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Until I was about seven years old, I was convinced there were small people living inside my TV.
In my mind, this was completely plausible as TVs in those days were huge. But even more mind blowing was discovering that it was actually people who designed and built the TV. I didn’t know then that it was called ‘engineering’, I just thought it was a form of magic and I wanted to do that magic when I grew up.
In 2007, I suddenly came to the UK from Egypt as a child refugee.
While I could attend school, my asylum-seeker status meant I could not go to university. I’d picked all the right subjects to be able to study that ‘magic’ – I even had a perfect score on one of my maths papers. I felt shattered. I joined Student Action for Refugees (STAR) and led a campaign to give asylum seekers like myself equal access to higher education. Although I was granted refugee status several years later in 2013 and was admitted to Cardiff University to study an MEng in electrical and electronic engineering, I continued campaigning. Through this work we’ve now won the right for education at more than 70 campuses across the UK.
University was a good experience but it did make me wonder whether it is the right path into engineering for everyone.
I have ADHD and being required to sit still in a lecture theatre for six hours a day was challenging. I would like to see apprenticeships and internships given the same value as routes into engineering as university. After all, it’s a very practical subject.
I think the most unexpected thing about my job as an electronics engineer is the sheer amount of different projects I’ve been involved in for global companies such as Renishaw and Intel as well as really small start-ups.
I’ve helped design and build many different things, from a machine that can detect cancer cells through to creating emergency ventilators during the first Covid lockdown. I love that I get to transform people’s lives for a living. Being an engineer is my superpower.
As much as I love engineering, the industry has a problem and that is its lack of diversity.
It’s still very male-dominated and I’ve often found myself talked over in meetings and my ideas credited to someone else. It’s still a difficult time for women to enter the profession, but the more that do will lead the way to make sure that those who follow don’t have it the same way.
Living with ADHD has been a blessing and a curse.
It feels like at any one time I have three million ideas going round my head. It also means I have many irons in the fire outside of work. For instance, I do drag belly dancing performances to raise money for LGBT+ communities in Egypt as part of my Shrouk El-Attar Trust (SEAT), I’m a motivational speaker, an activist, a podcaster, and also give many talks and workshops at schools and events.
I’ve discovered that femtech is where I belong.
In April 2020 I started at Elvie where I got to design electronic circuits to go into products like wearable smart breast pumps and pelvic floor trainers. While working there was a huge inspiration in that I was able to help break down barriers and smash taboos, I wanted to be in a start-up where I can shape something from the start. So in September 2021, I joined emm Technology as senior electronics engineer. I’m excited to be working on a smart menstrual health solution where I can use engineering to help improve the quality of life of menstruators around the world.
Engineering is so creative yet we don’t encourage creative people into engineering, we push them away, telling them they belong in the arts and the arts alone.
I think engineering needs a lot more creativity and a lot more diversity if we really want to solve the world’s problems. It’s a varied and creative field to be in – the possibilities are endless!
If I could give one piece of advice to somebody considering a career in engineering, it’s to be unapologetically you.
I’ve learned that it’s OK to be your authentic self. You don’t have to feel like you need to change who you are or fit into a mould to be a successful engineer. There is no wrong or right way to look like one.
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.