U of G Student Leader to Represent Engineering Voices Across Canada
As of April 1, 2025, Emma Sanderson, a fourth-year environmental engineering student at the University of Guelph (U of G), stepped into a key leadership role for Canadian engineering students as president of the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES). The national, bilingual non-profit organization represents more than 85,000 students from 50 engineering schools across Canada, aiming to enhance student experience and engineering education.
Sanderson has long been motivated by student engagement and a sense of community, inspired by her own experiences. As CFES President, Sanderson will focus on strengthening the organization’s structure and rebuilding connections across regions, an area she noted could use attention following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her main goal is to unify the four regional member organizations—West, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic—to ensure that students from all areas feel represented. “It’s important that every student feels heard and valued, regardless of the size of their school or society,” Sanderson said.
She also aims to facilitate smooth transitions between leadership roles and ensure better continuity.
Sanderson has always sought involvement in extracurriculars and was inspired through professional development opportunities as a co-op student in the Region of Waterloo’s Waste Management department. She eventually applied for a CFES commissioner role and was selected as the Leadership Development Commissioner, where she worked on initiatives like hosting the Lean Six Sigma conference to help students earn professional certifications. “It nurtured my interest in helping people move up into leadership positions and gain valuable credentials that will help them in the future,” Sanderson says, with a focus on providing tangible professional development opportunities that CFES members could use on their resumes.
Before her national role, Sanderson became familiar with CFES while serving as the Vice President External for the Guelph Engineering Society (EngSoc), where she represented U of G at national discussions and collaborated with peers across the country. At the CFES Annual General Meeting, she learned that the president role was unfilled and decided to step up after encouragement from her peers.
During her first year of university, she was determined to branch out and build new friendships outside of her residence hall on the heels of COVID-19. “Getting to participate in events toward the end of that year helped me build those connections,” she says.
With encouragement from her student mentor Kelly Ward—a Big Sister in the WISE BSLS program and an active EngSoc member—Sanderson joined more clubs in her second year and took on her first role in EngSoc as an academic representative.
Over the past four years since, Sanderson has participated in several student leadership roles on campus, including with the Guelph Engineering Society, the Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race Team, and the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Big Sisters, Little Sisters (BSLS) program.
Grace Ly, former EngSoc president, was also a key mentor to Sanderson, offering guidance on structure, involvement, and school-level change. “She’s my encyclopedia,” Sanderson said, reflecting on Lee’s support as she stepped into a senior role as VP External.
Sanderson encourages engineering students to get involved, even when the path is challenging.
“Don’t let failure scare you,” she said, explaining how after running for president at the school and regional levels, she kept going and eventually won nationally. “If one door closes, another will open. What kept me going was the motivation and passion to make a change and improve the lives of those around me.”