Name: Michelle Low
Role/Occupation: Lecturer, PhD Researcher, Engineer and Co-Founder of Engineers without Borders - South Africa (EWB-SA)
Country: South Africa
I had the honor of interviewing Michelle Low, a lecturer, PhD candidate, researcher, engineer and co-founder of Engineers without Borders - South Africa (EWB-SA). She is also fondly known as the Backstage Queen by those in the EWB-SA family. Low is one of the phenomenal women who are part of the EWB-SA team. When discussing the founding of EWB-SA, Low said "EWB-SA was a result of wanting to ensure that there would be a common organization for all of the student chapters, such that they would belong to one body, not operate by themselves, and to learn from one another."
She loves to learn and help and can hardly tolerate it when she is not contributing to the greater good. She believes that everyone desires to do good, "I might be making a hasty generalization, but I believe that everyone has an interest in giving back and in community development. Given the time in your life, opportunities come up and you take them."
She makes undefinable things happen at EWB-SA, her work can scarcely be placed into a specific category; such is the range of her skills and interests. When speaking about EWB-SA, she said "I have acquired a sense of pride, seeing the whole organization grow, and that is a result of working in a team, a team in which I could trust and believe in."
Her tagline is #BeHappy and her optimism is reflected in all that she does. Her advice to engineering students, "As a student in engineering you will be challenged; challenged to think abstractly, challenged to push your understanding. Once you graduate, the subject matter may change over the years, however, that thinking, that limit pushing perseverance are qualities which you take with you." Low is able to find the work-life balance, that we all strive for, between her academic career at the University of the Witwatersrand, her work at EWB-SA and her personal life. Her maturity, sensitivity, knowledge and skill are reflected throughout the entire interview and her words of advice are not be ignored.
Michelle Low was interviewed by Dhruti Dheda, the founder of the African Steminist on behalf of Engineers without Borders- South Africa. The full interview can be found here.
Commentaires