After her first year, Vidushi Jain was uncertain, struggling to balance studies with a part-time job while adapting to a university atmosphere.
During spring convocation at York University, Jain received her engineering diploma and the Ontario Professional Engineers Foundation for Education gold medal for the highest score by a graduating student in engineering.
At York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering, Jain studied Space Engineering at the Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, a program she said she chose for its versatility, professional edge and space focus.
“The Space Engineering program is very versatile. I got to study many different streams of Engineering. Lassonde didn’t limit my choices, and I could take courses from other programs,” said Jain.
Jain said it was the variety and interactive nature of learning experiences that kept her engaged in her program and excited about space engineering. Hands-on learning she said made all the difference. Her favourite project involved writing code to track satellites using a 46-meter dish located in Algonquin Park.
“We had to drive to the radio observatory, test our code and track a real satellite. When you work on developing something complex and then you see real results of your work, there’s no greater feeling,” said Jain.
Jain’s undergraduate experience was not simple and straightforward. She struggled in her first few years while trying to balance part-time work with a full course load. “Then I got the determination to do well. I started to accomplish my goals. I learned what worked for me, and did that in all my courses,” she said.
In third year, Jain said she was even more encouraged to continue doing well in her classes after seeing awards that were given out to students during the Lassonde Awards in 2015.
This year she received five awards during the ceremony. Jain graduated from York University on Thursday, June 23. This summer, she will be working as a research assistant with Lassonde School of Engineering Professor Tom McElroy, and is planning to pursue a career in the space industry in the future.