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Award-winning Water Engineering Technology grad breaks barriers for women

By College Relations | January 6, 2022
   

OC student receives an award from MLA Anne Kang.
Meghan McCreight is pictured with Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training Anne Kang in Vancouver (Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society)

An 新加坡六合彩官方网站 College student鈥檚 passion for protecting the environment not only earned her a prestigious award, but is also serving as an encouragement for other women.

Meghan McCreight, who grew up in Coldstream, first started her 新加坡六合彩官方网站 College journey in Salmon Arm where she did the first year of her Associate of Science. There, one of her professors told her about the Water Engineering Technology (WET) program at the Kelowna campus.

鈥淢y family is very outdoorsy, skiers, campers, always kind of outside, and I grew up in nature,鈥 McCreight explains, adding the WET Diploma鈥檚 focus on the environment was a good fit.

McCreight graduated from OC鈥檚 WET program in December, and has received a boost toward her next educational steps. She was awarded the Irving K. Barber Women in Technology Scholarship within the top tier, worth $10,000.

The scholarship recognizes women who are excelling in their studies of computer/data science, engineering or mathematics in post-secondary. The goal of the scholarship is to award women鈥檚 excellence in technology and encouraging future generations of women to join a traditionally male-dominated field.

McCreight said winning the award wouldn鈥檛 have been possible without the encouragement of WET program chair Allison O鈥橬eill, who sent out the scholarship application to all the women in the program.

鈥淥ur first year, I had two classes with Allison. She鈥檚 a very strong advocate for women in the program,鈥 McCreight says. 鈥淪he is a prominent voice supporting female engagement in the technologies and engineering sectors.鈥

O鈥橬eill says she is very proud of McCreight鈥檚 accomplishment and the fact that her focus, dedication and hard work have been rewarded, paving the way for further studies in STEM.

鈥淲omen have struggled to succeed in the engineering disciplines for so long. Scholarships like these go a long way to support female students entering male-dominated environments and reverse historical trends,鈥 says O鈥橬eill.

When McCreight found out she was one of the winners of the scholarship, she said her first feeling was shock.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really know what to do. I was sitting at home watching TV and I called my mom,鈥 she says. 鈥淭he WET program is geared a lot to utility operators. Engineering in general, it鈥檚 mostly male-dominated, but there are opportunities wherever you want them.鈥

After she graduates from the WET program, McCreight says the plan is to pursue further studies at the University of Victoria to do a double major in biology and environmental studies, which her scholarship will support.

To learn more about the WET program, visit:

 



Tags: Water Engineering, Technologies, Inside OC

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