CEGSA President
2019-2020
PHOTO: Phill Snel, Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering/ U of T
Born in Ontario, but raised in B.C., Alyssa Hermann is back to her Toronto-area roots. The President of Civil Engineering Graduate Students’ Association (CEGSA) is taking a leave of absence from her Burnaby, B.C.-based job at R.F. Binnie & Associates in order to pursue a MEng here at U of T.
“It’s always been my dream to have a graduate degree,” says Hermann. “I always believe in pursuing any opportunity for Personal Growth and professional growth. My parents always told me, if it was easy, everyone would do it. I want to get the most out of my time at U of T that I can, so I’m trying to go for two emphases.” In her first year of the MEng program, she is pursuing emphases in Sustainable Urban Systems and the ELITE certificate.
Hermann also believes in more than academics, “I’ve always learned way more from the extracurriculars at school than I have from the courses at school. Of course I learned from my professors, but I’ve learned a great deal from mentoring and working with others – you can learn how to be a leader and learn how to work on, and foster, effective teams. All of that is extremely valuable, because that’s what companies are looking for in the workplace.”
As for CEGSA, and her role, Hermann is enthusiastic, “We have a huge team this year. We’ve got 15, or more, of us who are involved with the executive, which is great. Following last year’s success, we are planning on hosting our second annual Industry Night and we are aiming to bring in a lot more companies from all different disciplines. It’s shaping up to be a great opportunity for networking and professional development so stay tuned for more information!”
Hermann enjoys an occasional bubble tea, but is hoping to find a nearby place with the ultimate in student-friendly pricing.