When I was a kid, I never dreamed of becoming an engineer or a software developer. I wasn't playing around with robots or computers. Nobody in my family had a background in STEM. What I did know was that I loved math and science, and I always had questions about why the world worked the way it did. But even more than that, I loved singing, playing piano, and goofing around on Just Dance Wii.
My name is Alexis Moutafis-Tymcio and I'm a 4th year software and biomedical engineering student at McMaster. (Maybe you know me as the MES President!) Clearly, I didn't end up pursuing an artistic career, but that doesn't mean I gave up on those passions entirely. In fact, I can trace a lot of my professional success back to those exact same interests.
When I started my first year at Mac, the first club I knew I wanted to join was the McMaster Engineering Musical. A comedic musical about life in engineering? A group of 100 students with similar interests? Sign me up! I was selected as a cast member for the 2022 production, Shreng (Shrek, but engineering), and I learned a lot from that experience: how to act on stage, vocal and dance techniques, projection, projection, PROJECTION! Some weekends, rehearsals took up to 15 hours, and during production week, I spent half my day in the theatre. It was a surreal experience – I loved every moment of it, and I've continued to be a part of the musical every year since then.
What I didn't realize at the time was the wealth of transferrable skills I was learning in the process. When you have to scream and sing and make dramatized expressions in front of 1000 people, giving a school or a work presentation becomes much less intimidating. Being immersed in that atmosphere teaches you how to tell a story and communicate effectively, which I've leveraged in everything from public speaking to technical writing.
Putting together a musical production requires strong teamwork. Learning to understand a director's creative vision is much like learning to understand a manager's goals: they have their own targets, and you have yours. You also have to work with other cast members, the band, and crew, each with their own areas of expertise. If you want to pull off a successful production, you need to communicate your thoughts clearly and collaborate gracefully; sometimes you get your spotlight moment, and sometimes you let others take centre stage.
Another key skill I've learned is the art of improvisation. When something goes wrong onstage, you have to keep going, with only seconds to figure out what to do. You can plan ahead as carefully as possible, but the real world is unpredictable. Preparation is key, but so is adaptability. I've brought this principle into my engineering work, whether it's debugging a live project demo or adapting to a client's changing requirements. It's problem solving, in real-time, whether in front of a supervisor or hundreds of people.
In my second and third year (for Hamleng and Beetlejoules), in addition to being a cast member, I also took on the role of Lead Advertising Manager. Taking on this extra responsibility taught me about time management and prioritization (as if 10-15 hours per week on cast wasn't enough of a challenge!) and how to mentor a team, nurturing their creativity and teaching them graphic design tools.
So, you might be wondering: how has this translated into my life? I've used these skills and talked about these experiences in job interviews, and I'm always surprised at how positively it gets received! It definitely boosts my odds of success when looking for a co-op. Being part of the musical has also inspired me to join the recreational dance team, helping me stay physically active during the year. How I became MES President can even be attributed to my involvement in the musical (…but that's a story for another time!)
Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned from my time here, though, is how important it is to keep up interests outside of my professional life. It's great that so much from this club is applicable to my work, but ultimately, its greatest value is that it gives me a creative outlet that I wouldn't otherwise get through my academic pursuits. At the end of the day, our careers only define one aspect of who we are.
It is very much possible to have a vibrant life outside of my engineering degree, and I plan to keep this with me after I graduate. I'm not exactly sure what that will look like – whether that's signing up for dance classes, joining a community theatre, or taking part in a choir – but I know that it will continue to be a part of my life.
In the closer future, though, I'll be spending my weekends rehearsing for the 2025 Mac Eng Musical – The Odyssey! We'll be performing March 13th-15th and I am so excited for these next few months. You can check out @macengmusical on Instagram or macengmusical.com for more updates – who knows, maybe you'll be inspired to join by the end of it :)