Q&A with Anna Rose Sutherland

Western Engineering felt right from the start - a welcoming community with endless opportunities that made me excited to learn, grow, and truly belong.

Anna Rose Sutherland

Third Year Chemical Engineering and Artificial Intelligence Systems Engineering

Anna Rose Sutherland is a student ambassador here to answer your questions. Click here to contact Anna.

Why Western Engineering?

I chose Western Engineering because I liked the sense of community within the faculty, and the variety of opportunities it offered! I remember when I visited the Western Engineering buildings for Fall preview day, I was intrigued by how all the upper-year students at the event seemed to be a part of a large community and genuinely proud to talk about their experiences in the program. Western Engineering also provided an excellent academic program filled with opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom. All these factors together helped me decide the program was right for me!

What do you do in your spare time?

Two of my favourite spare time activities are baking and spending time with family and friends. I enjoy baking as it’s both a calming activity, and a rewarding one as I always end up with a treat that I can share with my friends and family. I also like learning and practicing new baking techniques so that I am always improving my end results! Additionally, I enjoy spending time with friends and family as it always provides me with a sense of belonging and support. I find no matter what I do with them I always end up having fun feeling more upbeat afterward!

What was your orientation week experience like as a first-year student?

My orientation week experience as a first-year student was a combination of making new friends and exploring/adjusting to Western’s campus. One of my favourite memoires was faculty day, which was when I first experienced the amazing community Western Engineering has. The upper-year students put in lots of time and effort to give us advice and resources for the upcoming year, and almost every fellow first-year student I met was kind and open to making friends. Overall, this concluded to me feeling a sense of belonging and purpose within the engineering program.

Why did you choose your specific stream of engineering?

When I entered first-year I knew I wanted to be a chemical engineer as I was interested in the work they did. It wasn’t until second semester when I took my first programming course that I discovered I loved coding and knew I also wanted to pursue it. By talking to upper year students, I discovered the chemical and artificial intelligence systems engineering dual degree program and how it allows me to continue focusing on chemical engineering, while also giving me the opportunity to work on coding and learning how to apply it to solve complex chemical engineering problems.

What is your favourite book, movie or TV show?

One of my favourite movies is Interstellar as it is a combines two of my favourite genre’s dystopia and sci-fi. The movie finds a unique way to combine scientific topics like time dilation and black holes while also telling a moving story about love and sacrifice. The movie also has surprising plot twists which overall makes it one of my top picks!

Who do you look up to/admire and why?

The person I look up to most is my mom, as she has always shown me how to be a hardworking, resilient, and positive person no matter the circumstances I am in! Throughout my childhood my mom always led by example as she worked hard at her job while keeping a kind attitude and facing any challenges she encountered head on.  In my future I hope to continue following her example as it has taught me to put my best foot forward in every situation and always ends in me getting results I can be proud of!