2017 Orin Zaman
This year, I was presented with the opportunity to take part in Operation Minerva which I found to be an incredible program. Women seem to be underrated in career fields that are deemed to be more masculine. There is a message being portrayed to women, saying that men are more capable of success in fields tied to science and engineering. Operation Minerva works toward breaking this widely known stereotype by introducing girls to a variety of career fields at a young age.
With a number of other girls from Grade 8, I travelled to Stantec, which is a company that focuses on STEM related careers. Once we got to the headquarters of Stantec, we branched out into smaller groups and were assigned mentors that we would be working alongside with for the majority of our day. Along with four other girls, I travelled to the south side of Calgary with three mentors that specialized in engineering and biology. The first location we were taken to was a wetland. There, we were taught how wetlands are taken care of around the city and had the chance to test the water and soil to ensure it was suitable for the animals living in the area.
The next location we were taken to was a construction site where a community was being expanded. Our other two mentors toured us around the site and we were able to see how our communities look like before they are built and what goes into making them. It was obvious that there was quite a large difference between the amount of women that worked in construction compared to men, as the only women on site at the time were our mentors. I was astonished to find how one of the objects I pass by daily looks before it’s inserted into the ground. Laying on the ground was a fire hydrant that stretched several feet long, rather than the height of only a few feet which I’m accustomed to seeing. I also discovered that the roads in our community are incredibly deep, with multiple pipes placed underneath them. The purposes of these pipes were explained to us and I realized that the communities we live in, are more than what meets the eye. There are multiple things hidden in the communities we live in, many placed in areas we would normally not find. All of these materials and objects are situated around communities so we can carry on with our lives as we regularly do.
From these experiences, I took away that not all jobs require you to be confined to an office or cubicle all day. Seeing that there are jobs that allow you to travel outdoors and stay out in the open really inspired me, knowing that there are many different working environments available. Even though I’m still young and my interests may change as I age, this was an unforgettable adventure, as I took away many little lessons throughout the day.
As all the groups returned with their mentors back to the Stantec building from our adventures, we were tasked with one last project to end our day off with. We were all split off into smaller groups again and paired off with sets of mentors to continue our experience. The task we were all assigned was to create a building where an event such as the winter olympics could potentially be held. At this point, my group had the pleasure of being able to work with a mechanical engineer and architect. With input from our mentors, my peers and I brainstormed ideas and watched as our visions started to come together to create this facility. After an hour of bouncing ideas off of one another, all the groups came back together and we all presented our accomplishments. As the presentations continued, it was noticeable that many different occupations had to work together to create just one building, let alone a community. Every group had focused on completely different aspects of the creation of this facility, and by the end we were all left with a sense of astonishment, knowing that we had just designed a potential facility within an hour. Then the realization dawned upon us that the only people who participated in planning the creation of this building were all women.
Women such as the mentors I had the honour of working with, participate in creations such as these daily. This really goes to show that women have the capability of pursuing any profession of their wish. Men and women have the same capability of grasping success in STEM related careers, and for that fact, any career path.
There are many companies that participate in Operation Minerva, which allow this program to have such a positive impact. The other Grade 8 girls who were chosen for this program were paired off with these other companies, and from the feedback that I have heard, everybody had an equally impactful experience. The message that this program is spreading is something that needs to be widely heard across the world. Operation Minerva inspires young girls and helps develop confidence in themselves at a young age, encouraging them to pursue any career of their wish. This informative and amusing program is something I would definitely recommend as it was truly an enjoyable and unforgettable time.
