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Women in Coolings: Include me in the International network for Women in Cooling
Would you believe me if I told you that my favorite class in HVAC technical school was refrigeration? I feel that we tend to forget about the R in HVAC because it’s not as sexy and we take it for granted.
But the fact is that without refrigerant, there is no air conditioning.
I was first introduced to the HVACR world through my father who thought HVAC for over 35 years. He also had his mechanical contractor license, so I would visit him often on construction sites for his multiple projects.
After graduating from Tech school, I knew that I wanted more. I was very driven. I was the only student in a class of 200 to keep going and continue to pursue a mechanical engineering degree. It was no easy task but after 4 years of hard work and dedication, I graduated with a job offer. I attended École de Technologie Supérieure which shines through its well-established internship program. Thanks to that program, I was able to discover my strengths and weaknesses and also find a growing company that was a good fit. Choosing the right school is more important than you may think. It put me on the right path.
I am very blessed to have been introduced to ASHRAE through the HVAC programs in school. I first started to volunteer in 1997 as the Student Branch President. This is through this fabulous professional organization that I was able to educate myself, network, give back and learn about leadership to improve my career. This is also where I found out about World Refrigeration Day. I had the pleasure to meet Stephen Gill who is very passionate about this awareness campaign to raise the profile of HVACR in the world. This is what I like the most about our community, it’s the connection that we make, the long-lasting friendship worldwide, and the exposure to different cultures and climates. I truly believe that it makes us better humans.
Speaking of humans, I recently wrote a book on How to Be Human in a Technical World. Because I noticed that we sometimes get lost in our work and forget that we are only humans. The thing is that it doesn’t matter how smart and technical we are if nobody wants to work with us. I believe that emotional intelligence is at the core of all our success, happiness, and productivity. In my book, I share six magic skills that will change your behavior and your life for the better.
Every day, I strive to be the best engineer that I can be, focusing on building a more sustainable world. And I make sure I don’t let my technical skills overshadow my human skills. One doesn’t go without the other.
