Michelle Lindemann is a passionate, dedicated, and committed civil engineering technology student at Prince George’s College of New Caledonia campus. Her hard work and dedication was recently recognized when she was awarded a $10,000 Scholarship for Indigenous Women in Technology from the BC Scholarship Society.
“I was blown away. I was pretty shocked and happy, to say the least," said Lindemann “This scholarship means a lot to me. It gives me the confidence to complete the program because I struggle with imposter syndrome. It also helped me give some freedom financially to fully focus on my studies. And it can also provide a potential pathway for role models for other women considering a career in STEM.”
Imposter syndrome causes people to think they aren’t as good at something as they really are.
As well as providing her with confidence, Lindemann also hopes that news of her achievements will go on to inspire others hoping to enter the field of civil engineering.
“Women are vastly underrepresented in this field.” Lindemann elaborated. “Which might persuade them to not go into engineering. If they see more women succeeding, then they might be more likely to join themselves and think that they have the capabilities to do so.”
Already sporting a degree in kinesiology and working as a personal trainer and rehab assistant, she decided to take a risk and follow her dreams to become an engineer. Lindemann has always admired engineers and finds the mixture of creativity, math, and science to construct public spaces a huge draw for her.
“My whole life, I always thought engineers were pretty cool. The way they can use science and math and creativity to construct things. It wasn't a particular person that inspired me or anything, but just hearing people say they were engineers, I always thought that was really cool,” she said. “Civil engineering encompasses so many sub-disciplines in it that I thought it would be a great road to take.”
She is still looking into her options when it comes to post-grad and a career, but she hopes that she gets a job that allows her to travel and spread her ideas.
This recent award has not affected her humility, however. She wants to emphasize the effect that her friends and family have had on her education journey.
“My biggest support system is my family, my spouse, and my friends. They've been away throughout this whole educational journey,” she said. “I couldn't have done it without their support. My instructors, classmates, and tutors have been great at the college.”
Lindemann also wants to let other women hoping to pursue a STEM career that the struggles they may face will help them in the long run.
“Accept the challenges and use the learning curve as an opportunity, she said. “These are the foundations for your future achievements and innovations.”
