Sophia Eiley ’24 is in her second year of civil engineering at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, where she also competes as a varsity soccer player. Alongside her studies and athletics, she is involved with Engineers in Action, working with students from other universities to design a footbridge for a rural community in Peru. In November, Sophia was a recipient of the 2025 Women in Technology Scholarship from the BC Scholarship Society, recognizing not only her academic success, but the way she applies engineering thinking beyond the classroom.
A Different Way of Thinking
When Sophia reflected on how her time at SMUS shaped her preparation for engineering, she was quick to credit the strength of the school’s math and science teaching. At the same time, she found herself returning to lessons from English and History classes, where she developed ways of thinking that continue to guide her work today.
She traces that shift most clearly to the time spent with History teacher Adrian French. History, she said, was not about memorizing dates. It was about research, context, and justification — understanding why something happened, what led to it, and what followed.
“That way of thinking shows up everywhere in engineering,” she said. “Something happens because of something else. There’s always a system.”
When she began tackling advanced math, physics, and engineering courses at university, the problems were new, but the thinking felt familiar. She learned to step back, see the whole picture, and work through complexity with purpose.
“Engineering is about how you think,” she said. “Doing the math is one thing. Understanding how to learn and apply it is another.”
She found a similar connection from her English classes at SMUS with Susan MacDonald, where clarity and precision mattered as much as creativity. Learning how to distill ideas and communicate concisely became a skill she now applies directly to technical problem-solving.
Curiosity in Practice
Sophia’s curiosity was evident early on. Since joining SMUS in Grade 6, she was encouraged to ask questions and follow ideas. That mindset took shape through a science fair project she began in Grade 7, exploring how spent coffee grounds could be converted into biodiesel. She continued to revisit and develop the idea over several years, eventually sharing the work with BC Ferries, where engineers reviewed her proposal and responded with thoughtful feedback on both the technical and economic aspects of the project. The project had limitations, but the experience reinforced something important: ideas are worth pursuing, even when they are imperfect.
That curiosity continues today. Sophia keeps a notebook filled with questions and half-formed ideas she wants to return to later.
“I think everything starts by not making sense,” she said.
That openness to uncertainty, paired with discipline and follow-through, shaped the choices she made after graduation.
Balancing Academics and Athletics
Sophia arrived at UBC Okanagan as a committed student-athlete. She chose the campus for its balance of strong academics, varsity athletics, and a close-knit community. Balancing engineering and soccer requires discipline and careful time management, but it is a challenge she embraces.
On the field, the transition to university athletics was significant. The pace was faster, the competition more physical, and many of her teammates were several years older. Over the past two seasons, the UBCO women’s soccer team has advanced to the playoffs, a reflection of both performance and cohesion.
As one of the only engineering students on the team, Sophia’s class schedule runs later in the day than her teammates’. Rather than feeling isolated, she found support.
“[My teammates] would wait to have dinner with me,” she said. “There’s a strong sense of community.”
Sport has also shaped how she leads. In engineering courses, where group projects are constant, she draws on lessons learned as a soccer team captain at SMUS. In one early university project, frustration toward a struggling member of her group began to escalate. Sophia stepped in to calm the situation and remind the others there would be another opportunity for success, redirecting the group toward problem-solving. The teaching assistant later told the class she had never seen a student handle a situation that way.
Resilience Built Through Challenge
That calm leadership was built through challenge. Sophia spoke openly about being rejected from sports teams when she was younger, and the choice those moments forced her to make.
“I could take that as, ‘I’m not good enough,’” she said. “Or I could go put in the work.”
She chose to practice on her own, ask for feedback, and try again. That persistence now extends far beyond sport. When pressure or self-doubt surfaces in university, she relies on preparation, perspective, and self-belief.
“I kind of pump myself up,” she said. “Like, ‘I can do this.’”
Looking Ahead
As she looks ahead, Sophia is increasingly drawn to innovative engineering work that is collaborative, practical, and rooted in real human needs. Projects like Engineers in Action have helped clarify the kind of impact she hopes to make, whether through earthquake-resilient design, community infrastructure, or other forms of problem-solving that extend beyond the classroom. She wants to build things that matter, and to help communities withstand challenges before they become crises.
For current SMUS students, her advice is simple and earned.
“Try as many things as you can,” she said. “You learn time management, resilience, and how to work hard.”
Those qualities, she believes, are not fixed.
“They’re skills,” she said. “And you can learn them.”
