b'BCBEC FOUNDATION AWARDS PROFILEBCBECFOUNDATION AWARDS PROFILE:Maya SteenM aya Steen won the BCBEC Foundationsupport. I felt more confident in pursuing opportunities and Award in 2018. Now working at Entuitive asreaching out to people who could guide me further in my early a building envelope specialist, shes workingcareer. A merit-based BCBEC award is tangible proof of abilities towards obtaining her P.L.Eng. designation,and work ethic, which was valuable as I started my job search.having taken the opportunities to ask as many questions as possible and seek guidanceBE:How has BCBEC supported your career?to improve as a professional within the industry. MS: BCBEC is a great resource for networking and knowledge sharing. The luncheons, conferences and community have all BCBEC Elements: What first drew you to the field of provided opportunities to keep me connected to the industry and building science? expand my skills.Maya Steen: My career started in architectural design, particu- BE: What is your favourite part about working forlarly for custom single-family homes. Building codes and otherEntuitive? Why?published guides were relied on for the building envelopeMS: My current favourite thing about the Vancouver office is design of these projects. This piqued my interest in envelopehow balanced the team feels. The group is big enough to offer construction as I felt unsatisfied not knowing the underlyingabundant resources and diverse expertise, but also small enough reasons that governed the design choices. This work was priorthat you get ample one-on-one teaching moments with various to my education at BCIT, where I was able to start learningcolleagues. It feels like a learning environment, which is great about building envelopes and the specific science behind thefor someone early in their career. Im particularly grateful for the design principles. I find much satisfaction in fully knowing thepresence of female mentors in this team; the guidance provided reasoning behind the way something is built, even down to thehas truly enriched my professional growth in ways I havent expe-smallest detail. rienced before in an office setup.BE: What did it mean for you, personally, to receive BE: Do you have any advice for people looking to start a this award? career in building science?MS: Receiving this award really affirmed the path that I hadMS: People in building science genuinely make space for learning chosen in my studies. The program that I was in at the time wasand are eager to offer support. As a student, I pestered many challenging, and this award not only validated my efforts butpeople in the industry with my questions and I always found also relieved some financial burdens. I was very grateful for thethey were happy to provide guidance. So, take the opportunities recognition from the industry as it helped motivate me throughto reach out and be eager to learn from their experience. Assume the rest of my program. that people want to help, since they usually do.BE: How did earning this award affect your career? Visit bcbec.com/bcbec-foundation/awards for more information on MS: Earning this award gave me added recognition andBCBEC Foundation Awards, nomination criteria and how to apply.FALL/WINTER 2023 21'