Getting a job in your field before you have graduated is the dream. A dream that few achieve. For Computer Engineering Technology graduate Racheal Inyang ’21, that dream is her reality.

Upon completing high school, Racheal left her family and home country of Nigeria, to move to Canada to pursue her post-secondary education.

Inspired by her mom, an engineer, Racheal knew that she wanted to pursue a career in the same field. She just didn’t know which stream would be right for her. 

While researching which school to attend, Mohawk’s robotics courses caught Racheal’s interest. She also noted the wide range of skills provided in the Computer Engineering Technology program, such as programming, computer networking and electrical skills. She thought if robotics was not her ultimate path, she would have a number of other options to pursue. 

Once immersed in the program, it was the Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) course that engaged Racheal the most. “The automation side of the program was what I was ultimately drawn to,” she shares. 

Her first co-op placement was with a financial technology company, where she worked as a product analyst. This role showed Racheal that she was not interested in pursuing that area of the field and re-enforced her interest in automation. 

For the first four months of her 12-month co-op period, Racheal took on a part-time role with Mohawk College’s IDEAWORKS where she worked on an IoT (Internet of Things) research project. 

At her second co-op at Krka Power Inc., she held the position of junior electrical controls designer. It was in this position that she was able to take her PLC and Human-Machine Interface (HMI) classroom knowledge and apply it to real-world projects. “That internship made me realize what I wanted to do long-term in my career,” says Racheal. 

On a whim, Racheal applied to Hatch while completing her final co-op term, in November of 2020. Although she did not have any set expectations, she thought the opportunity was worth a shot. Within an hour of ending her interview, she was offered a position to begin May 2021. “I had my job offer four months before I was done school.”  

Today, Racheal works in the control and automation engineering division at Hatch. She enjoys the culture of the company and has had opportunities to visit a few sites in the first six months of her employment. Currently, she is working on water and wastewater projects. She shares, “Seeing how what I do in the office translates in the field has been really helpful in getting a better understanding of how these processes work.”

Racheal also continues to stay connected to Mohawk. As an alumni, she has volunteered on Meet the Grad and Women in Trades and Technology panels with a focus on encouraging more women to pursue engineering by showcasing her own success.

She attributes much of her achievements to the education and experiences she obtained at the college. “Mohawk was a defining moment for me. Yes, the program was challenging, but it prepared me for my career and exposed me to the many aspects of computer engineering and automation that I love today".

By Meaghan Drury ‘12