A link to something cool you've done: (it could be in the format of video, github, blog post, website, picture anything)

https://laurenmercer67.wixsite.com/website

Why did you choose to study a STEM-related field?

When I was very young, around five or six years old, my parents got a wooden building block set that had been passed down through my mom's side of the family. I loved this block set more than any other toy. I would spend hours on our living room floor building the tallest towers that I could, winding staircases, and sprawling cities. I thought I was building these HUGE structures, although looking back now, they were probably only three feet tall on the best of days. What I loved was building and finding innovative ways to create detailed and sturdy structures out of these little wooden blocks. As I got older, my passion for creativity, design, and building carried me from wooden blocks to Lego. My aunt had a massive plastic storage bin full of miscellaneous Lego that we would play with all the time when visiting her. When my aunt moved to Nunavut, she gave my brother and I this treasured set of Lego. I remember spending hours upon hours building elaborate houses, fancy cars, and detailed multiple-story buses. The best part about it was that I would just create whatever my imagination conjured up that day. Instruction booklets and step-by-step instructions did not exist with that Lego set. I was never a kid that played with dolls or video games; blocks and Lego were my outlet for creativity. In school, I learned quickly that I had a passion for math and science. Even though my interests involved design, math, and science growing up, I was never exposed to the potential of engineering as a field or career to pursue until I learned that my club soccer coach in high school was a mechanical engineer. His wife was a civil engineer, and I remember the one night that they hosted a team party at their home. I can't even begin to describe how unique and beautiful their home was; I was in awe as soon as I pulled up out front. You can only imagine my curiosity and admiration then once I learned that they had designed this home using their engineering backgrounds. I thought, "no way, this is my childhood passion in front of me in real life! I want to do this!" It was then, in my grade eleven year in school, that I began to consider engineering as a possible career for me. I did some research into the field, and by the time my final year of high school began, I knew that I wanted to pursue engineering. For me, once I decided on engineering, it was never a question what discipline I wanted to pursue. Thinking back to my childhood and all the years spent imagining, building, and designing complex structures, I knew that civil engineering was the right choice for me. Civil engineering is and will always allow me to pursue my creative interests and passions in the area of building and structures, while still incorporating my love of science and math!



How do you plan on using your science, engineering or STEM background to make the world a better place?

When I was young, I never had a role model or mentor in a STEM field that could show me the possibilities and opportunities available. My parents are amazing, loving, and supportive of all of my dreams and everything that I do, but neither of them could relate to me when I told them I wanted to pursue engineering. I didn't have anyone that I could relate to as a young women entering a STEM field. In my high school graduating class, I was the only female along with four other males that were pursuing an engineering degree in university. I vividly remember all of the times that teachers, classmates, and even my parents repeatedly told me how hard engineering would be, how I wouldn't be respected as a women in the field, and questioned my choice to pursue engineering. Not everyone meant harm by these comments, but to a young girl entering a STEM field that she already knows to be challenging, these kinds of remarks don't inspire, motivate, or encourage. Luckily I chose to not put any weight in those comments, follow my heart, and put my mind and effort to succeeding in this field. I know that there are so many young girls like me who don't have role models, mentors, or people like them to look up to in a STEM field. There are so many ways that I want to use my engineering degree to make the world a better place, but I want my biggest impact to not be directly through my work, but through how I can inspire other young girls. I want to show them that their dreams are possible, attainable, and that if they work hard, they can do anything they put their mind to. Recently, I have applied to become a Big Sister through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program of Boys and Girls Club. While I am currently waiting for my match, I know that I joined this program so that I can make a difference in the lives of young girls who may not have role models to look up to. I'm going to be a mentor, and my goal is to support my mentee, show them to the possibility of pursuing a STEM field, and support them in the pursuit of their personal goals and passions. My own personal experience as a women in STEM, particularly engineering, gives me a unique opportunity to educate and mentor young girls in the pursuit of a STEM field. While there are many things that I want to do with my engineering degree, inspiring, mentoring, and supporting young girls in STEM might just be the most important and lasting legacy that I can give.