Putting people at the core of everything we do is paramount at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). We’re proud to be a people-first organization, where employees are supported, valued, and empowered to thrive, both personally and professionally. Through the Our People series on BCIT News, we celebrate the passion, expertise, and impact of individuals who help shape a better future at BCIT and beyond.
Meet Autumn Friesen, an Assistant Instructor in the BCIT School of Energy‘s Mechanical Engineering department. Autumn’s BCIT journey started long before she stepped into the classroom as faculty. After graduating from the BCIT Mechatronics and Robotics program in 2017 and later obtaining an Electrical Engineering degree, she eventually returned in 2021 to teach in the very program that helped launch her career. For the past few years, Autumn has been instrumental in hosting the annual VEX Robotics Regional Championship that takes place at BCIT for high school students. For Autumn, it’s been a full-circle moment — one driven by her love for robotics, an appreciation for applied learning, and a desire to give back to the community that prepared her for job-readiness.
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Describe what your job entails
As an Assistant Instructor, I teach in the labs and maintain our department’s PLC/Microcontroller lab and our Robot Applications lab, as well as all the equipment within. I primarily teach labs for courses in the Mechatronics and Robotics program but I also work with courses in other programs within the Mechanical Engineering department. Around my labs, I’m known for being the one who keeps a stash of snacks in my office and I hand them out to the students sometimes when they all look especially tired or worn down.
What does Pride mean to you?
Pride to me means celebrating who I am as my authentic self. I spent the majority of my life repressing parts of myself to be who I thought I should be, and Pride for me is about celebrating who I am and who I’ve always been on the inside. I only got to the point I’m at today thanks to the friends I’ve made for creating a space that was safe to really embrace who I am, and I’d love to be part of creating spaces like that for others on their own journeys — and Pride is a big part of that.
How do you celebrate Pride?
I celebrate Pride by attending Pride events. For the last few years, I’ve gone to both Burnaby Pride and New West Pride, and have had a wonderful time there, attending and doing some volunteer work at New West Pride. Outside of Pride-specific events, one of the conventions I volunteer at, Vancoufur, raises money for QMUNITY through events at the convention and through the charity auction, where they auction off all the year-specific decorations and stage pieces that are produced by me and the team that I lead for that event.
Who inspires you?
My friends. I never would have had the courage to come out on my own. I’ve been fortunate enough to be friends with some amazing people who have helped me so much on my journey through figuring out my identity and coming out. My friend Blair was extremely helpful — laying out the path for me to start hormone replacement therapy (HRT), telling me who she saw for her readiness assessment, and providing recommendations on the best endocrinologist. She made the whole process much less daunting.
What advice would you give to someone just starting their journey in understanding Pride or allyship?
Check out a Pride event and just talk to people. I’ve had some amazing conversations and learned a lot by chatting with people and learning what Pride is for different people. Plus, a Pride event is usually a ton of fun!
Is there anything else that you’d like to share?
I’m incredibly grateful to be given an opportunity to have a voice here. My students and colleagues here at BCIT have been incredibly kind and supportive of me coming out as trans, and I’ve received some touching words of support from fellow faculty, which highlights to me just how lucky I am to have such wonderful people to work with. I’m also grateful to all of my friends whom I’ve met volunteering with local conventions and events. To Emily, who I’ve only really gotten to know over the last few months but is as close to me as someone I’ve known for decades and helped me pick out my nicest dress and introduced me to my wonderful partner Robyn, who’s amazing and supportive — and I love her.
(Photo credit: Sebastian Arancibia Leiva)
