The dedication shown by Nelson Mandela University industrial engineering graduate, Nicole Schoeman, from Aspen Heights in the Bay, has seen her receive two prestigious awards, within her field, which she hopes will encourage more young girls to pursue a career in engineering.
From a young age, Schoeman, who is currently unemployed, knew that she wanted to pursue engineering as a career, but it was only in Grade 12 when she began researching the various branches of engineering.
While she continued her research, her parents, Ernest and Connie Schoeman, pointed out that she should consider delving deeper into researching more about industrial engineering.
“As I continued to do research about the industrial engineering field, I began to realise that it was the field for me,” said Schoeman.
“I am passionate about innovation and I believe everything has the potential to be better, and that is what industrial engineering is all about. It’s about using your ideas and creativity along with the engineering techniques and tools to make complex systems better, more efficient and more effective.
“I love this field because it allows me to live out my passion while doing my job. It does not get better than that.”
When Schoeman enrolled to study at NMU in 2016, she set goals for herself and remained dedicated throughout her studies.
“I did not just want to pass; I wanted to pass well. I spurred myself on by constantly reminding myself that I was working this hard for my future and to make my parents proud in the process,” said Schoeman.
Her dedication and hard work paid off when she graduated cum laude with her National Diploma in Industrial Engineering in April 2019, and in December 2019, she graduated cum laude with her Bachelor of Technology in Industrial Engineering.
Schoeman, who was the best academically achieving Industrial Engineering BTech graduate in her year, received an award from the South African Institute of Industrial Engineers (SAIIE) in December last year.
In addition, she was awarded the best academically achieving female BTech engineering graduate award, across all the engineering disciplines, at the university, within the same month.
To further acknowledge her hard work, Schoeman was notified by the president of the Professional Engineering Technologists (IPET), Jan de Koker, that she had been nominated by NMU to represent the university for the IPET Award for the best female BTech Engineering graduate in South Africa.
Schoeman, however, did not win the IPET award, but being nominated as one of seven female engineering nominees in the country was a great achievement for her.
“When I received the two awards in December last year, I was shocked, but in the best way. Once the shock wore off, I was immensely proud of myself that I was awarded these for my academic achievements,” said Schoeman.
“The awards meant so much to me. It made all the hard work, late nights and early mornings feel worth it.”
Schoeman said since engineering was a male-dominated field, it would be good to see more girls aspire to be engineers.
She said her hope was for girls to not feel intimated by the field, but to feel empowered to be a part of it.
“Females, especially young girls, should be exposed to engineering while they are still at school. This will allow them to do the research for themselves. The field is challenging, but it is so rewarding,” said Schoeman.
