From Shy Student to Inspired Engineering Graduate
Amanda Pacholczak (third from right) is pictured with her engineering peers and faculty dean Dr. Janusz Kozinski.
Convocation day is often a bittersweet moment—a culmination of years of hard work, paired with the sadness of saying goodbye.
For Amanda Pacholczak, a graduate of the Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) program at Lakehead University, it was precisely that: “I loved my time at Lakehead. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone, but it was also nice to celebrate.”
Amanda is the recipient of this year’s Robert Poulin Award, presented to a full-time Lakehead student for their outstanding citizenship.
She recalls hearing about the Robert Poulin Award in her first year. The legacy of past recipients like Jocelyn Bell (one of Amanda’s favourite Superior Science summer camp instructors when she was a kid) and Silas Young gave her something to aspire to. “There’s a domino effect with awards like this,” she says. “I’m grateful for the exposure the Robert Poulin Award provides because learning about past recipients and their mark on the world had a wonderful impact on me.”
Balancing academics and volunteering was part of Amanda’s strategy for success and well-being during her time at Lakehead. As a shy and introverted student, she found volunteering a way to connect with people.
“Volunteering is important because it allows you to expand your horizons in terms of knowledge and develop critical soft skills that will serve you for the rest of your life, both career-wise and in your personal life,” explains Amanda. “Saying yes to opportunities and not holding yourself back by thinking, ‘I won’t have time for this’ is crucial, because it’s so easy to fall into that habit.”
At Lakehead, she was a member of the Engineering Student Society, the Lakehead Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering and the Judicial Panel and Engineering Equipment Endowment Fund’s board of directors. She was also the founder of the Chemical Engineering Design Club, a student senator, a tutor, and an Academic Peer Mentor. Off campus, Amanda was a member of the Thunder Bay Rotaract Club and a mentor with Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
“I think a lot of students have a tough time separating their self-worth from their marks and their academic performance. So, making a conscious effort to learn for the fun of it and engage in experiential learning opportunities that aren't tied to your marks or degree completion is important and good for your mental health.”
Now, just a month into her master’s degree in mining engineering at Queen’s University, Amanda is thriving. Her graduate thesis is focusing on the extraction of lithium from a mineral called spodumene using novel chemical methods and electrochemistry.
“Women are often pushed toward caring professions like health care or education,” she notes, “but I want to bring that caring perspective into mining to encourage sustainable practices in the industry.”
“I started at Lakehead as a very shy person. I was introverted, and I still am, but I met a lot of amazing people at Lakehead, who were able to challenge me and really bring me out of my shell.”
Since 1952, Lakehead University has presented the Robert Poulin Award annually to a full-time student selected by their peers, faculty, and administration for contributing to the welfare of the university through student activities.
Lakehead named the Robert Poulin Award after an outstanding forestry graduate of the Lakehead Technical Institute who died at the age of 20 in a workplace accident.