Women Empower Wednesday: Defying stereotypes with Arooba Faridi
Everyone dreams to fly on, however sometimes people do not know how to fix the wings. Our basic societal stereotype is attached to women just becoming doctors and engineers without even getting to practice it. The saddest part is, this is happening just to get a ‘Good Rishta,’ in our society. Among these stereotypes and sad realities, a girl is kicking mountains and making her place in society. Let’s meet Arooba Faridi the youngest Pakistani Aerospace Engineer.
Arooba Faridi
Faridi hails from the Gulshan-e-Hadid region in Karachi and is the third born in the family. Since her dad and sibling are both in the field of engineering, Arooba normally floated towards this field. After getting inspired by her father’s work in Pakistan Steel Industry, her interest in electronic devices got developed at a young age. Arooba was a different child since the beginning, when young girls play with their dolls, Arooba was always seen with a spare part of a machine as a toy.
Dreams over limited resources!
Seeking a career in aerospace design wasn’t an easy journey for Arooba as her family battled with financial limitations. Her father worked at the steel mills and his pay was restricted. Thus, to get the aviation confirmation, she needed to take tests that expense around 25,000-30,000 rupees for every paper. The cash must be paid in euros as the tests were directed by a German and British establishment.
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Arooba Faridi becoming the youngest Pakistani Aerospace Engineer
Despite difficult financial circumstances, but support from her family, a mere 23 years old girl with dreams taller than any mountain, achieved them. Faridi gave her exams and joined Hawk International Aviation Company, where she worked for 5 years. She received her certification from the institution in 2019 and became an Aerospace engineer.
No room for error
Faridi now deals with a variety of small aircraft on her job every day. She also regularly maintains 19-seater planes or smaller. It is definitely a great responsibility since the whole flight is at risk if the situation goes otherwise. So, what Arooba does has no room for human errors. Furthermore, these duties involve inspection of its body, engine and the entire structure. Moreover, all aircrafts must always be inspected before and after every flight.
Last, but not least young women like Arooba Faridi are becoming a prime example that through sheer determination, resilience and not giving up, anyone can achieve any dream they want. No matter what background they have or what religion they belong to if they have a positive approach towards their dream, no one will stop them.