Waterloo Engineering alum talks about the iron ring’s impact on her career and its call for all engineers to serve society
For 100 years, Canadian-trained engineers have participated in The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, an annual event at which they take an oath to uphold their profession’s values and in return, receive an iron ring—a small but mighty symbol of their solemn commitment to serve society.
For University of Waterloo alum Stephanie Thompson (BASc ’01), the ring is a unifier, reminding all who wear it to do work that pays attention to technical excellence but also, crucially, to how the work they do impacts people’s lives.
"I’m an engineer but I don’t build bridges or buildings, Thompson says. “What I do is build teams and help other people succeed. The iron ring’s commitment extends to all aspects of engineering, particularly now when automated and intelligent technologies are advancing so fast. It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of new ways of doing things but in my line of work, it’s the humans that matter most.”
Lead with interest in others
Thompson’s impressive 24-year career at General Motors is defined by leadership and teamwork, bringing the right people together on projects and steering their collaboration to achieve success. This dedication to empowering people was further realized in 2019 when she founded STEM by Steph, an initiative that encourages women and girls to see themselves in the science, technology, engineering and math fields.
In 2022, Thompson became the director at Innovate Niagara, a regional innovation centre in Ontario that helps entrepreneurs develop their ideas into established businesses. And she’s a mom, possibly her most important role of all, to a bright, busy and infinitely curious nine-year-old daughter. Her plate is very full and incredibly rewarding, a joy-filled juggling act supported by her husband Richard, that plays to her strengths, giving her ample opportunity to do what she loves—mentor young talent, champion women and build bridges between education and industry.
“Socially impactful work means creating change that outlasts you,” Thompson says. “When people who attend my STEM workshops tell me they’d never thought of science or engineering as something they could do, I know I’m making a difference, advocating for those underrepresented at the STEM table and giving them a voice.”
Put a ring on it
Thompson remembers her iron ring ceremony with her classmates at Waterloo as both intensely emotional and lots of fun. Marking more than the end of a degree, it was a symbolic passage from student to professional.
“We began the day with laughter and chaos, dressed in outrageous Value Village outfits, exuberantly making our way across campus to meet up with engineers from all graduating classes,” she says. “But then came the ceremonial transformation—formal clothes, quiet reverence and the full understanding of our responsibility as engineers.”
This responsibility is under the spotlight today as rapid innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics raises important questions around ethics and trust. In times like these, Thompson believes the iron ring’s legacy is critical.
“When I started working, we were building and creating the systems that engineers are now quickly evolving for increasingly complex and data-heavy work,” she says. “Tech-driven tools are now part of everyone’s everyday—the potential for misuse is very real so we need to stop and think before we do. This calls for engineers who don’t just build technically proficient systems but question, collaborate and help shape society’s values in the process.”
In a profession tasked with guiding the world through precarious waters, Thompson encourages current and future engineers to lead with empathy and focus on service rather than self-promotion.
“I feel pride when I look at my iron ring,” she says. “It’s reflective of my academic achievement, community service and the career I’ve built. It’s about doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”
Feature image: Stephanie Thompson (left) with Dr. Mary Wells, dean of Waterloo Engineering. Photo supplied by Stephanie Thompson.
