Sonya Stuhec-Leonard, Radio performance verification
“Safe and reliable connectivity should be a universal right”
Internet access should not be a question of location. Sonya Stuhec-Leonard, who forms part of Syntronic’s radio performance verification team in Canada, wants everyone to have the ease and safety of communication – regardless of where they live.
We spoke to Sonya about her career choice, passion for technology, and dream of contributing to improved connectivity in the world’s most remote areas.
For many office workers, video calls are a nothing more than a practical but less inspiring alternative to real-life meetings. For Sonya, who is interested in the hidden processes behind them, they are a source of constant fascination. “I have always been interested in how and why solutions actually work. In high school, I fell in love with electromagnetics.” She shares. “I still find it fascinating that I can see and hear you right now, even though you are at Syntronic’s headquarters in Sweden and I’m in Canada, just because we have discovered how to manipulate electromagnetic waves to see and hear each other across great distances,” she adds.
“Connectivity should be a fundamental right."
On the screen, Sonya’s face is animated when she talks about how her fascination with electromagnetics grew even stronger after high school. She studied engineering at Carleton University, a leading research and teaching institution in Ottawa.
It was while deepening her knowledge in telecommunication, radio science, electromagnetics, and 5G that Sonya’s interest in remote area connectivity solutions saw the light of day. “I spend a lot of time thinking about technology’s potential to improve the lives of people who currently have little or no access to it,” she says. “Connectivity should be a fundamental right but actually, it is right now a privilege that not everyone has. I hope to be able to contribute to creating universal accessibility through solutions for better remote area connectivity.”
Interesting projects
The opportunity to making a difference through technology is one of the reason Sonya chose to join Syntronic in 2019, after having obtained her degree. “I saw that Syntronic worked on interesting projects with interesting clients,” she remembers. “Many of the aspects of technology that interest me, such as how we connect with each other across the world, 5G applications, and RVP testing, are areas that Syntronic’s teams have experience of and expertise in.”
What Sonya also appreciates about Syntronic is above all the opportunity to work with like-minded people, who share the same drive and passion for technological development. “The people are one of the most important aspects. To be part of a great team and to be able to work with them on a variety of interesting projects is very gratifying,” she says.
The benefit of flexibility
The flexibility is another advantage of her work that Sonya appreciates. She believes that the opportunity to work with a myriad of different projects facilitates professional growth.
“Currently, I’m focusing on RPV testing, which I really enjoy, but I know that if I want to try something else, I have the possibility to do that with Syntronic,” she comments. “Working for a flexible company means that I’m able to grow in my career, while I continue to work with a great team.”
"My goal is to keep growing and learning."
Progress, growth, and development is important to Sonya, both on a professional and on a personal level. That is why she is now pursuing her second degree – a master’s in engineering – at Carleton University. She also has several athletically oriented goals. One of them is to complete an triathlon next summer. Sonya also spends a lot of time cycling and running to keep her mind sharp. “At work, my goal is to keep growing and learning as much as possible. Syntronic is a great place to do that,” she concludes.
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