Heritage

My name is Matej Mincev. I am 20 years old and I was born in Skopje, Macedonia. When I was two years old, my parents and I moved to Canada, where we settled in Toronto. As a child growing up in Canada, I was exposed to many different cultures throughout my education and within my extracurricular activities. This is where my passion for languages arose, and, by enrolling in language-intensive middle and high school programs, I learned to speak French and Spanish fluently. On top of my appreciation for new cultures, I also enjoyed learning about math and science, since their applications in our daily lives are limitless and significant. After finishing high school, I decided to pursue a bilingual degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Ottawa, where I am currently in my third year of studies. My goal is to graduate from university and to work in the design sector of the automotive industry.

Success Story

For as long as I can remember, being able to help other people is something that has always been a personal goal of mine. It provides me with a personal satisfaction and pleasure that is beyond anything I can describe, but, most importantly, it would mean that the other person is taken care of. When I found out that I can apply math and science to make the world a better place, I knew that engineering was the right discipline for me, and I have never looked back since. Overall, engineering is about improving the lives of humans by using technology, physics and many other scientific methods to help solve problems in the real world: this is of a great interest to me since it inspires me to change the world for the better.

Throughout my studies at university, I have completed a wide variety of projects for my courses, ranging from programming to computer-aided design to electronics. One project that I am particularly fond of was for my first year engineering design course, where a client needed help for an engineering-related duty. My team was tasked with designing and building a robotic arm mechanism that would need to integrate itself with a robot that cleaned the beaches of the city. After researching, conceptualizing and manufacturing the properly-designed arm, which operated using a conveyor belt, it was a great personal joy of mine when our project was successfully incorporated into the functionality of the robot. I was very pleased because following our efforts, my team was able to help properly solve the issue of a client through the use of various engineering principles and methods: the goal that we set out for ourselves was therefore accomplished.

Giving Back to the Homeland

Whenever someone has asked where I am from, I proudly reply that I am from Macedonia. I believe that being a part of the Macedonia 2025 project is a great way to contribute to the future generations of my home country. Through Macedonia 2025, I would love to connect and collaborate with other amazing young Macedonians who live throughout the world in order to share different perspectives and ideas regarding the programs and projects that this organization brings to the table.