A BCIT graduate from Richmond was awarded BCIT’s 2024 Outstanding Student Leadership award.
Sally Poon, a 2023 graduate of the Computer Systems Technology program, was recognized for her leadership and community involvement during her time at BCIT.
Although she wasn’t able to attend the awards ceremony on Nov. 14, Poon said she was surprised and honoured to receive the award.
Poon, who grew up in Steveston, served as treasurer and director of communications for Women in Computing, a student-run club promoting the representation of women in the technology sector.
This was one of her most meaningful initiatives, helping to break down barriers for women in tech. Starting off with computing in a predominantly male-dominated course at UBC was intimidating, as Poon doubted her knowledge compared to her peers.
“I felt very intimidated, and I wanted to be a part of the process of demystifying this ‘oh, it can be very scary to be a woman in the field’,” said Poon. “ I think it's improved a lot now. I think just building that sense of community where people feel safe; that was very important to me.”
Poon was also the co-president of the computing club, where she developed a coaching program for students and organized a hackathon event.
Reaching the position of chair of the downtown campus’ student association, some of her other significant initiatives range from organizing a panel at the institute’s Tech Collider, an event space on campus, to a de-stressing event for students.
“BCIT is known for very rigorous programs, because everything’s very condensed to get students ready for the working field,” said Poon. “But I think we stopped to remember to give some time for ourselves, to zoom back in… take a breather; and that can actually make us a lot more productive.”
Now working as a software engineer with Okta, a San-Francisco based software development company, Poon gave some advice to those wanting to take on leadership positions – go for it and give it a try.
“No one's going to shake their head at you for giving something a try,” she said. “If you are going to reach out and participate, I think it's really well worth it.”
“The people that you meet along the way with the same mindset are always going to be fantastic people that you can keep in your life.”
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