and to have seen how much it has grown and how much it has impacted young women across our community.

Our very own Brave Dream Team will be in attendance once again Thursday night to introduce interested young women to the myriad of opportunities that exist in the controls engineering field. As a control systems integrator we don’t work in any single industry or on any single piece of machinery! Our jobs are as complex and diverse as our team!

Meet Sarah Karpinski – Design Lead

Educational Background
Highschool – E.J. Lajeunesse – All University level courses with all Maths and Sciences (except for Biology). For electives I had the opportunity to take Welding, Computer Tech and Woodworking courses and thoroughly enjoyed them.

University –  University of Windsor, Bachelor’s of Applied Science Honours Electrical Engineering with Co-op.
I had my first co-op term at Centerline here in Windsor (8 months) and also with Brave (4 months). I would highly recommend co-op for the practical work experience it provides students. It was invaluable in preparing me for my future and put me much further ahead of my peers that didn’t enroll in the co-op program.

When did you decide you wanted to become an engineer? 
I had originally wanted to be an electrician until grade 9/10 because my dad is an electrician by trade. Both him and my mom highly suggested engineering as an alternative to the electrical trade, so I did some more research and ultimately followed their advice. I have zero regrets about this decision and love my career.

What advice would you give to young women who are trying to decide their future career? 
Just because someone tells you that you “should” be something, doesn’t mean you have to be. You are free to choose something you enjoy and are passionate about. You will be WAY happier than if you chose something because someone told you that you had to.

Have you ever encountered resistance or discrimination in your education or career? 
Yes. I have a few stories of times where I have encountered resistance or discrimination because of my gender. Generally, I have found that these resistances are mostly coming from older generations and, while there are a few exceptions to this rule, I find that things are changing rapidly. The world is changing, opinions are changing and people are changing. I have been extremely lucky to work at a company with a group of people who don’t care what gender I am, and people who are quick to defend me from discrimination when required.

Build a Dream is completely free for parents and students of both school boards in Essex County.
This year’s event will be held next Thursday November 7th from 4:30-8pm at the Ciociaro Club.

Registration is required so register today at www.webuildadream.com

2019-10-31T16:17:04-04:00