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This article is part of a series focusing on the grads of the Dalhousie Class of 2025. Spring Convocation takes place May 30 and from June 9-19 in Halifax and Truro. Read all our profiles听here in one place听as they are published.

If you see an Amazon Prime truck rolling down your street, Shivam Chauhan is one of the people working behind the scenes to make sure you receive your package.

He may be only days into training for his role as area manager for the company's massive Halifax distribution warehouse, but as he wraps up another night shift, Shivam is already feeling grateful for the experience, the opportunity, and for the decision to study industrial engineering at Dalhousie.

Shivam had his pick of top schools across Canada and the United States when it came time to choose a university. Originally from India, he considered following his brother to the U.S., but Canada鈥檚 welcoming immigration policies and the possibility of permanent residency led him north.

Dal鈥檚 engineering culture stands out as especially strong and unique

He applied to some of the country鈥檚 most competitive engineering programs, including the University of Waterloo, the University of Toronto, and Carleton University. But there was something about the culture and opportunities at Dalhousie Engineering that stood out.

鈥淒al has much lower fees compared to other similar reputable schools,鈥� he explains. 鈥淎nd another thing I really like about Dalhousie is that engineering has its own campus. I鈥檝e visited many engineering schools across Canada, and Dal鈥檚 engineering culture stands out as especially strong and unique.鈥�

A smooth transition

As an international student, the transition from India to Dalhousie Engineering was smoother than he expected. Although COVID-19 delayed his move to Canada until his second year, Shivam jumped right into life at Dal Engineering the moment he landed in Halifax. He started by joining the Dalhousie Diploma of Engineering Society (DES).

鈥淢y first year I didn't get much chance to interact with people and make new friends, and so I thought by joining DES, it would be a great opportunity to get involved and get to know everyone,鈥� he says.

He was pleasantly surprised by how many opportunities were available at Dal and how easy it was to get involved with student societies, groups and design teams. Over time, he took part in a number of campus activities and served in leadership roles, including as vice-president finance and administration of the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES) and vice-president finance of the 2023 Atlantic Engineering Competition.

Shivan, left, with friends.听

Finding his way

But one of the things he liked most about Dal Engineering was the opportunity to explore different engineering disciplines before choosing a program.

Unlike many universities that require students to choose their engineering specialization before starting, Dalhousie allows students to decide at the end of their first year. Shivam, who had a strong interest in physics, admits he would have initially picked electrical engineering, but that would have been the wrong fit.

鈥淚 think somewhere along the way my interests changed,鈥� he says, 鈥淒uring my first year, I was excelling through all of my courses, even physics, which is considered hard, but my interest shifted. I just liked the idea of having a broad range of skill set instead of just focusing on specific thing.鈥�

That led him to industrial engineering.

With a strong track record of Industrial Engineering students receiving job offers from their co-op employers, Shivam felt confident about landing a full-time role after graduation. Although he was also offered a position with his former co-op company, the opportunity to work at Amazon was too appealing to turn down.

Life after Dal
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Although he is still completing Amazon鈥檚 training program, Shivam is no stranger to hard work, and the overnight hours (he starts his shift at 1 a.m.) don鈥檛 bother him. In fact, he enjoys the fast-paced environment, especially during the night when the facility is at its busiest.

In his role, he鈥檚 responsible for improving the overall efficiency of the site by analyzing and enhancing key performance indicators. His job involves streamlining processes such as picking, scanning, and sorting to boost accuracy and productivity. While the role is challenging, he credits his industrial engineering background for giving him the skills to succeed.

With his official training wrapping up after Amazon鈥檚 Prime Day at the end of July, Shivam will travel to Washington to meet with the company鈥檚 leadership team before returning to Halifax to fully step into his new role.

While he settles into life at Amazon, he鈥檚 quick to point out that there鈥檚 a bit of sadness about leaving campus life.

鈥淭he Dal Engineering community is well bonded because we are separated from the main campus, but now the distance from all the people that I鈥檝e known for many years makes me upset.鈥�

But with that, he adds, comes a sense of pride and achievement.

鈥滻'm excited to work towards self-improvement by practicing Amazon's famous Leadership Principles in daily life. And using my industrial engineering skills to lead lean processes and operational excellence to make sure customers receive smiles on time.鈥�