Prologue / The person behind the systems

I’ve spent more time on stages, in locker rooms, and behind podiums than behind a desk, and that’s exactly the engineer I’m trying to become. Reading a room, building trust quickly, and helping someone do something they didn’t think they could, that’s what excites me. Most of what I’d call my real education happened in those spaces: leading a few hundred students as Head Prefect, captaining a basketball team through a season that tested more than our record, and years spent learning to read an audience as a competitive speaker and actor. Engineering is where I decided to point all of that.

I chose Systems Design over a narrower engineering program for the same reason. It let me stay close to people: working with users, thinking in systems, and communicating why a decision matters instead of just what it is.

That instinct is exactly what pulled me toward product. In grade 12, I got to be my robotics team’s product manager, pitching FTCMaster to judges in back-to-back pit interviews I’d written and rehearsed like a performance. When our qualifying interview got moved up two hours with no warning, the prep is what saved us. We improvised the whole thing and qualified for provincials. That’s when it clicked: a good product only matters once someone understands why it’s good, and making them understand it is its own skill, not an afterthought.

I believe that when a great product is paired with great communication, magic happens. If you feel the same way, I’d love to connect!