Tana is a student in geotechnical engineering. For the past eight months, she has been working as an intern at Canadian Natural Resources Limited (Canadian Natural). At Canadian Natural, Tana uses software to draft and complete engineering designs. Employee safety is a core value of her employer, and Tana is responsible for making safety commitments each week.  She is also responsible for reading and reflecting on newly-published reports, and discussing the findings with her colleagues at weekly meetings. “Being a report interpreter is part of the role,” she shares with a chuckle. 

In addition to her work at Canadian National, Tana is an undergraduate researcher. She works with Dr. Nathalie Tukfenji researching wastewater treatment and resource recovery, with a focus on energy efficiency and sustainability. At this stage, they have developed the patent.

If Tana could change one thing about her journey, it would be to participate in a job shadowing program. “Job postings say some of the descriptions, but it’s very vague,” she says. For instance, shadowing would have prompted her to learn how to use the math software that she uses at work during the summer, enabling her to master the drafting process sooner. 

Tana is set to graduate in April 2023. She loves seeing the outcome of her hard work, and she’s excited to see where she’ll lead her career in the next few years.

“In five years, I either see myself working as an innovative young professional with an MBA degree and dedicating myself to the energy efficiency industry or doing a PhD in the field of resource management engineering and sustainability.”