Kyle Weber knew he was ready for a change.
After several years of working his way up the ranks in an electronics installation company and with a young and growing family, he decided to make the leap into Memorial University’s engineering program.
Now, with the support of generous donors along the way, Mr. Weber is looking ahead to a different kind of future for himself and his family.
Finding a path back to academics
After he finished high school in his hometown of Winnipeg, Man., he moved to Torbay, N.L., with his family.
“I’d never seen the ocean before that,” said Mr. Weber, who enrolled at Memorial soon after relocating. “I started with a physics degree. But of course, financial pressures, and things happened, and I unfortunately had to drop out to work full time. It was years and years until I found the chance to come back.”
After leaving university, he spent 12 years working his way up from doing commercial audio-visual installations to a leadership role.
He says he enjoyed working collaboratively and discovered that he had a natural talent for leading a team.
However, life was progressing: he got married, and as he and his wife contemplated starting a family, it was time for a change.
“You know, sometimes the big thing is knowing you’ve got to change your direction,” he explained. “I wasn’t getting as much satisfaction and joy out of what I was doing anymore. I felt like I was at that point that I’ve done as much as I can to help [the company]. It’s okay to pivot. It’s okay to make a change.”
He says he often had people telling him he had the mind of an engineer.
With encouragement from his spouse, he decided to put the idea to the test and applied to the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.
It felt like a big risk to give up a stable position, he says, and it might not have happened if the timing was different.
Mr. Weber’s daughter arrived 11 months into his program.
He wonders if he would have gone back to school if she had been born earlier.
“I wouldn’t have returned to school if I had my daughter beforehand just because, you know, you don’t feel like you’d be able to quit your full-time job and go back to school when you have an infant. So, I’m very thankful that I was able to get in before.”
He says the only thing he might have changed with regards to his baby’s birth was the specific month, he says with a laugh.
“She was born about 10 days before exams. That means every August, birthday and exams!”
Receiving support made a difference
Not only did he get into his program, but he was pleasantly surprised to receive multiple donor-funded bursaries, including the H. John McDonald Memorial Bursary, the Crowley Bursary and the Professional Engineers and Geologists N.L. Bursary.
“You know, support from bursaries and even stipends, I didn’t know about that being a scenario,” Mr. Weber said. “And then seeing the actual faces of people that provide the support for that is phenomenal.”
His academic journey also included a community service learning work term through the Engineering Cooperative Education Office — another opportunity made possible through donor support.
“Seeing the actual faces of people that provide the support for that is phenomenal.”
Despite some initial feelings of what Mr. Weber describes as “imposter syndrome”, he quickly found his footing in the Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Program, where he says he often draws on his professional experience and penchant for leadership.
He says he really enjoys the problem-solving and teamwork aspects of engineering.
“I like being able to help lead a team toward a solution. And I like seeing people succeed. And I really enjoy that satisfaction of knowing that you help them get where they’re going. That’s kind of a passion, being able to work in teams and really see the success happen out of that, even if it’s not my own.”
Next steps
Looking ahead, Mr. Weber is taking a strategic approach to his studies.
He says he hopes to work in Newfoundland and Labrador’s energy industry and that his family has a long-term home in the province.
“I’d say I should have done it earlier, but I feel like I did it at the right time.”
He says he is grateful for the generous support he has received on his Memorial journey and the opportunities the university has provided to him and his family.
His wife has a close-knit family here, so he wants to stay as close as he can to home.
“Right now, I’m very keen on the transition to clean energy and how I can help grow the province,” he said. “And that’s why I like where the province is leading. And I would never regret coming back to university. I’d say I should have done it earlier, but I feel like I did it at the right time.”
Donating to Memorial
Memorial University donors’ generosity makes a difference for student success.
One hundred per cent of every donation goes to a donor’s chosen award or intended area of support.
For more information about giving to Memorial University or to donate in support of our students, please visit the Office of Development and Alumni Engagement.
