Sandra Michael
Height: 5’8
Hometown: Ile-Perrot, QC
Languages: English, French, Arabic
Occupation: Recent graduate from the University of Ottawa in Biomedical Mechanical Engineering
Although her parents were born in Egypt, Sandra Michael was born and raised in the city of Montreal, Canada. The 23 year old woman is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ottawa and is expecting to graduate in the near future. Sandra has always dreamed of working in the medical field, and specifically in pediatrics. Despite her long-time desire of getting into medicine, the young woman found her true purpose in engineering while obtaining her degree in science, at John Abbott College. Sandra landed her dream internship as a research and development intern for over two years, where she helped in the ideation and design of medical devices for children with bone diseases.
A big advocate for women in STEM, Sandra aspires to become a voice and inspiration for other women pursing a degree or career in a male dominated field. She wants to show other Canadian women that beauty, elegance, confidence and intelligence are not mutually exclusive. A woman, and specifically an ethnic woman, could possess all of these qualities and still be a well-respected person with a real purpose in life.
Outside of academics, Mrs. Michael has several diversified interests. Her curiosity for understanding and learning more have made her passionate about traveling and adventure. She greatly enjoys nature and will take any opportunity she has to be outside. Some of her favorite outdoor activities include exploring new hiking trails, paddle boarding or even just going on a scenic walk. Sandra is looking forward to having more time after completing her university degree so that she could learn the piano and get better at playing chess.
What are your interests and what do you enjoy doing the most?
Despite my curiosity to always learn and explore more hobbies, my most prominent interests revolve around outdoor activities such as walking, running, hiking, paddle boarding, etc. I also really enjoy playing board games, and specifically ones that involve more thinking and problem solving such as chess or codenames for example. My most distinctive interest revolves around psychology. I love learning more about behaviours that explain why and how other individuals operate.
List any special training you have had (music, art, drama, dance, etc.)
Unfortunately, I never had a chance to get special training yet, but I’ve always wanted to learn the piano and to explore more of my artistic side which includes painting and drawing.
In what sports, if any, have you participated?
I’ve explored a few different types of sports when I was younger, including cheerleading, but the ones that were more significant to me were basketball, karate and flag football.
Name one person, other than your parents, who has had the most influence on your life. Why?
My aunt because she is one of strongest and most intelligent woman that I know. She has taught me that women should never be inferior to men, but rather their healthy equal. She has always encouraged me to keep chasing my dreams, no matter how big they are and to never doubt my capabilities to achieve them. Another one of her qualities that I really admire is her genuine kindness and loyalty. She will always have your back no matter what, and will always be there to help you get better and to grow in wisdom as an individual. There are many more of her qualities that have greatly impacted my life, but those were probably some of the most influential to me.
What is your proudest personal accomplishment (other than participating in this pageant)?
Completing my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Mechanical Engineering.
In the past 5 years, I have learned and grew tremendously as an individual through the process of this achievement. My ambition and resilience were continuously tested throughout this degree and I was faced with several challenges that have pushed me to get out of my comfort zone. For instance, facing and let alone accepting failure has always been very hard for me. I had to redefine what failure meant to me, and to try to see the good and growth that could come from it instead, which this degree has allowed me to do by putting me in such circumstances.
What is the most interesting or unique thing that has ever happened to you and/or what is the most interesting thing about you?
The most unique thing about me is my self-reliance which has lead me to travel to 11 European cities without having anyone I know come with me. My ability to not depend or wait on others around me to achieve some of my goals and accomplishments is part of my distinctive personality trait. I have always learned to take control of where I want my life to go and to never put my personal progress in the hands of other people.
What is your career ambition and what are you doing or plan to do to accomplish that goal?
I’ve always had a specific dream about helping this little girl. I don’t know much about the context, but what I do know for a fact is that I had created a medical device which completely changed her life for the better. I am now expecting to have completed a degree which would allow me to do such thing using my gained knowledge in biomedical mechanical engineering. I have also worked as a research and development intern at a company specialized in pediatric health to further expand my knowledge in the design and innovation of medical devices for children.
What would be your “dream job” in life?
My dream job would be to have my own company specializing in the creation and innovation of medical devices. However, my company would also be a safe and encouraging environment for other women in engineering to pursue their dream roles and accomplishments, without having any career barriers preventing them from doing so. My women employees would be given equal and fair job opportunities, whether they are technical or leadership roles with the intent of eliminating any discriminatory biases around women in engineering.
Describe where you were raised and what your childhood was like.
During my childhood, I was raised in a humble little home in Montreal with my two parents and sister. Since our cousins from Montreal were significantly older than us, my sister Catherine and I really just had each other at the time, besides for our childhood church friends. We almost had every pet you could think of, except for maybe a cat. We had a dog called Bella, we had several budgerigar birds, fish, turtles, a rabbit, a frog and even a crab! Our most recent pets were three ducks, which we had three years ago.
List any interesting or unusual jobs you may have had.
As briefly mentioned before, the last job I had was my most interesting one. The company that I worked for creates implants for children having a variety of bone diseases and abnormalities. As a research and development intern for over two years, some of the duties and responsibilities I had was to help in the ideation and design of such medical devices.
List any volunteering you have done.
My extremely busy schedule throughout my life has not really allowed me to do as much volunteer work as I would have liked to. However, I’ve helped raise funds for the RBC run for kids last fall and I’ve volunteered to help feed the homeless people in downtown Montreal with my church community. Once I complete my degree, I would love to volunteer at a nursing home where I could interact, entertain and learn more wisdom from the elderly of our community.
What is your most unusual talent?
I am able to wiggle each one of my eyebrows, individually.
Where is the most interesting place you have been to?
The most interesting place I have been to is Egypt because of its richness in history, culture and in knowledge. My Egyptian ancestors represent a very ancient civilization that created several historical landmarks which we don’t even completely understand to this day. The enigma behind the construction of the pyramids is astonishing, especially after seeing them in real life and realizing how big and heavy each one of the stone blocks really are.
What do you hope to be doing in ten years?
In 10 years from now, I would like to be traveling all around the world to advocate for women in STEM. I would like to mentor and support other women who are pursuing a degree in a male dominating field by giving speeches and advices in schools and conferences of my personal journey and experiences.
Is there anything you would like to add that we haven’t asked?
If I wasn’t studying engineering, I would be pursuing my psychology degree so that I could become a psychologist.