Welcome to Indigenous Futures in Engineering, Queen's University
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Nickoli Parcher
Nation:
Ojibway
School attending:
Program of study:
Mining
Graduation:
2015
When I first heard about engineering:
I first heard about engineering when I was a kid and my dad started including me in renovations around our home. He would have me help inspect, design, and then draft the projects that we would then create. I didn't realize until my grade 10 Careers class that this was actually engineering, and after that course I knew what I wanted to do with my life.
Why I chose my school and program:
I chose Queen's for its rich history, its beautiful campus, its proximity to my family, and its outstanding community. The people at Queen's, specifically with Aboriginal Access to Engineering , helped guide me in the direction that I needed to go.
What I like most about engineering:
What I like most about engineering is the complexity and inter-dependencies within the problems that you are required to solve. I like that we are given questions that don't have a definitive answer, and I like learning to understand a problem from the viewpoints of each of the people involved. This means that each new project requires you to take the knowledge of the past and balance it with new technologies and methods to create a complete solution.
Where you will find me outside of classes:
You'll find me outside playing frisbee and football with my friends or at the Athletics and Recreation Centre (The ARC) in the weights room. I also really enjoy volunteering at Four Directions with the Aboriginal Youth Leadership Program and participating in other on campus activities.
My inspiration:
My inspiration comes from my family. When I was young my parents worked tirelessly to provide for me and my brother and to give us the opportunities in life that they didn't get. My goal has always been to one day be able to take care of them as they did for me.
2019 Update
Nick graduated in 2015, and started his career with North American Palladium out of Thunder Bay, Ontario, where he works as an Engineer-in-Training.