Sharla Howard

Sharla Howard knew from an early age that she wanted to be an engineer.  She was good at math and science, and her father was a mechanical engineer.  She decided to study what she loved the most and went into Civil Engineering at the University of Waterloo.

Sharla believes she is successful because she is willing to keep an open mind and work hard.  While she thought she wanted to be a structural engineer, she found that she liked the water-related classes.  She continued on in her studies to get a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering.

When she was at university, Sharla faced the challenges most young people face being away from home.  She missed her family and friends, and felt rather small in the large first-year classes at university. “I tried to find new friends who I could relate to” Sharla says.  “They were also students and living far from home.”

After graduating, Sharla worked as an environmental consultant.  In 2008, she joined Husky Energy in Calgary, where she continues to work in the Upstream Environmental Operations Group. She works mainly on projects that involve groundwater and wtaching the company’s water use.

“I work with different teams across the company, people with many different backgrounds. I enjoy working together and bringing what I know to help solve a problem.  My job is interesting and there are always new challenges to learn from.”

Sharla’s advice to younger students is to get involved in activities and not be afraid of asking people who do what you want to do some questions about their jobs. She says, “I think it is true of anything, if you follow your interests, you will succeed.”