Meet this morning’s Faculty of Engineering valedictorian


What emoji best represents you? What is your definition of success? Meet Sophia Emerson, the morning valedictorian at the June 15 convocation for the Faculty of Engineering.

1. Name
Sophia Emerson, but most people call me Sophie.

2. Where is your hometown?
Newmarket, Ontario

3. What is the degree & subject are you pursued?
Chemical and Bioengineering

4. What made you choose McMaster for your higher education career?
I fell in love with the campus when I toured in grade 11. I loved how it felt
completely separate from the city, like we were in our own little village. I
ultimately wanted to pick a place where I felt safe and comfortable, and
McMaster felt like home from day 1.

5. What will you be doing after graduation or see yourself doing?
I’ve actually already begun working on my Master’s of Applied Science in
Chemical Engineering here at McMaster. I’ll be continuing research on point-of-use biosensors that I worked on during my final year thesis.

6. What would you say to your first-year self?
I would definitely tell my first year self to branch out and get involved in
things beyond studying. I didn’t join any clubs or teams until my third year at Mac, and my final three years here were infinitely better than my first two. Not only did I make some amazing friends and learn a lot, but I also saw my marks improve. Having something to focus on besides getting perfect grades took the pressure off of school, and I performed better academically because of that.

7. Do you have any advice for current & future students?
Someone once told me that its ok if I’m not quite sure what my “passion”
is, as long as I am consistently making decisions based on the option that excites me the most. Life will work itself out. I was always intimidated by the whole “find your passion” craze, and I’m sure a lot of other students can relate to that. The idea that you can keep working and moving forward in life without being entirely certain of what you’re working towards is comforting.

8. How has McMaster shaped the person you are today?
McMaster has shaped me in more ways that I can count! From the friends I
have made here to the people I have met who helped me achieve my goals, I wouldn’t change a thing.

9. What events did you enjoy the most at McMaster/Hamilton?Homecoming is always fun!

10. What is your definition of success?
Being excited to head in to work when you wake up on a Monday. People achieve that, right?

11. How has McMaster helped you create a brighter world?
In my fourth year here I began working with members of the faculty to start
a society for undergraduate researchers in engineering. The purpose was to
generate a strong community amongst students who are already involved in
research, and to reach out to those who may not be aware of the many research positions available within the Faculty of Engineering. With more students excited about pursuing research, we can have more people working to create a brighter world.

12. What motivates you to work hard?
I am a very competitive person, so a lot of my motivation comes from that.
Whether it’s competing with a close friend to get the highest grade on a test, or consistently trying to one-up my past self, I am mainly driven by the fun of competition.

13. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? And why?
I definitely wish I could either time travel or have the ability to stop time. I
have been here for five years and still haven’t learned how to write a to-do list that can be accomplished in the time I allocate for it.

14. Who is your favourite professor? Why?
I’d rather not answer this question because all of the professors I have had
in Chemical Engineering have been incredible. But if I HAVE to choose it would be Dr. Filipe. He has been my supervisor in the lab since I was in second year, and he has supported me in so many ways during my time at McMaster (I’ve lost count of the number of reference letters he has written for me).

15. What is your best way to de-stress?
When I’m really stressed out its best to completely remove myself from the situation. That can mean watching a movie, going to the gym (hah!), or calling my mom.

16. What emoji best represents you?
I couldn’t come up with an answer for this so I asked some of my friends and my favourite response was:

“🤓, with a little bit of 🧐, and a lot of 🙃”

17. How do you relax?
When I am really stressed out I like to take my mind out of the situation and try to get a new perspective. Most of the time that means watching a movie or calling my mother to chat with her about my problem.

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

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