Industrious student aims high
Raissa El-Haddad enrolled in Concordia’s four-year industrial engineering program as soon as she arrived in Montreal in 2007.
“What I liked about the Concordia program was that it covers both the engineering and the management fields. The possibilities were unlimited,” El-Haddad says. This self-confessed perfectionist was recently honoured with the Jaan Saber Medal, an award given to the most outstanding undergraduate in industrial engineering. Her resumé also features the Concordia Medal, presented by the Concordia University Alumni Association to an undergraduate demonstrating superlative leadership in both academic and non-academic fields. Candidates need outstanding commendations from both peers and the faculty to be eligible for the medal.
At 22, El-Haddad has already amassed some impressive work experience as well. Through her program, she obtained an industrial internship at Pratt & Whitney, where she helped assess data quality tools. Her other internship was in Spain, sponsored through the Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation (CIADI). CIADI’s multidisciplinary mission is to promote awareness and provide leading edge know-how in the field among engineering students. The organization arranged for El-Haddad to work at Airbus Military, on the design and simulated assembly of the A400M aircraft.
El-Haddad’s commitment to CIADI put her in the role of president of their student association in 2010. She also found the time to conduct awardwinning research and serve as a teaching assistant. As if that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, El-Haddad represented Lebanon in International Tennis Federation competition.
Accepted to the master’s program in chemical engineering at McGill, El-Haddad is still considering this next move. “I certainly intend to do a master’s degree but I have to decide whether chemical engineering is the right option for me.” For Raissa El-Haddad, the sky is the limit.
Related links:
• Concordia's Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation
• Airbus Military