June 2006 ISSUE
A Tale of Two Rings
Whenever Martin Kupsta turned around in his childhood, his parents had booked him into another science camp. And whenever Ashley Stowkowy turned around, she saw an engineer.
BY GEORGE LEE
The PEGG
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DIFFERENT STARTS, SIMILAR OUTCOMES |
When Martin Kupsta first landed on the front page of The PEGG, he was about to turn six. The paper was dated February 1990, and little Martin was a Westglen YMCA Daycare child attending a science demonstration. The venue was the Edmonton Space & Science Centre, now called the TELUS World of Science.
Flash forward to 2006 and Martin is on the front page again, this time as an Iron Ring recipient with no immediate family connection to engineering. He’s a living example of how youthful exposure to the sciences can help build the APEGGA professions.
“I do remember the event being about space,” says Martin, now 22. “When I was a child, instead of hiring a babysitter for me, my parents would always sign me up for hands-on science camps offered by the City of Edmonton.
“So, in all honestly, I would say this one was yet another one of the many events that pushed me towards a career in applied science.”
His mother, Marta, was a medical lab technician, and his father, Roman, is a heating technician and sales representative.
Martin graduated with distinction this year from the University of Alberta
with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering. That led him to
the Iron Ring Ceremony on April 1 in Edmonton.
The journey had different beginnings for Ashley Stowkowy, E.I.T. Another 22-year-old
U of A graduate, Ashley joined a family tradition when she pursued engineering.
And what a powerhouse tradition it is.
Her father, two uncles and an aunt are all engineers. You might need a pen and paper to keep track.
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Ashley’s father, Allen, is the middle child of the three engineering siblings. With older brother Glenn already in electrical engineering at U of A, Allen chose civil at the same school. Since those early days, he’s worked his way up to president and chief operating officer of Stuart Olson Construction.
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Glenn has plenty to be proud of, too. He oversees electrical, mechanical, structural and performance engineering groups in northern Alberta for Stantec.
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The youngest of the three brothers, Steve, chose civil engineering at the U of A like brother Allen had before him. He built another strong resumé, eventually moving to Calgary with UMA where he is now regional vice-president.
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And aunt Bonnie Stowkowy, P.Eng. — Steve’s wife — has bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering and chemistry, as well as an MBA, all from the U of A. Although currently in a “play-mommy life,” Bonnie has worked for Enbridge and NOVA, and was seconded in 1994 to the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association.
These days, she is in her sixth year on a committee advising the federal minister of environment, and she volunteers at the University of Calgary.
As for Ashley, her choice was mechanical engineering. Brother Brett, by the way, has just completed his third year of mechanical at the U of A.
With that kind of background, it’s a fair assumption that the pressure was on early for Ashley to carry the family torch. Not so, she says.
“I didn’t really find it tough being the child of an engineer. My parents have been fairly hands-off when it comes to school.”
When she decided to move over to engineering, however, her cousin Kyle had an apt quip. He was, after all, leaving the sciences all together for the arts. “Oh well. You’ll be the golden child at Christmas dinner now.”
There are, however, other advantages to joining a family tradition. “It’s come in handy having a parent in the industry. It seemed everywhere I went people knew of the Stowkowy boys. It’s kind of nice that my name had such a positive reputation already.
“Come exam time, too, it was nice that my dad could sympathize with us kids and did everything he could to help de-stress us.”
Ashley will begin working in September for Cobalt Engineering in Vancouver, a mechanical design firm. As for Martin, he’s still keeping his eye on the Careers section.
But job or not, he has no regrets. “The Iron Ring ceremony was nothing like I’d ever experienced before,” says Martin. “It gave a sense of completeness to my engineering degree. To be part of a brotherhood that is sworn to be dedicated to being honest, honourable, professional and obligated to the betterment of society is truly epic.
“It gives a sense of righteousness, but in order to uphold this feeling I can guarantee that a long and tough journey lies ahead for everyone.
“To be honest, I am not daunted by this. I am ready for the challenge and
glad to be a part of it.”
How about that career choice, though?
“Since I am still young, I do want to be involved in the technical aspect of electrical engineering. I want power electronics, power distribution and electrical drives.
“I want to get my hands dirty. I want to travel and see new things. I want to have a sense of accomplishment — to be able to say, I did that.”
Ashely and Martin will both, no doubt, be saying that often as their careers progress.