Next up on Fibonacci Sequins is our friend from up north, Beverly Shen! Beverly impressed us with her beautiful, colorful pieces as well as her openness about her style being heavily influenced by the strong women in her life, her older sisters Kim and Laura, as well as their mother. We loved photographing Beverly in all of her moods, but especially the “We can do it!” power pose!
Tell us a little about you.
My name is Beverly Shen and I am going into my junior year of computer engineering at the University of Toronto. I’m a Canadian through and through, born and raised in the nation’s capital, Ottawa. I’m currently in my second summer internship on the Microsoft Office team and loving all the experiences and new skills I’m learning here. I don’t know if I chose the engineering life or if it chose me, but with both my parents being computer and electrical engineers, and my grandparents being mechanical engineers, I was immersed into math and sciences from a young age.
Outside of tech, my interests include cooking and arts and crafts. Whenever I’m stressed I like to unwind by either cooking up a storm in the kitchen or attempting DIY tutorials found on Pinterest.
One of my personal goals for this upcoming school year is getting in shape which includes running a 10k and completing Kayla Itsines’ Bikini Body Guide. (Now that I’ve put it out there I feel extra motivated to see these two goals through!)
Tell us about what you’re wearing.
This floral skirt was brought back from Italy by my mother. The bold splashes of colour from floral pattern and the flare of the skirt when I twirl makes me feel dainty and elegant. Going along with that whimsical feeling I lace braided my hair and clipped it up with a cute white bow. In this outfit I feel like I’m dressed for a relaxing afternoon of high tea at the Fairmont Hotel :)
My two older sisters, Kim & Laura bought the red Canada t-shirt for me thinking I’d be homesick during my summer internship away from home. It’s funny how nonchalant Canadians are about being patriotic in Canada, but the second they’re out of the country or the Canadian hockey team is playing it’s all about wearing red maple leafs on their clothing and bags. It was super fun to be all decked out in red and white during Canada Day and see fellow Canadians also sporting red and whites. There was definitely a shared moment of “Yeah! Canadians for the win!”
I purchased the neon green dress from TopShop last year for $20 (such a steal!). I love the bright green hue because it’s definitely not a colour you see every day. I paired my dress with coral flats from Nine West. Bright green and coral are an eccentric colour combo, but like my elementary school art teacher always said, “You can’t go wrong with complementary colours.”
How did your style evolve to what it is now?
While growing up my mom used to love to dress my two older twin sisters and me in matching outfits, so I spent most of my childhood “tripleting” with my sisters. As we grew up we each developed our own sense of style, but that doesn’t stop me from “borrowing” clothing from my sisters’ closets (tripling the size of my wardrobe, without the guilt of having to buy everything!).
Now days as a busy college student my outfits are centered around comfort during the school year, meaning my outfits mainly consist of sneakers, jeans, and a t-shirt or an occasional onesie pajama :P In the summer time when it’s finally warm enough (I <3 Canada, but the winters are just too long) I LOVE wearing dresses, flats and a cardigan. Not going to lie, I wear dresses because they instantly make you look composed and stylish.
Any advice for a young person thinking about getting into a STEM field?
There’s this strange notion perpetrated by popular media that all women in tech/engineering are nerdy and unattractive. But I can tell you first hand, some of the most inspiring and badass women I’ve met are in the tech industry! It can be daunting to learn coding when is seems like everyone who codes is male. I remember being the only girl in my grade 12 AP compsci class and feeling extremely intimidated by all the boys in my class who already knew multiple languages and had written their own apps. But so what if they already know how to code? The whole point of taking the class was to learn how to code!
If science or technology is something you’re interested in, don’t be afraid to take that computer science course or try that engineering workshop because nobody is going to judge you or write you off as uncool, and if anyone does, well maybe they need to refine their definition of cool.
Who inspires you the most?
As cheesy as it sounds my number one role model has always been my mom. I guess you could say I am following in my mother’s footsteps with my choice to major in computer engineering. My mom is one of the most hardworking and intelligent people I know. Never one to shy away from voicing her opinion, my mom taught me the importance of being assertive and well-spoken, which can be a very useful skill in an industry primarily dominated by men. My mom has shown me that despite what some say, women can find a work life balance between motherhood and pursuing excellence in her career. She always told me that gender and race do not determine how far you go in your career, but rather it is diligence and hard work that leads to success.
When I was growing up my mom always encouraged me to try new things and supported me in all my interests, whether it was music, sciences, sports, or anything else. Even as a young adult I can still count on my mom for support and, as a fellow female in the tech industry, I frequently ask her for advice and guidance. I am beyond fortunate to have such an intelligent and strong mother as my role model :)
Thank you Beverly for sharing yourself and your style with us. We had major skirt envy at that gorgeous floral number and we LOVE the colors you chose for your outfits! Till next week where we feature a very special pair of tech + fashion loving sisters!
Love, Dona + Beth