Alumni Highlights: Sarah Gauthier

For January’s Alumni Highlights feature, we catch up with Sarah Gauthier (BE’03, MEng’14) a College of Engineering grad. Sarah is the manager of project engineering at Delco Automation Inc. and co-founder of Missinippi Water Solutions Inc.

By Sean Conroy
Sarah's team of engineers design water treatment systems focusing on technologies such as reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, microfiltration, membrane de-gasification, and media filtration. Sarah was appointed to the FHQ Developments' Board of Directors in September 2014. She has also serves as a board member of the Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) and SaskPower.

Tell us about the campus when you went to the U of S; how is it different today?

Technology has changed a lot since I started.  It definitely would have been rare to see a student with a cell phone or laptop, and I don't believe any of my course content would have been available online.  I also remember dialing in via landline to register for classes as quickly as possible.  A lot of campus infrastructure has definitely changed; upper and lower Place Riel, Marquis Hall, the new Kinesiology building, Louis', the Health Sciences building, Stadium Parkade and the addition of Tim Horton's cafes!

What's one of your favourite memories you had outside of the classroom?

I'm not sure I could choose just one!  My favourites all involve spending time with friends and developing some life-long friendships.

Overall, how was your U of S experience?

I enjoyed my student experience! I learned how to manage my time more efficiently, but also to relax and take myself less seriously.  I felt very encouraged by my professors, so that helped with feeling competent as a young professional entering the work force.

How did going to the U of S shape your career?

Over the course of my studies, I evolved from being a student who was fairly intimidated by the university to a student who was more confident taking on challenges in new environments.  I learned a lot of life lessons. For me, one of the biggest is that the road to success really begins with showing up.

What did you wish you would have known on your first day at the U of S?

In retrospect, I wish I had embraced and appreciated the moment more, rather than thinking that the experience was something to "get through" in order to start my life.  I cherish those years now as a time that fostered independence and allowed me to begin to create the life I wanted.

Check in for monthly Q&As with alumni from all the U of S colleges, as talk about their life after the U of S and how being on this campus shaped their careers. In case you missed any previous features, you can read them here.