Meet Fatou Secka

Fatou Secka earned her Bachelor of Environmental Engineering and is pursuing her Masters of Applied Science in Civil and Resources Engineering from Dalhousie University. In her spare time, she likes to cook, learn new languages, read and explore new places.

When did your love of STEM begin?

STEM has been a passion for as long as I can remember. I have always wanted to pursue a fulfilling career that would positively impact the world and especially the people that live in it. Growing up, I always wanted to be doctor; my favourite show was ER, and as an adult, my favourite show is Grey's Anatomy. I could not think of any other career that would beat "saving lives". I carried that passion all through my educational career until after my first year in university when things took a slight turn. I decided to switch from the Bachelors of Science program to Engineering, which still involved impacting lives.

What is the best part about working in the field of STEM?

The challenges; STEM really challenges you and every time you overcome a challenge, you learn something new about yourself and your capabilities. STEM involves solving challenging problems that mostly affect people. Water and wastewater engineers, for e.g, work hard to ensure that people get clean and save water. Also, the chances of becoming a pioneer are very high.

What advice would you give young women interested in a career in STEM?

To these women, I want them to work towards mastering the art of self-discipline and to never give power to self-doubt; self-doubt happens to the best of us but it never means "incapable". Reflecting on my journey thus far, one thing I realize that I never did was give up, regardless of how hard things got. So be very hardworking because your hard work will always lead to something great even if it isn't immediately apparent. They say, "remember, the day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit".