From co-op student to Engineering Supervisor for Stations at FortisBC, UBC Okanagan Electrical Engineering alum Shelby Ravestein reflects on building a career rooted in curiosity and initiative.
- Employer: FortisBC
- Degree: Bachelor of Applied Science
- Program:
- Campus: Okanagan
Finding Her Fit in Electrical Engineering
Shelby started her university career in general sciences, but quickly realized it wasn’t the right environment for her.
She was drawn to the collaborative culture she saw in engineering. “Engineering school had that team-based aspect. Even though you were there for your own grades, your own degree, there was more of a team camaraderie […] and I aligned with that better.”
After transferring into engineering, she gravitated toward electrical for a simple reason: she was good at it. That interest was confirmed after her first year, when she worked a summer job at a hydroelectric expansion project in the Kootenays. Standing inside a massive powerhouse excavation sold her on the high-voltage power sector and utilities more broadly.
Gaining Work Experience Beyond Academics
While at UBC, Shelby balanced her academics and co-op terms with extracurricular activities. She worked in Residence Life and participated in Women in Engineering initiatives.
Looking back, her experiences as Resident Advisor in UBC stands out the most.
“It gave me a bar to set,” she explains. The role offered structured training, strong team support, and clear accountability frameworks. There was autonomy in program development, opportunities to collaborate, and real-time problem-solving during emergency response situations.
“I did a lot of design through school, and then I also worked for Fortis as a co-op student for my entire time as an undergrad”, she says. “I felt that there was… a balance that could be given by having some other experience”.
Building Her Career at FortisBC
Shelby joined FortisBC as a co-op student. Her experiences ranged from distribution standards to system planning to stations maintenance; It was maintenance that ultimately captured her interest after seeing the inside of a high-voltage circuit breaker for the first time.
Following that site visit, she reached out to the senior maintenance engineer to ask if she could join the team. Although there wasn’t an existing position at the time, the senior maintenance supervisor worked to create a co-op opportunity and hired her into the position.
“A lot of opportunities only exist if you go looking for them.”
Through her co-ops, she worked on condition assessments, fleet health analysis, budgeting proposals, and long-term asset planning—work that directly influenced capital investment decisions. After returning as an Engineer-in-Training (EIT), she was able to see those same projects move from analysis to approval, design, construction, and maintenance.
As a co-op, you get real work, Every co-op I was in, I was doing real work that was leading to something, either something being built, something being approved, or something being proposed
A Career Built on Depth
Today, Shelby is the Engineering Supervisor for Stations at FortisBC, leading a team of engineers, designers, EITs, and co-op students. Her team develops issue-for-construction design packages for substations across the Okanagan and Kootenays, supporting both new builds and upgrades.
Shelby has spent her entire career at FortisBC. For her, that consistency provided clarity.
"When I looked at all the different things I could do [as an engineer], I felt lost,” she says. Focusing on one organization allowed her to understand a broad scope of the business and build deep connections. Over the years, she has worked in maintenance, planning, capital projects, and now supervision—all within the same asset class she’s passionate about, alongside people she genuinely enjoys working with.
Staying in her hometown also brought personal rewards. Living in the Kootenays allows her to be close to family, maintain community ties, and build a life aligned with her professional goals.
“It’s not just about the job,” she says. “What else do you want? And how is engineering going to help you achieve that?”
She also offers a practical reminder that life is unpredictable. When considering a career path, ask yourself whether you’d be happy being there for 5, 10, or even 15 years.
Her Advice to Students
“Be brave.”
Shelby encourages students to take initiative, push their boundaries, and speak up about what they want to try, whether that means asking for a role that doesn’t yet exist or stepping into unfamiliar responsibility.
“Being brave will get you farther than you think.”
