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The fifth-year Bachelor of Chemical Engineering student says participating in Dal Engineering’s largest societies— and the gave her the confidence and support to transform a challenging start to her degree into the most rewarding experience of her life.

From isolation to connection

“My first year of engineering was completely online,” explains Natarajan. “I'm definitely an extrovert, so being stuck at home doing school all day by myself was really difficult for me.”

It was Instagram that first introduced Natarajan to the student groups at Dal Engineering and the impact they were making in the community. Four years later, she is vice president of WIE and vice president social for DUES, both supported by donor-funded initiatives. Through these roles, she’s developed leadership skills, fostered connections, and created opportunities for others to thrive.

Creating community through support

Both societies work to strengthen the sense of community on Sexton Campus through events, fundraisers, and career development workshops. One of WIE’s main goals is to support the initiative, which aims to have women represent 30 per cent of newly licensed professional engineers in Canada by 2030. As part of that mission, WIE hosts their annual Go ENG Girl event, which introduces young women from junior high and high school to engineering through hands-on activities and mentorship from women in the field.

Natarajan’s involvement in Go ENG Girl led to one of her first meaningful impacts on Sexton Campus involving WIE president Emma Deveau. “Someone asked her why she got involved with the society. She said I made a positive impact on her during a conversation we had at a Go ENG Girl event and that really pushed her to join.”

Today, Natarajan and Deveau, now a third-year engineering student, work closely to create opportunities for women on Sexton Campus to connect. From organizing trips to global women in engineering conferences to hosting campus events such as paint nights and activities, these initiatives are what Natarajan loves most about Dal Engineering.

“The goal is to come there, meet other people, network, and then keep those connections throughout the year,” she says. “Those people you meet, that's what makes your degree. That’s what makes me want to wake up every morning and go to school.”

Turning challenges into opportunity

Natarajan says opportunities like these are made possible thanks in large part to university donors and supporters, adding that she’s unsure where she would be today without the chance to get involved on campus.

“That’s the reason that I've been able to find all these opportunities in my degree, to meet new people, and secure co-op jobs,” she says. “In my co-op interviews, we talk about some of the academic projects and schoolwork I’ve done, but the main bulk of experience that I've discussed is my involvement with societies on campus.

Now in her final year, Natarajan is on a mission. As VP social for DUES, she’s focused on creating the same kind of moments for students that defined her time at Dalhousie.

“That's my goal, just making those core memories for people,” she says. “Engineering's hard, so I think we all deserve to have a little fun. I just want to make an impact that everyone can look back on.”