2018 Jessica Mahfoud
Empower One Another
By Jessica Mahfoud
I am in the back row, first to the right. I was wearing a light blue denim shirt and have curly brown hair.
Throughout the history of the world, discrimination in all forms has been a constant battle; whether it is race, gender, religion, beliefs, appearance or anything else that makes one person different from another. Women’s discrimination is a substantially serious issue. Many women experience unnecessary discrimination due to their gender as a result of society perceiving women as individuals operating under extremely limited expectations and stereotypes. Despite the fact that women have higher education rates than most men in the same profession, they are yet awarded a salary that is twenty-nine percent lower than the average man. Women are often pressured into pursuing more stereotypical female-oriented careers. As a result of this, less than thirteen percent of practicing licensed engineers are women.
However, I was gifted with the chance to experience Operation Minerva. This amazing program strives to innovate young women by giving them the opportunity to experience the work lives of various successful mentors in a job-shadowing day experience. This allows the accomplished women to empower us girls to pursue a STEM career. Our mentors helped us to find our true passion.
My science teacher, Mrs. Zarich has always been a true inspiration in my life. She has accomplished so many great things that empowered me to be the best I can. When Mrs. Zarich pulled me aside after class one day to deliver the news that I was given the opportunity to participate in Operation Minerva, I was extremely delighted. I then knew in that moment, she saw that same spark lying in me as I see in her. I was ecstatic to finally have a chance to learn about my potential future! When I received my match with Canadian Natural Resources Limited [CNRL], I was delighted. Although I was not matched with a company oriented with the medical future I thought I wanted, I was still optimistic that I would be experiencing an unforgettable day with an open mind.
When I arrived to Fish Creek Library, I was greeted by an extremely friendly organizer of Operation Minerva. She then proceeded to give me a reusable bag! There was around twenty young and bright girls who were all just as excited as I was. We all were joyfully exchanging our various job-shadowing sites! After minutes of making friends, we were taken away by an Operation Minerva bus to the Girl Guides Center. From there, we were then divided into four different busses that drove us away to our assorted job-shadowing sites. The first stop on the bus was my match! I hopped off along with six other girls. I already knew that I was going to become great friends with all of them. I even figured out that one of the girls and I shared a mutual best friend. I remember looking up at the extremely tall CNRL tower in gracious awe. The joyous voice of my mentors snapped me out of my thoughts. We were then brought up so high in an elevator that our ears popped! I was bewildered by the working environment. It was something I had never experienced before.
We were then shown into a vast meeting room. From there, our mentors introduced themselves. I was so intrigued by all the different types of geologists, engineers and geophysicists in the room. Each and every woman was describing what pushed them to be where they are now and why they love their job. I could tell by their enthusiastic tones, that this is exactly how they wanted to spend the rest of their lives. We then played an icebreaker game to get to know everyone! The game consisted of us each having a pile of candy. One of our mentors, Kim read aloud different facts. If they applied to you, you passed one candy to your right. The person with the most candy in the end wins!
Our talented mentors then gave us an alluring introduction into learning more about what their everyday work lives look like. They taught us all about the various careers and exactly what they mean. I was so intrigued to learn all these new things. I had no idea that most of our everyday items came from CNRL! After the presentation, we were given a delicious snack. Following snack, we went around the room taking a quiz as to what profession we should pursue in oil and gas! It was extremely interesting to see all the diverse career paths we all received! Most of us received careers that were tied to CNRL. We even had a few that were the exact same as a few of our mentors!
Afterwards, we learned about how oil is stored between the sediment in the ground. We were taught that there was three factors affecting how much oil could be stored between each grain of sediment, also known as porosity. Three jars were then placed in front of us, each containing rocks all of different size. Our challenge was to guess which jar would hold the most water. It was so thrilling to put all of our strong minds to the test and work together to solve the problem. Once we came to a conclusion, our predictions were correct! After this experiment, we were then separated into three groups. Our second challenge was to build a tall, free-standing structure that supported the weight of a bag of marbles with a budget of only twenty dollars! I was overjoyed to work with these bright girls in solving difficult problems and putting our minds to the test. Our next activity was a contouring exercise. We all had mentors helping us to contour a map. We made predictions as to where we thought the most oil was stored underground!
After our lunch, we had a presentation about rocks and fossils. This was one of my favourite parts of the day! As a child, my father and I used to always adventure out to various places and collect the rocks. Certain conditions have resulted in our cherished adventures coming to an end. Although I greatly miss them, this day brought me back to those beloved memories.
Following the presentation, we were introduced to our third challenge. We were to build a water filter using limited resources, all with a budget of only forty dollars. It was tough comprehending what materials we were to use to filter the dirt out of the water, but in the end, everything worked out! Our fourth and final challenge was to use our contoured maps to predict where the best drilling location would be. This was definitely the most nerve-racking challenge! It really put our knowledge to the test. Overall, each challenge was exceptionally fun! It was an extremely well way to convert us into critical thinkers. I especially loved working with the other intelligent girls, as it gave me an idea as to how engineers, geologists and geophysicists all need each other to accomplish something. Without the help of one person, the job could not be done.
Nearing the end of my unforgettable day, I had discovered a change of mind for my future! Rather than pursuing a career in the medical field, I was going to keep my mind open to engineering. Just hearing all the successful women in the room explain their admirable careers, I was inspired. I was encouraged that day to be a woman who empowers other young girls. On my way out, I made sure to let my mentors know that what they said to me today had given me a new viewpoint on life. I told them that they impacted my mind greatly.
The second I reached my mother, I wrapped her in a tight embrace. All she has ever wanted for me was to become a successful women. She was the one who has always empowered me to be determined and to never quit. She directed me to prove the world wrong of it’s labels and stereotypes for young girls. She made me realize that it is critical for our world to focus on creating a society in which individual’s gender do not restrain them from a fair shot at success and happiness. My mother taught me to not only strive for greatness, but to fulfil it. “You can do anything, as long as you put your mind to it.” -My beautiful Mother.
The following day, I approached a few girls. I explained to them what Operation Minerva has done for me. I wanted to do the same for them, as you have done for me. I really do want to give Operation Minerva and my mentors my appreciation and thanks for inspiring me to empower others and for giving me this extraordinary experience.
