APEGA
The first time I sat on Council was about 20 years ago. I was one of the younger members. I appreciated the wisdom that the councillors from different back- grounds brought to the discussions. There’s always the risk, though, that we develop tunnel vision and no longer understand what our mem- bers are dealing with or what the issues are from their perspective. Even though I spent a lot of time off Coun- cil, I’ve always been in touch to see what’s happening within the professions, both at APEGA and in the field. This time, I’m concerned with the big changes I’ve seen occurring, and those are the areas I want to provide extra leadership in. What I’m talking about are no longer emerging issues. They’ve emerged. They’re already here. With some grey hair comes a little more exposure to the world and a better understanding of things. When you talk about wisdom, it’s really about the experiences one has along the way, and hopefully this is what helps us make better decisions and develop better leadership.
they’d be equipped for the problems facing the world. Engineering is a noble profession within that frame- work, and not just for the ones practising it. It really can be perceived as a helping profession. My work has always been around the engineering and geoscience communities. While not in the technical roles, there are parallels, so I’ve always valued and used the training that I’ve received. As an engineer, you look at where the problems are and then you go and seek solutions. I’m always employing root cause analysis, which is an engineer’s approach. My commitment to the Tibetan community is the other side of it for me. My parents fled Tibet. I was born a Tibetan refugee, and yet I was provided with opportunities. That’s put a responsibility on me. What would any disadvantaged group achieve if given the opportunity? A lot, and I’ve seen it happen. This occurred to me back in the late 1980s, when I was president of the University of Calgary Students’ Union. Another young Tibetan, a woman, was the
Our members can help solve the problems that the world faces. They need to be aware of where and how work is happening, and they need to equip themselves to seize these opportunities. So off-shoring and globalization are not all bad news. I believe that we need to at least engage in this conversation and widen our lens so we can see these things for what they are.
The trajectory of your life and career is far from typical. How’s that shaped you? How did you get here from there? ND I always tell others how they need to plan, and yet when I look at myself, I’ve just gone through things. Sure, I have some broad areas where I put my attention and focus, but the specifics are not as planned as you might think. There’s a general theme there, around my profession and professionals, so maybe that’s just as important as a concrete plan. That you’re true to what you believe in. When I worked for the University of Calgary, lead- ing the engineering internship program, I was preparing students for the most opportunities possible, so that
president of the students’ union for University College at University of Toronto. And yet at that time there were maybe only about 20 Tibetan Canadians in our universities. It was a really small community across Canada, too, at fewer than 300 of us. All of us 20 or so at university were the first generation, ever, within our families to receive a modern education, and two of us were presidents of students’ unions. It occurred to me that there’s great potential for those in the disadvantaged communities if given the opportunity. That’s been an important lesson to me. I’ve committed myself to go through my life providing opportunity to people so that they can reach their full potential.
14 | PEG SUMMER 2018
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