Meet this afternoon’s Faculty of Engineering valedictorian

What emoji best represents you? What is your definition of success? Meet Mitchell Kurnell, the afternoon valedictorian at the June 15 convocation for the Faculty of Engineering.

1. Name
Mitchell Dennis Kurnell

2. Where is your hometown?
Born and raised in Mississauga, ON and a resident of Omemee, ON since 2014 (it’s a tiny town near Peterborough)

3. What is the degree and subject are you pursued?
Engineering Physics and Society

4. What made you choose McMaster for your higher education career?
There were many reasons why I chose Mac. The campus and community here were major draws for me and it seemed like a place that would help me to grow. Also, McMaster has one of the strongest engineering programs in Canada which assured me that I would be recieving a world-class education.

5. What will you be doing after graduation or see yourself doing?
This summer I want to do some exploring (I’m sitting in an apartment in Paris as I write this, so that’s a good start) and see more of the world. After that I am hoping to work in the field of space robotics and hopefully contribute to the next chapter of human space exploration.

6. What would you say to your first-year self?
Don’t worry, you’re not as dumb as you think you are. Just keep pushing through and you’ll have some cool experiences soon.

7. Do you have any advice for current and future students?
Find your passion. It’s not always an easy thing to do, but if you have a goal to work towards it will make university much more enjoyable.

8. How has McMaster shaped the person you are today?
I was really fortunate to have a bunch of opportunities to be involved in student leadership roles which really helped me to learn how to communicate with others. Also it helped to solidify my interests which lead to my current desire to pursue space robotics.

9. What events did you enjoy the most at McMaster/Hamilton?
Getting to see July Talk perform at Welcome Week when I was a Redsuit was amazing.

10. What is your definition of success?
Success is definitely hard to define. For me, it’s knowing that I am making a positive impact in the world. Knowing that the work I’m doing is pushing humanity to a better place would definitely make me feel successful.

11. How has McMaster helped you create a brighter world?
I’ve had the chance to talk to many students at McMaster as well as elementary and high school students while being a faculty rep and through extra curriculars and I feel that I’ve helped inspire at least some of them to push themselves to achieve great things.

12. What motivates you to work hard?
My motivation to work hard comes primarily from my desire to learn. The universe is such a complicated place and we have been able to uncover so many of its secrets. I want to help uncover more and to learn about this world; that’s really where my motivation comes from.

13. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? And why?
Definitely the power to fly. It would be extremely convenient to not have to sit in traffic and you would be able to see things from such a unique perspective.

14. Who is your favourite professor?
This is a hard question. I’ve had a lot of great professors at Mac, so I’m going to say a tie between Dr. Harold Haugen and Mr. Cam Churchill. Dr. Haugen always had engaging lectures and truly wanted the best for us and Cam has an amazing talent for fostering discussions and making students view issues from various perspectives. I really appreciate how much I learned from these two.

15. What is your best way to de-stress?
I have been playing guitar for about 13 years now and going back to music has always been the best way for me to clear my head.

16. What emoji best represents you?
 and 

17. How do you relax?
I have been playing music for about 12 years now, primarily guitar. That’s the best way to disengage from everything around me. Sit down with my guitar, play around for an hour and totally relax and get rid of the stress I had been feeling that day. I write my own music, but I haven’t released it.

18. While at Mac, did you receive donor-funded financial assistance (e.g.,  scholarship, award, bursary)? Any thoughts on the importance of giving back to your alma mater to support future generations?
While at McMaster I received the Moulton Family Entrance Scholarship, Patrick Tan Academic Grant and the Dr. H. L. Hooker Scholarship. I find it truly admirable that people are willing to financially support younger generations of students. University is costly and unfortunately many people are unable to attend because of the cost or they end up paying back student debt for the better part of their working lives. So thank you to those who are able to donate to students looking to better their education and I hope to one day be in a position where I can do the same.

Learn more about Spring 2018 convocations here: https://registrar.mcmaster.ca/grad/convo-dates/