The “Her Stories: Adventures in STEM” blog series is a collection of stories about 20 women in science and engineering fields, written by members of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Pre-College Engagement and Support (PCES) Committee.
These inspiring women have experienced a variety of life experiences and career paths, and these stories and accompanying artwork help to capture the vast diversity of our featured scientists and engineers.
We hope this series will show you how exciting engineering and science can be and help you realize that anyone can choose to become a scientist or an engineer.
Story by Elizabeth Gjini
“Iqra'” is Arabic for “read.” It was the first word to be revealed in the Qur’an commanding the accumulation, recitation, and distribution of knowledge. Amar Dabaja has always been fascinated by this fact and by the designation of a chapter in the Qur’an as “Al-Qalam,” or “the pen.”
Reading and writing, among the first skills taught to a child, can spark an initial love of learning. Even the cognitive exercise of learning to read helps students form critical thinking skills — the same skills used in engineering. Once Amar learned to read, she never stopped.
She read the fables and legends that have shaped global communities; she read classics, mysteries, and coming-of-age stories; and she eventually read the biographies and science history books that led her to love math and science and consider a career in engineering.
She was shocked when one of her teachers discouraged her from pursuing engineering — but fortunately, there were others who recognized her passion and guided her. The modern world is powered by electrons flowing through circuits, and Amar was inspired.
In school, she attended field trips and took classes on circuits and electronics, learning more about their applications and preparing her to study electrical engineering at Lawrence Technological University and start a career in automotive engineering.
Linking a passion for electronics with the automotive field can seem like an obvious path for many people, but for Amar, the decision came out of hardship and a desire to improve. At six years old, she lost her father to a car accident and found both her family and life looking for a new direction.
Amar’s father had been the breadwinner of the family while her mother was a stay-at-home mom dedicated to raising her two daughters. When her mother first attended school, the education system was not willing to give religious or language accommodations to young Muslim women, and she was compelled to discontinue her education in ninth grade. However, after the accident, Amar’s mother found the courage to enroll back in school.
Amar remembers watching her mother rush between school drop-off and pick-up, practicum hours, housekeeping, and studying late into the night as she worked for a degree in education, all while raising her two children. Watching her mother pursue a degree and become an elementary school teacher taught Amar to reach for her own dreams.
Amar’s first inspiration was her mother, who taught her many things — joy in learning, religious expression, and perseverance to overcome life’s hardships. Over the years, Amar drew inspiration from many others through books on the history of science.
She often references Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah, who was a Lebanese American electrical engineer (just like her!) who contributed to fields ranging from solar cells used in space exploration to early patents related to electric vehicles and more. His dream was to use his research to give back to his community by transforming the Arabian desert into a paradise powered by solar energy.
There are many additional examples of great minds in Islamic and Arab history. In fact, as documented in the Guinness Book of Records, the world’s oldest university was founded by a Muslim woman named Fatima al-Fihri in 859 AD!
As a minority and female in a male-dominated field, Amar understands the importance of learning about relatable figures in history and their often-forgotten contributions. And in turn, Amar shares these examples with others and aspires to mentor prospective students who are interested in engineering or STEM.
Amar is dedicated to paving the way for future women in STEM through her involvement in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). SWE has provided her with an opportunity to give back to the community through K-12 STEM outreach and by helping recent graduates and early-career engineering professionals connect and network.
Learning to rely on community has translated into Amar’s work today. After graduating from university, Amar became a full-time engineer, designing electrical systems that detect crashes and deploy life-saving airbags. She works at Veoneer Safety Systems to run corrective checks on designs that involve life-critical situations.
Her life seems to have come full circle. The tragedy that changed her life has now given her a new purpose as an engineer: to design technology to save lives.
Amar has proven that engineers bring new perspectives to solving problems and increasing safety. While life can bring us many challenges, there is a power in each of us that helps us rise above these difficulties and succeed.
The “Her Stories: Adventures in STEM” series is a collection of stories about 20 women in science and engineering fields, written by members of the SWE Pre-College Engagement and Support (PCES) Committee. Dive into the rest of the series here!
Know a pre-college kid interested in STEM? Join SWENext, the Society’s free program that allows students ages 5 through 18 to join the SWE engineering and technology community.
SWENexters enjoy numerous opportunities throughout the year to learn, network, and connect with peers, role models, and industry professionals. Plus, this diverse, welcoming, pre-college STEM community provides a safe place where kids can feel seen, heard, and validated. SWENext is open to all genders.
