The Black @ Mac Eng March Break event brought together faculty members and prospective students to celebrate current Black engineering students and inspire future ones
On March 11, 2025, the faculty of engineering hosted its second annual Black @ Mac Eng event during March Break. The event, held in the Hatch Junction on the second floor of the John Hodgins Engineering Building, served as an open house for prospective Black engineering students and their families to learn more about McMaster’s engineering programs.
The day offered two different timed sessions to accommodate families' availability. It began with refreshments and an opening presentation from Jodi-Anne Buckley, McMaster’s Black student recruitment and career advisor at the university’s Centre for Career Growth.
Buckley has been with McMaster since 2021. She spoke with The Silhouette about her role and the event.
“One of the most important things is helping potential students see the community that exists within the faculty of engineering and the entire university,” said Buckley.
One of the most important things is helping potential students see the community that exists within the faculty of engineering and the entire university.
Jodi-Anne Buckley, Black Student Recruitment and Career Advisor
McMaster University's Centre for Career Growth
After the presentation, current engineering students shared their experiences in the program and offered tips for future students. The event concluded with a networking session, where attendees connected with self-identifying Black faculty members, students and staff to discuss any questions they had.
The Black @ Mac Eng March Break event was created to foster a sense of belonging and excitement for Black students considering engineering at McMaster.
“Though we have a growing number of Black students, sometimes you can often be the only one in the class . . . This event, filled with people like you, makes you start to think about the future and feel excited and inspired,” said Buckley.
“The event not only helped the students who may want to come to [McMaster] but also helped current students reflect on their journeys and recognize how much they have accomplished,” said Buckley.
According to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, recent trends point to increased diversity in science, technology, engineering and math careers. However, Buckley explained that Black students continue to face significant barriers to pursuing engineering. She cited data from the Black Professionals in Tech Network, which found that only 16 per cent of Black students earn post-secondary STEM credentials, compared to 23 per cent among other minority groups.
“There’s a huge gap in the number of Black students in STEM, especially pursuing engineering,” said Buckley.
There’s a huge gap in the number of Black students in STEM, especially pursuing engineering.
Jodi-Anne Buckley, Black Student Recruitment and Career Advisor
McMaster University's Centre for Career Growth
She pointed to factors such as a lack of role models, limited access to coding programs and the intimidation of entering a field with little representation as contributing to this disparity.
To conclude, Buckley emphasized the importance of mentorship and networking for those interested in STEM careers. Fostering these connections was a central goal of Black @ Mac Eng.
“If you are thinking about a career in engineering, reach out to those who are in the process of getting an education or those who have already graduated . . . You can’t want a village without wanting to be a villager,” said Buckley.
Since 2007, the Women in Engineering Society has been working hard, creating a safe space for aspiring female engineers to flourish
The Women in Engineering Society mentorship program is open to all women-identifying students in the faculty of engineering. After the annual introduction event in September, every interested first year is paired with an upper-year student. The role of the mentor is to guide their mentee through the first year of university life, helping them foster their love for engineering.
Sophia Kouroukis and Rosha Shokouhi, co-vice-presidents of McMaster's Women in Engineering Society's mentorship program, kicked off this semester with a paint night. On Jan. 23, 2025, a group of girls met up to relax and ease back into the semester, reconnecting with fellow students. “we have just come back in, and we wanted to keep it comfy and cozy,” said Kouroukis.
McMaster's WIE mentorship program has grown over the last few years, proving its importance. "I think we have around 450 to 500 people under our care," said Shokouhi.
Kouroukis and Shokouhi, spoke heavily of the significance of this program. It is a way to connect young female students to their more senior peers, helping them settle into university and figure out where they want engineering to take them. “The goal is just to make the transition into university so much easier,” said Kouroukis.
The goal is just to make the transition into university so much easier
Sophia Kouroukis, Co-Vice President of Mentorship
McMaster Women in Engineering Society
The mentorship program is actively cultivating a sense of community and belonging. Shokouhi personally shared how being a mentee in her first year of studies significantly impacted her personal growth and academic path. “My mentor helped me with so many different things,” said Shokouhi.
The program extends beyond formal mentorship pairings, as first-year students can also connect with each other. Kouroukis was quick to share that mentorship events are a way to connect with other first-years. “I actually met one of my closest friends at the kick-off last year,” said Kouroukis.
The women in engineering society kicked of the academic year with a massive mentorship event during welcome week. The first event of the year welcomed 200 to 300 women all showing up to meet their future mentors. The first years were able to walk around stations, make new friends and find out more about their new program. “we got a lot of good feedback on that event, a lot of people, really liked it, and it’s something we want to try again,” said Shokouhi.
A highlight event of the first semester was a small rock climbing event hosted by Shokouhi. A small group of girls turned up for a fun night of trying something new and meeting new people. “I just wanted a safe space for women-identifying students to just try out climbing,” said Shokouhi.
I just wanted a safe space for women-identifying students to just try out climbing.
Rosha Shokouhi, Co-Vice President of Mentorship
McMaster Women in Engineering Society
The mentorship program is a great example of what the Women in Engineering Society stands for.
“I think the mentorship program is a good insight into what the Women in Engineering Society community is,” said Shokouhi. Kouroukis and Shokouhi have both made it clear that this mentorship program is an opportunity for any woman-identifying student in engineering to connect with their peers and learn more about themselves.
The mentorship team is constantly planning events, bringing the McMaster community of women-identifying students in engineering together. To stay connected and keep up to date with current events, visit the you can visit the McMaster Women in Engineering Society's website or Instagram.
McMaster engineering professor Kim Jones Women of Distinction Award for impact made on underrepresented communities
The Young Women's Christian Association is a non-profit organization that is working towards ending gender-based violence in communities and households, providing economic support and housing to women with financial barriers, and creating communities where there is equity for all women.
Over the years they have funded many specialized programs, services and opportunities for women, children, 2SLGBTQIA+ people and people with disabilities. These programs include the Transitional Living Program which offers housing support, a community building program for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth called speqtrum, and the Imagine Day Program which offers services to adults and seniors with developmental disabilities.
The annual YWCA Women of Distinction awards is a night to acknowledge women within Hamilton and Halton, while continuing to raise both awareness and funding for the YWCA and their mission. Many women from McMaster University, both students and staff, were nominated and won awards that night, including Dr. Ada Tang, Sashaina Singh, and Ahona Medhi.
One of this year's winners is Kim Jones, a professor of chemical engineering and the current chair of the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering, a network that connects multiple faculties and schools of engineering across Ontario.
Regarding the YWCA Women of Distinction awards Jones said, “I am deeply grateful to the YWCA for . . . recognizing women who are doing amazing things in our community, because it often is unrecognized work. It is often work that people do out of passion but doesn’t get much recognition.”
I am deeply grateful to the YWCA for . . . recognizing women who are doing amazing things in our community, because it often is unrecognized work. It is often work that people do out of passion but doesn’t get much recognition.
Kim Jones, professor of chemical engineering, McMaster University
She went on to state that “all of the nominees are incredible contributors to our community” and that they all deserved to win awards.
Jones' work shows her passion for women’s rights and over the years has fought for a place for women and other underrepresented communities within engineering. "I say that I've been a feminist since birth. I was brought up by a feminist engineer father, and a mother . . . who had a master's degree in computer science from the 60s. So I had pretty spectacular role models . . . people who cared about making change and thought that everyone deserved the same opportunities to succeed," explained Jones, a partial reason why she is so passionate about her work.
She has been very vocal about the importance of representation for these groups. “It makes for a very different space for students. Because when you look around, and you can see other people who are like yourself, then you can imagine yourself succeeding and thriving in that space, you can find supportive friends,” said Jones.
It makes for a very different space for students. Because when you look around, and you can see other people who are like yourself, then you can imagine yourself succeeding and thriving in that space, you can find supportive friends.
Kim Jones, professor in chemical engineering, McMaster
Jones has been the chair for ONWiE since 2018 and will continue into her second term until next year. ONWiE has started many flagship programs. "All are hands on workshops for girls and non binary youth grades seven to ten where they get to see how engineering, coding, and physics principles can be applied in their real life and in their future careers. They get to meet near peer role models as students who are in those programs and do those things in safe spaces where they're free to experiment and fail and succeed," said Jones.
ONWiE's Girl Guide Badge program is a mix of virtual and in person, and Jones shared that it has reached somewhere between 16,000 to 18,000 girls across Ontario.
At ONWiE's yearly summit, members discuss what the future for girls in engineering looks like, and actions that can be taken to make engineering more inclusive for everybody. On this Jones said, “How do we build inclusive spaces for people to come into, because there's no point recruiting for diversity if you're not providing positive experiences for the people who come into those spaces.”
Jones teaches many engineering courses here at McMaster, but she inputs her thoughts on inclusivity in a class she is proud to have created at McMaster: an inclusion in engineering class (ENGINEER 2IW3). The course explores the general question of, in Jones' words, “What are the some of the structural barriers, but also opportunities that people have that vary based on their identity?”
Although engineering overall is an extremely male-dominated space, McMaster is already ahead of the game. Jones talked about the major increase of female students in the engineering first-year class.
"In 2017 it was 24 per cent women . . . and this year it's 43 per cent women," Jones said.
Not only does Jones want inclusivity for her own students, she wants inclusivity for all students, and all staff members. “How do we support and ensure that our alumni are . . . having positive experiences, so in their work lives they can continue to make the changes that they need to make the world better, based on the education they got at McMaster," Jones said.
How do we support and ensure that our alumni are . . . having positive experiences, so in their work lives they can continue to make the changes that they need to make the world better, based on the education they got at McMaster.
Kim Jones, professor of chemical engineering, McMaster
Jones is someone who has already left, and will continue to leave, a long-lasting legacy at McMaster, for the genuine and impactful change she has been able to implicate into students and faculty members everyday real lives.
