Student-athlete is a force on and off the court

Hellen Luvizetti Lacava

Hellen Luvizetti Lacava

  • Degree: Bachelor of Applied Science
  • Program:
  • Campus: Okanagan
  • Year: 4th year

 

Why did you want to study engineering?

I have always loved tall buildings and been fascinated by how they’re built. And since I liked math and physics in high school, civil engineering was the obvious choice. Once I decided on my path, I had no desire to change.

What are some of the highlights of your education so far?

In first year, you do a technical design project using SolidWorks. The challenge was to design something that would improve the quality of life in residence. It was a lot of fun because you could invent anything you wanted and the professor really encouraged us to go beyond what was taught in class. Many students in residence were frustrated by motion-controlled lights that turned off when they were studying. So we designed and 3D-printed a device that you could control with an app on your phone and that would move in front of the motion sensor to keep the light on while studying. My team came in first in the final design competition.

Image
Helen playing volleyball

Why did you choose UBC?

I am originally from Brazil and wanted to be at a university where I could play volleyball. I came to UBC in 2019 on an athletic scholarship and I play on the UBCO Heat women’s volleyball team.   

UBCO Heat

Are you involved in any clubs?

I’m President of the Student Chapter of the UBC Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. We run events to connect students to industry to make it more real what we do in school.

CSCE Student Chapter

What’s it like being on the varsity volleyball team?

It’s intense! Training starts in August and we travel for games every weekend from October through April. There are two hours of practice a day, along with a one-hour workout. This is now my third year playing with UBCO Heat and it’s probably the best team we have so far. Last year we were fourth in our league, which was really good, particularly given that the top three times placed in the top three in the national championship.

UBCO Heat

Image
UITR

Somehow you also have time for a part-time job!

I am a Research Study Assistant at the UBC Integrated Transportation Research Lab. Right now I am collecting data related on whether travel behaviour has changed after COVID-19. I work with a great team and it’s very rewarding to be part of this group and learn more about research.

UBC UiTR

What are your goals after you graduate?

On the volleyball side, I would love to play professional volleyball after completing school and a big dream would be to part of a national team.

And I want to work with tall structures. When I see tall skyscrapers – the highest of the highest – I know that I want to be part of that construction process. I also know that I want to be out on sites and not just in front of a computer.

Any advice for other students?

In my first year I went all out and tried to give 100 percent on everything. That was exhausting. I’ve learned to ease up and slow down. I’ve learned that it’s ok to not get top marks and to take an extra year to do my degree. And it’s totally worth it. I’m part of a club, I work, I play volleyball, and I have time for friends and my boyfriend. When you talk to people in industry you quickly learn that they want to hire people who have a life beyond school.

Tell us about your favourite on-campus experiences!

Favourite class: APSC 171 
Favourite coffee shop on campus: Tim Hortons 
Favourite lunch spot: EME 2nd floor, next to the microwave 
Favourite study spot: Library anytime 
Favourite place on campus to meet up with friends: In front of Tim Hortons, courtyard

headshot

Learn more about Helen's experience at UBC Engineering

Read more about Helen's 4th-year experience.

You can also reach out with any questions: Chat with Helen.

Two students standing in an outdoor stairwell observing the project site.

Civil Engineering

Civil engineers are in high demand, working for example as project managers or design consultants, across all industrial sectors and government. Focus your creativity and help build tomorrow’s world.

Civil Engineering

Discover Student Experiences

UBC Applied Science students are people who are passionate about their chosen field — architecture, landscape architecture, community and regional planning, engineering and nursing — and those that inspire others by making meaningful contributions to the betterment of society.

Browse Student and Alumni Spotlights
UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. E-commerce Cart A shopping cart. Time A clock. Chats Two speech clouds. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. Social Media The globe is the default icon for a social media platform. TikTok The logo for the TikTok social media platform. Calendar Location Home A house in silhouette. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Telephone An antique telephone. Play A media play button. Search A magnifying glass. Arrow indicating share action A directional arrow. Speech Bubble A speech bubble. Star An outline of a star. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. User A silhouette of a person. Vimeo The logo for the Vimeo video sharing service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service. Future of work A logo for the Future of Work category. Inclusive leadership A logo for the Inclusive leadership category. Planetary health A logo for the Planetary health category. Solutions for people A logo for the Solutions for people category. Thriving cities A logo for the Thriving cities category. University for future A logo for the University for future category.