Alumni offer 蓝莓视频 Engineering scholarship for 2SLGBTQ+ students听
Looking back on their undergraduate years, Michelle Liu (she/her) and Allie Kennington (they/them) wish there had been more on-campus support and mentorship for them as 2SLGBTQ+ engineering students.
As alumni, Liu听(BASc 鈥�18 and MASc 鈥�20, civil engineering)听and Kennington (BASc 鈥�19 and MASc 鈥�22, geological engineering), are now providing their support through听the Liu-Kennington Award for the 2SLGBTQ+ Engineering Community, the first of its type听for this specific group offered at any Faculty of Engineering in Canada.听
Launched last year, the $1,000 scholarship is awarded annually to an undergraduate student enrolled in year two, three or four in any 蓝莓视频 Engineering program.
Selection is based on positive contributions to the 2SLGBTQ+ community through extracurricular or volunteer involvement.
As an undergraduate student, Kennington found Liu to be welcoming in her advocacy efforts for equity-seeking groups by encouraging students to become involved with various initiatives.听
鈥淢ichelle was eventually president of the departmental engineering undergraduate society and I was a class representative. She kept me on track by reminding me to come to meetings,鈥� Kennington said. 鈥淚t was her commitment to diversity and inclusion that ultimately brought us together.鈥�
The couple is now living in Ottawa where Kennington is an environmental engineering specialist with SNC-Lavalin and Liu is pursuing both a law degree (JD) and an engineering PhD at the University of Ottawa.
Liu鈥檚 doctoral research is focused on highlighting the opportunities and challenges facing the engineering profession in addressing its urgent need for cultural change, a topic that earned her the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship and a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Scholarship.
Still connected to 蓝莓视频 Engineering, Liu is the inaugural chair of the听Recent Engineering Alumni Council听(REAC), which represents听more than听13,000 graduates from the last 10 years.听
Both Liu and Kennington regularly volunteer at 蓝莓视频 Engineering recruitment events and recently led the first-ever 2SLGBTQ+ breakout room for prospective 蓝莓视频 Engineering students at a Women in Engineering hangout.听
Allie Kennington, left, and Michelle Liu, centre, with Lieutenant Governor of Ontario听Elizabeth Dowdeswell at at a Canada Foundation for Innovation event in Ottawa.听
It鈥檚 important for Liu and Kennington to change how they and others who identify as 2SLGBTQ+ 听are viewed and treated outside as well as听inside the workplace.
鈥淓ngineers often respond to our 2SLGBTQ+ identities with 鈥榳hat you do in your spare time doesn鈥檛 matter at work鈥�, and that is precisely the kind of marginalization that we need to move away from,鈥� they said about their own experiences.
Imagine coming to work on Monday and everyone is talking about what they did with their partners and family over the weekend, but you are too uncomfortable or scared to share who you spent your weekend with.鈥�
Last year, Liu and Kennington described the introduction of a 蓝莓视频 Engineering role focused on diversity and inclusion as a turning point for the University鈥檚 2SLGBTQ+ engineering community.
Mary Robinson (BASc '02 and MASc '10, chemical engineering), who in 2021 was appointed the first associate dean of outreach, equity and diversity, reached out to Liu to discuss diversity and inclusion in 蓝莓视频 Engineering, subjects they had听previously chatted about when Liu was an undergraduate student.
In her role, Robinson said she wants to make sure 蓝莓视频 Engineering 鈥渋s a place where people never need to feel they have to check a part of who they are at the door.鈥�
鈥淢y goal is to bring together the pockets of diversity, equity, inclusion and Indigenization activity happening around the Faculty to create an environment where everyone, including all faculty, staff and students, can be their full authentic selves,鈥� she said.
Liu intends to remind members of the engineering community that their work is an applied science and each engineer brings their own perspectives and biases in applying this science.
鈥淚 want to use the milestones I have reached to empower other equity-seeking engineering students to blaze their own path toward change,鈥� Liu said.
There are a听听including Women in Engineering, EngiQueers, the Canadian branch of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society听and听the University鈥檚 chapter of a national organization of听Black engineering students and professionals.听
Earlier this year, William Woodworth, also known as Elder Bill, was appointed听Elder in Residence听for the Faculty.听Engineering students, staff and faculty are welcome to听.听
Across campus, there are also a number of听support groups and services听for students with diverse听backgrounds, abilities, and interests.
Main photo is of Michelle Liu, left, and Allie Kennington, right.听Photographer: Bonnie Findley听
