Photo by Alan Wu
Hailing from South Africa, Melissa Greeff (EngSci 1T6) is living out her adventure at U of T. She was a campus ambassador for Women in Science and Engineering, and is a member of the Hart House chess club. She is currently teaching chess at the Chess Institute of Canada at junior schools. In Fall 2014, Melissa took one of ILead’s newest undergraduate courses: The Power of Story: Discovering Your Leadership Narrative (APS445). Here are her thoughts on leadership education:
Why do you want to become an engineer?
I’ve always loved problem solving and challenges and I grew up in a family environment that fostered this. Engineering encompassed these two things. It would be challenging and I would be given the opportunity to solve meaningful problems.
What does leadership mean to you?
Leadership means leading by example and empowering people to reach new potential. Leadership encompasses having a clear vision and having the ability to allow people to grow in order to achieve this vision.
What would the world look like if more engineers developed their leadership capabilities?
There would be a lot more forward-thinking. We’d have designs and systems that are not only efficient but understood the impact they have on a society. We’d have stronger project teams within organizations which would lead to more meaningful and impactful results.
Describe a pivotal moment in your life where you learned to become a better leader
In my second year of EngSci, I had to build a robot with a team. The project started off really well, and I managed to pull my team through a couple of all-nighters. In the end, I found out that my mood had a great effect on my team. A number of times, I was discouraged by something that didn’t work, and immediately the mood of the group changed. I realized that it’s not the moments that are going well that show that you are a good leader, but also when things go badly. As a leader you need to support a group of people through the hard moments as well as the successes.
How did APS445 impact you and your development?
I had not appreciated the extent to which leadership starts with personal growth and the stories that shape us until I took this course. Understanding the personal and political narratives that shape our worldview is critical to having real impact in society.
What’s the next stage of your journey?
The next stage of my engineering journey is to graduate and to discover an opportunity that allows me to use my current engineering knowledge to positively impact society. And if the opportunity doesn’t exist yet, then the next step in my journey is to create it!
What is your prized possession that costs you little to nothing at all?
Every time I visit a country, I get a souvenir. It might not mean much to other people, but for me it is a display of all the memories I have, the journey I have been through, and the cultures I have visited.
-Kevin Saludares