Have You Met…Jason?

Welcome YouAlberta’s “Have You Met” series in collaboration with @ualbertastudents! Every other week we’ll get to know a student from the University of Alberta!

Have you met Jason, fourth-year civil engineering student and classically trained pianist? Spend the next few minutes getting to know him a bit better!

What three words best describe your U of A experience?

Growth, challenging, rewarding.

Why did you decide to study your major?

I chose engineering because I’ve always tinkered with things when I was younger. I used to take apart phones, remotes, and just about anything, then attempt to “reverse engineer” and put it back together. I knew it was in me to do something in engineering or applied sciences. Engineering is also a profession where you improve communities, help others, and that is something I genuinely enjoy doing.

What advice would you give to your first year self?

Don’t be discouraged if things don’t go your way. Setbacks often happen, and how we overcome setbacks is what truly matters.

You can invite anyone — alive or dead, real or fictional — to dinner. Who would it be?

Michael Phelps. He was someone who I’ve always looked up to when I started swimming.

What is your favourite way to unwind after a long day?

Playing piano.

What do you miss most about campus/in-person classes?

I miss interacting and connecting with students. Those kinds of daily interactions brighten my day and something I will never take for granted.

What are you most proud of?

My drive to improve and always learn. I’d like to think that I will always be a student even after graduating university. I remember one of the teachers during my high school graduation saying that “learning is eternal,” and that has stuck with me ever since.

What’s one thing you can’t live without?

My piano.

What is your go-to study snack?

I’m a big fan of dried mango strips and yogurt.

Who inspires you?

There are many people who inspire me: my friends and my parents. They always push me to be the best person I can be and see the light in things. They inspire me to do better in such unprecedented times and that there is hope during these strange times.

Jason is a fourth-year Civil Engineering student and an executive member of both the Engineering Students’ Society and the Civil and Environmental Engineering Students’ Society. He is also a classically trained pianist and received his associateship with the Royal Conservatory of Music in 2019.