From Science Olympian to Professional Engineer
Professional engineer Nick Wong isn’t sure if anyone is really born to be an engineer, but as someone who grew up “an unapologetic nerd,” his need to know was more of a passion than a curiosity.
Wong was the kid at the front of the class asking questions just before the bell rang, long after his classmates’ interest waned. And when he didn’t understand what he got wrong on a test, he went straight to his teacher’s desk to find out why. “I didn’t care if they thought my questions were stupid,” he says. “I had to understand.” As the Calgary-born son of parents who immigrated to Canada at a young age, Wong says he was supported, not pressured, into the engineering life. “I like painting, sculpting, and photography, so I could have gone the artistic route, and my parents would have been fine with that. I never had that ‘You’re going to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer’ thing—especially since there was a serious lack of engineers in my family!”
Support—no matter what
What his family members lacked in professional engineer designations, they made up for in old-world practicality, especially his mother’s ability to turn leftovers into different meals, washing and reusing sandwich bags to store the “new” leftovers. Wong says his mom’s “scarcity mindset” subtly seeped into his habits, so that even before he knew he wanted to be an engineer, he knew he’d take a practical career path.
“I loved math in elementary, but I still thought, how am I going to use this? It wasn’t until I took part in the APEGA Science Olympics in Grade 9 that I first understood how all this math I loved could apply to the real world.”
Engineering memories
When the day came in 2013, Wong recalls being nervous heading into the basement of Calgary’s Big Four Building. He remembers the APEGA logo on his T-shirt, though at the time he didn’t know what the acronym meant. Besides the pasta bridge challenge and some skill-testing questions, he doesn’t remember the other events—but he does remember being “insufferable to my friends, family, and anyone who would listen that our team came in second at the Science Olympics.”
His strongest memory of that day is of being surrounded by so many similarly curious students from other schools, all pursuing their yet-to-be-determined passions under the guidance of professionals living lives the students could one day lead. “I remember looking at the APEGA volunteer at our table like they had this aura of wisdom and cool, because they worked in the industry and knew vastly more than I could have imagined at the time,” he says. “As a 14-year-old, when you sit down with a real person with a real career, it feels crazy, especially for someone who didn’t have anyone working a STEM [science, technology, engineering, mathematics] job in my family.”
Giving back
Wong’s high school didn’t participate in the Science Olympics, so his next interaction with APEGA was in 2016–2017 when he took chemical engineering at the University of Calgary. There, as part of the APEGA Student Liaison Committee, he worked with APEGA staff and other volunteers to set up résumé reviews, mock interviews, and networking events for students.
In January 2025, he proudly received his professional engineer designation. Shortly after, he noticed a call in APEGA’s newsletter for registrants to volunteer at the upcoming Science Olympics, which instantly brought him back to 12 years before. “I just smiled, reached out to a couple engineer friends, and we signed up.”
Just like he was when he was 14, he arrived with some nerves. But he was quickly put at ease by the same eager energy of students who were just as diligent in their work as he was—and just as adamant about seeking academic justice.
With the rubric in hand, Wong watched the students work together on their challenges and enjoyed his full-circle moment. And at the end, when some students came up to him to find out exactly why he didn’t give them full marks, “it just brought me back to when I behaved the exact same way, because they want to get on that podium too.”
Inspiring future professionals
Those same students are now headed down a path that will take them to a career of their choosing. Of course, they won’t all become engineers like Wong, but through his volunteerism and desire to spark the same excitement in them as he felt as a child, he’s given them a glimpse into their possible futures.
“In another life, maybe I wouldn’t have been an engineer,” says Wong. “So I would say I was made into one through multiple experiences. The students from that day won’t remember me, specifically, but that day showed them some possible paths, whether they take them or not. And, as a volunteer, it was another step on my professional path that started at my first Science Olympics.”