Meet Warisha Ahmad
Warisha Ahmad graduated with a Honours Bachelor of Engineering, a degree in Environmental Engineering from University of Guelph. She currently works as a Engineer-In-Training in Civil Engineering at WT Infrastructure Solutions Inc. In her spare time, Warisha likes to sing, play guitar and horseback ride.
When did your love of STEM begin?
Being a child of immigrants from Pakistan, I spent a fair amount of my time there and saw the social and environmental conditions that people lived in. I would see people getting sick from unsafe drinking water, piles of garbage out on the street and many other things that we, as people living in a developed country, can sometimes take for granted. I don't doubt for a second that, if things had been slightly different, I might have been the one experiencing these things instead. And because of that, I wanted to do something with my life that would help people. I'd also had an immense love for the environment growing up and loved learning about climate change and it's impacts on people.
What is the best part about working in the field of STEM?
The best part about working in a field of STEM is the huge sense of accomplishment I feel when I complete a particularly challenging task well. Especially when I'm working on site and have to work in close liason with a bunch of men who don't always feel I have the skills to do my job.
What advice would you give young women interested in a career in STEM?
There's a STEM related career for everyone, you just need to find the career path that aligns with your interests and go from there! I was scared of math and physics when I was younger and I certainly didn't always do well in those classes (I once got a 56% in my math class in grade 9). Then I ended up doing an engineering degree, with a lot of math and physics. And in my undergrad, I ended up loving math and physics because those topics were framed in a context that was very interesting to me. So don't let a specific subject or topic deter you from pursuing a career that you're interested in!
And, don't ever be afraid to speak your mind. Even if you're not 100% sure. Even if you think what you have to say sounds silly. I guarantee that almost all of your male colleagues do not hesitate to speak theirs. So, why should you?