For McMaster Engineering students, no two roads to the Iron Ring are the same. Their experiences vary given a range of opportunities available to complement in-class learning including more than 100 clubs and teams, flexible co-op terms, undergraduate research and more.
On March 22, the graduating class of 2024 received their Iron Rings, culminating years of hard work and perseverance, and marking the beginning of their professional careers as engineers. Below, Iron Ring recipients across the Faculty reflect on the meaning of the Iron Ring, the support systems that helped them arrive at this major milestone and their proudest Mac Eng moment.
Jeryn Anthonypillai
Computer Engineering and Management
What does it mean to you to wear the ring?
Wearing the ring symbolizes the significant responsibilities and obligations that come with the engineering profession. It serves as a continual reminder that each task undertaken must be executed with the highest level of integrity and proficiency. It also holds memories of the lessons I have learned in my five years at McMaster. These lessons and values I will continue to follow as I fulfill my duties as an engineer in practice.
Who helped you get here?
My family and friends have helped me the most throughout my time at university by being my support system. I was able to go to them when I felt overwhelmed. The academic counsellors at McMaster have also been very helpful, giving me good advice when I was unsure about my next steps in terms of education and life.
What is your proudest Mac Eng moment?
My proudest Mac Eng Moment was when I won the Image of an Engineer Award and the Albert Lager Prize for Student Initiative highlighting my commitment and involvement to the community at McMaster! The community at McMaster has been a crucial part of my journey and these awards hold memories of my time at these teams. They remind me of the people I have met and experiences I have had while embarking on those new adventures.
Roshan Ty
Civil Engineering
What does it mean to you to wear the ring?
To me, the iron ring will become a reminder of the dedication and time I have committed into pursuing civil engineering and the obligation that I will have beyond graduation to the public and their safety.
Who helped you get here?
My friends, family, professors, TAs, and the Heavy Construction Student Chapter have provided me with amazing guidance and support throughout my undergraduate years.
What is your proudest Mac Eng moment?
My proudest moment is successfully coordinating the 2024 Heavy Construction Industry Night and seeing the impact it had on the civil engineering community at McMaster University.
Evelyn Cudmore
Biomedical and Chemical Engineering
What does it mean to you to wear the ring?
Growing up, both of my parents always wore their rings, and as a kid, I remember having questions about what the ring meant. They told me that it was a promise to the profession and a symbol of the community of engineering. As a kid, I’m not sure I fully understood the weight of that. As I’ve undertaken my own education in engineering and really gotten to explore the profession, I think I now understand what they mean and why they still wear them. The iron ring means a lot to me as a symbol of the work that I’ve done to earn it, the commitment to this community and the footsteps that I’m proudly following in.
Who helped you get here?
The continuous support from my family, especially my parents, the dedication of the professors, especially the chemical engineering department and the community that I’ve built here that lifts each other up.
What is your proudest Mac Eng moment?
This past October, I had the opportunity of presenting my undergraduate research at the Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, and I think it was the first time that I felt like I was actively contributing to the body of knowledge that I learned from. It was amazing to feel like people had interest in hearing about the things that I do every day in the lab, and that I truly understood what I was talking about, and the value of why I contribute to it.
Nick Phan
Mechanical Engineering
What does it mean to you to wear the ring?
Wearing the ring will be a constant reminder for me that an engineer’s work has an impact on society. It binds them to the responsibility of ensuring their work creates a positive impact.
Who helped you get here?
Everyone I have met during my time at Mac has helped me in one way or another: Mac’s professors and staff who have given me invaluable guidance, my friends who I met on campus and have always been there for me, my mentors and colleagues at work who have been patient and generous with my ignorance, as well as my family, who has believed in me and supported me in all my endeavours.
What is your proudest Mac Eng moment?
My proudest Mac Eng moment was when I watched the McMaster Rocketry Team’s first high power rocket launch to 13,000ft. It was amazing to see all the McMaster Rocketry team members’ years of effort come to life for the first time. Having spent many hours and sleepless nights on the rocket myself, it is a special memory I will always carry with me.
Allison Suichies
Chemical Engineering
What does it mean to you to wear the ring?
Wearing the iron ring reminds me that I am part of a community that is dedicated to making the world a better place. Everyone in this community has worked exceptionally hard to get to where we are, and to obtain the skills needed to make positive impacts. We all worked together to get here, and I am so proud to be part of this community. Wearing the ring symbolizes joining a profession that makes real-world changes and innovates solutions to large-scale problems.
Who helped you get here?
I have been lucky enough to have a wonderful support system throughout this degree. My classmates, many of whom I’ve worked with on various projects, have shared their knowledge and experiences with me and taught me to work collaboratively. My parents, who are also both engineers, supported me with their care and compassion. My other family and friends supported me with their kindness and reminded me to enjoy the little things. My professors never failed to go above and beyond to help me achieve everything I did and made me confident that I will be a strong engineer.
What is your proudest Mac Eng moment?
I am so grateful to have had many proud Mac Eng moments. I’ve participated in project showcases, conducted research, been a Mac Eng student ambassador, a Women in Engineering Society mentor, and joined the McMaster A Cappella club. It’s hard to pick one moment where I felt the proudest, but one that’s up there was presenting my first research project at the McMaster Society for Engineering Research (MacSER) undergraduate poster showcase.
Reneese Dunkley
Electrical Engineering
What does it mean to you to wear the ring?
It is responsibility and an oath to the public. I will lead an ethical practice and apply my engineering knowledge to help the public, not for personal gain.
Who helped you get here?
There are many people who helped me get to the end of my undergraduate career. I have family who continuously encouraged me and initially sparked my passion for engineering. They have supported me through thick and thin, encouraging me through the obstacles I faced. I have friends who I learnt from daily. We chatted about classes, and being ready to move on to the next stage of our lives and push each other to put our best foot forward. They show me the engineering spirit every day.
I have professors whose classes showed me why I chose electrical; they highlighted the need for our unique skillsets in the workforce and gave me a goal beyond school to aim for. I have my former co-workers who taught me so much during my co-op terms. Industry knowledge is valuable and very helpful when you can connect you work experience back to your courses the next year. Work terms and the co-workers you meet really open your eyes when it comes to possible career paths and planning for the years after undergraduate schooling.
What is your proudest Mac Eng moment?
My proudest Mac Eng moment is participating in the Mac Eng Musical. There I grew as a person, learned communication skills all while having some silly fun with my friends. I am proud of my performances in the musicals and will miss those times dearly.
Haoyu Lin
Electrical Engineering
What does it mean to you to wear the ring?
The Iron Ring is a responsibility to be 100% passionate, professional and ethical in all work and projects.
Who helped you get here?
The MacRobomaster Team helped me get here, it is a great team for people who have passion for cutting-edge robotics.
What is your proudest Mac Eng moment?
My proudest moment was to participate in MacRobomaster Team as Computer Vision Team Lead, with all my members we did many challenging tasks over the years.