Eman ElMasri’s favourite part of tutoring her peers is witnessing them achieve their academic goals.

“It is always rewarding to know that I can make a difference in the learning of others,” says ElMasri, a third-year electrical and computer engineering student who tutors in the Faculty of Engineering’s WINONE Tutorial program.

Established in 2019 by the WINONE Office for First-Year Engineering, the tutorials offer students free one-on-one help with first and second-year engineering course material.

Elmasri and fellow mentor Mahwish Khan (pictured at right) are the first recipients of the Liburdi Engineering Mentorship Award, a new $10,000 annual award that supports two senior-level undergraduate students who are excelling in math and physics and helping their first- and second-year peers with course material and questions about their undergraduate programs.

According to Jennifer Johrendt, assistant dean of student affairs for WINONE, both students hold an “astonishing” CPGA and first-year GPAs of more than 93 per cent and achieved an average in first-year physics and first- and second-year math of 96.8 and 93.8 per cent.

“The WINONE Tutorial program is more than just providing academic support to students with questions, it is also about creating connections between first-year and upper year students that promotes involvement and knowledge sharing about degree pathways, extracurricular activities, co-operative education, and senior projects,” says Dr. Johrendt.

Khan says there are two simple reasons why she applied to mentor her peers.

“For one, I believe it is meaningful and influential for people to invest their time into their communities and societies and be part of the process of improvement and overall betterment,” she says. “Secondly, it brings a smile to my face to be able to share what knowledge I can with others, and I hope it not only assists them with their studies, but also encourages them to pass it forward.” 

ElMasri says tutoring has helped her develop invaluable leadership and teaching skills in addition to motivating her to have a better understanding of engineering course content.

The scholarship was established by Liburdi Engineering Limited led by materials engineering alumnus Joseph Liburdi (BASc 1967).

The WINONE Tutorial program has moved to virtual sessions due to COVID-19 precautions. Visit the WINONE Tutorial webpage for drop-in hours or to learn more about applying to become a mentor.

—Kristie Pearce