Get to know F&S: Christy Cui & Fatima Hassan

Third-year female engineering students Christy Cui and Fatima Hassan are making strides in industrial and mechanical engineering during their Professional Experience Year at F&S.

Engineering students Christy Cui and Fatima Hassan reflect on what they’ve learned from working with Facilities & Services.  

Cui and Hassan are third-year engineering students at the University of Toronto, who have been working with F&S as part of their 16-month Professional Experience Year, a co-op program offered by the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. 

Cui, who is studying industrial engineering, works with the business improvement team. Her involvement in automation projects—such as an upcoming document approval automation system—aligns closely with her interest in human-centered design.  

Hassan, studying mechanical engineering, works with the building operations team at the Central Steam Plant. Her interest in mechanical systems and the inner workings of building operations lends itself well to her role at F&S, which includes working with building drawings to compile information, updating existing drawings, and accompanying her supervisor, Milan Cerovina, on visits to work sites, including chiller plants and cooling towers in various buildings across campus. 

U of T’s engineering department is making encouraging progress towards gender equality in the classroom, with women representing 40% of incoming undergraduates in 2022, a 15% increase over the past decade. However, both Hassan and Cui note that there is still work to be done to fully translate this progress into workplace environments. “When I’m visiting sites, I don’t see a lot of other women,” observes Hassan. 

Hassan feels grateful for the support of the women who are around, especially Amritpal Kaur, one of two female building engineers at F&S. “When I first started, I was nervous about talking to management,” recalls Hassan. “Amritpal’s presence always made me feel more comfortable.” 

Hassan and Cui are also grateful for the guidance and involvement they receive from their other colleagues. “My supervisor, Milan, has been instrumental in my growth,” says Hassan. “I’ve learned so much and couldn’t be happier with my experience here.”   

Encouraged by their accomplishments and the support of their colleagues, both Cui and Hassan agree that their time at F&S has been a formative experience.  

Cui’s work in data analysis and automation fuels her interest in process engineering. Working at F&S gave her the opportunity to lead a process mapping session for the first time, where she encouraged the trades team to reflect on and improve their inventory management. “I love the satisfaction of making processes more efficient,” she says. 

For Hassan, the technical skills she has gained, such as reading drawings and working with and creating technical documentation, will be indispensable when she returns to her studies and continues to explore different industries.  

Outside of work, Cui enjoys playing badminton and squash. Hassan enjoys swimming, photography, and playing guitar.