AEF CAMPAIGN CONNECTION
Michael Hnatiuk, 21 University of Calgary (B.Sc. Electrical Engineering, Minor in Computer Engineering) AEF/Enbridge Aboriginal Bursary Recipient Class of 2017 ‘ With this support, I’m able to focus more on school and maintaining the best GPA possible, without having to worry about the stress of finances’ When working in commission sales, it helps to be a people-person, to better connect with customers — especially when you’re trying to boost your savings for university tuition. Just ask Michael Hnatiuk. Starting in high school and during a gap year after graduation, he worked for a major electronics retailer, quickly becoming one of the company’s top salesmen in Calgary and Western Canada. He continued working there during his first semester studying engineering at the University of Calgary, but it made achieving the grades he wanted a challenge. “I was doing well, but I knew I could do better,” says Mr. Hnatiuk. “I’m investing so much money into school, I want to get the best grades possible.” Deciding to put school first, he quit his job and survived on student loans, plus the income he makes tutoring other U of C students. It’s been a tough go financially, but the $1,500 AEF/ Enbridge Aboriginal Bursary he received last fall has helped ease the burden. (Mr. Hnatiuk is adopted and his birth mother is from the Blood Tribe First Nation in southern Alberta.) “The scholarship is helping pay for my school and living expenses, making it all doable,” he says. “With this support, I’m able to focus more on school and maintaining the best GPA possible, without having to worry about the stress of finances.” A strong GPA will come in handy when he graduates in a couple of years and embarks on his engineering career. “I’m leaning towards the computer electronics industry. My dream is to go to Silicon Valley,” says Mr. Hnatiuk. Another option he’s considering is teaching. He’d like to inspire students, like his own mentors have inspired him. “There are always those really good professors who you love and they make learn- ing fun and easy,” he explains. “That would be pretty cool, helping students and seeing them learn.”
TUTOR TIME Michael Hnatiuk, at right, tutors first-year engineering student Lucas Duque on the physics of electricity and magnetism.
Mr. Hnatiuk first started tutoring while attending Centennial High School in Calgary. He shared his love of numbers with junior high students who needed a bit of extra help. Today, he continues to tutor first-year engineering students in classes like electrical engineering, physics, programming, and calculus. Many of them have suggested he’d make a good professor. “I’ve always been good at talking to people and understanding what they need in order to grasp concepts. Seeing them do well is quite rewarding,” he says.
66 | PEG SUMMER 2015
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