"I never, ever gave up, no matter how hard things seemed," Subhashis Chakraborty says. He overcame academic failure and became a mentor to new students, providing support to help them succeed.
(Edmonton) When Subhashis Chakraborty failed his first year of engineering, he had to make a choice: to give up or to try again. Placed on academic probation, he began helping first-year students succeed. Now he's graduating with a degree in electrical engineering and a sense of community.
Despite the challenges he faced during his first year of engineering, Chakraborty remained positive throughout his degree.
"I never, ever gave up, no matter how hard things seemed," he said.
"One of the reasons I kept going is because I wanted to show everyone that I can actually achieve something," he added. "In high school, a lot of people were telling me that 'There's no way you can be an engineer.' "
After his disastrous first year, he realized that nobody should go through what he did. He began helping other students as much as he could through a Facebook group aimed at supporting first-year engineering students.
"It felt really good getting a chance to help everyone answer questions and then help them succeed in first year any way possible," he said. "To pass on that knowledge to multiple people, that was very fulfilling."
The group fostered a community within the faculty.
"It was a nice place to make connections," Chakraborty said. "If that Facebook group wasn't created, I don't think there would be as much of a connection as there would be in person for people like me.
"The greatest thing I got out of the Facebook group was meeting so many people and making all these connections and helping people."
Chakraborty was involved in the Electrical Engineering Club, too, where he learned more important lessons as the special events co-ordinator.
Club activities helped him build skills like doing interviews and public speaking. Chakraborty thinks putting himself out there and joining clubs was the best opportunity to develop these skills.
"It's probably the best thing I could've possibly done."
To balance his extra-curricular activities with his studies, Chakraborty lightened his course load and extended his degree, giving him more time to get involved in the community.
With convocation approaching, Chakraborty reflects on what he will miss after seven years at the university.
"I've met so many good people-not just other students, but good staff members as well. Everyone else has been such a positive experience in my life in many ways and I'm really going to miss that.
"Engineering is so collaborative," he said. "I don't think any other faculty on campus gives that sense of companionship or community."
Chakraborty hopes he can bring the same sense of community when he enters the workforce.
While job hunting is on his to-do list, Chakraborty would love to be a professor. He loves passing on knowledge and making students understand what they're learning.
Chakraborty has had professors whom he found inspiring. Some sat with him for hours helping him with his studies. This patience and dedication is something Chakraborty has implemented into his own teaching style.
"I really wanted to make sure that they understood things fundamentally," he said. "Engineering is cumulative. If you don't understand one thing, you're not going to understand the next thing."
Whether it be as an engineer or as a teacher, Chakraborty's goal is to share knowledge and inspire people to be innovators. "I want to be someone who can actually inspire change because we need more of those people."
Chakraborty's pride of being an engineer is captured in the iron ring he wears.
"The ring symbolizes my duty to serve the public in a safe and ethical manner. Engineering's role is to serve the community and make everyone's lives better-that's what we do."