Margarita Alcantara-Hernandez, MEng

Margarita Alcantara-Hernandez, MEng 2009, CivE Year of Graduation: 2009 Hometown: Cancun, Mexico

When she started working in the construction industry after completing her undergraduate engineering degree from University La Salle in Cancun, Mexico, Margarita Alcantara-Hernandez witnessed the environmental destruction being caused by several local construction projects. “I think that the best way to solve the problem is not to fight against economic development, but to find alternative ways to develop the area without causing large impact,” Margarita says. This idea inspired Margarita to pursue her Master’s degree abroad to gain a different perspective on the situation.

With a generous scholarship from her country, Margarita decided to come to Engineering at U of T's Department of Civil Engineering. “I always wanted to live in a country with a culture, lifestyle and climate that was totally different from mine.” U of T Engineering was the perfect fit for Margarita, offering her a flexible MEng program with a challenging and applied curriculum in a new cultural context. “U of T Engineering is ranked among the best in the world—it was the only university on my list.”

Upon her arrival in Toronto, Margarita took advantage of every opportunity to meet new people through advertised events on and off campus. “I ended up meeting a lot of people that showed me around and helped me to adapt to Toronto,” says Margarita. Cultural diversity was also a definite highlight for Margarita. “Like me, many students at the University are from other countries, open to sharing their customs and beliefs. I’ve had the opportunity to make friends with people from all over the world. I’ve learned a lot about their cultures, lifestyles, religions, and most importantly, their cuisines!” Margarita was also able to connect with the Mexican community in Toronto to celebrate Mexican holidays. “Whenever I feel homesick, I go to my favourite Mexican restaurant and order tacos el pastor. It’s more than enough to cheer myself up.”

Once classes started, Margarita developed an appreciation for the vast number of resources U of T offers—from the incredible library system to services developed for international students. Most recently, Margarita made use of the University's Career Centre to help her search for a job upon graduating from U of T Engineering in July 2009. Career counselors coached Margarita on how to best tailor her applications and market herself during interviews.

Margarita landed herself a job with an engineering consulting firm that assesses the condition of buildings in order to help clients maintain their portfolio of assets in a code-compliant, operable and sustainable manner. “With my MEng, it won’t be long before I become a Project Manager.”