HI, I'M FARIHA
Advocate • Engineer • Entrepreneur
NICE TO MEET YOU
Hi, I'm Fariha. Welcome to my personal website.
Here you'll find some things I'm good at, some things I'm proud of and some things I've worked on. Also known as skills, projects and work experience.
In short, I'm someone that believes experience isn't time, but what you choose to do with time. I spend my time battling mediocrity, because I can't stand a life without challenge.
My career spans 6 corporations, 3 cities and 2 industries; aerospace and sustainable tech. I've been recruited to work alongside top professionals, solving critical problems in the pursuit of innovation and efficiency. My goal is twofold; be fulfilled and make an impact.
I graduated with a B. Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and a Minor in Management. Throughout my time, I've come to love the realm between business and engineering where the emotional intelligence of entrepreneurs merge with the technical abilities of engineers, adding business value through engineering excellence.
Now I spend my time paying it forward through the fusion of advocacy and entrepreneurship. I'm a LinkedIn content creator with 23k+ followers, where I share my story as a woman in STEM, posting actionable insights for the next generation of engineers.
Next to content creation are my passion projects turned businesses. I co-founded Elevate E-Comm at the start of COVID-19 to help small businesses grow online, uplifting the small business economy. My most recent venture, The Cohort Collective, is a passion project turned career coaching business, where I help Gen Y + Z empower their career development.
Together, my journey has one key takeaway - I love all things STEM and I always will.
Connect with me. I'm always down for a coffee chat too.
STRENGTHS
Strengths that enrich everything I do.
• Data Analytics • Enterprise Growth • Operational Excellence • Programming • Project Management • Research & Development •
Let's not forget the soft ones.
• Collaboration • Communication • Emotional Intelligence • Leadership • Proactive Learning • Problem Solving •
And finally, some certifications.
• CAPM Exam • Engineer-In-Training • Scrum Development •
PS. Take a look at my portfolio or experience to see how I earned my strengths.
Want more? Contact me to request my resume. Or check out my LinkedIn.
Portfolio
My most challenging projects. Try clicking an image.
Want more? Contact me to request my resume. Or check out my LinkedIn.
Electric Racecar Business Case Study
In Association with the Society of Automotive Engineers • Winner of Formula Lincoln and Formula North Competitions
2 international victories, 10 minutes on the stage and 6 months of development. That's how I headed an international business case study.
What was the case? To strategically develop an electric racecar company in order to dominate the racing industry.
6 months later, I built Polar Bear Racing, the future of zero emission acceleration. In my pursuit, I analyzed:
Racecar industries, competitors and target marketsFinancial forecasts and investment breakdownsEngineering and manufacturing specificationsApp integration, marketing and sales
I turned 6 months of in-depth business analysis, engineering design and cross-functional collaboration into a 10 minute pitch with 16 slides. And it won twice.
Click here to watch my pitch!
Electronic Skin Thesis
In Association with the Manitoba Materials Conference and the Manitoba Undergraduate Symposium • Winner of Biotechnology and Material Science Awards
Electronic skin mimics human skin, with one added benefit. It can proactively detect health anomalies to save lives. That's the future goal anyways.
How did I help in advancing that goal? Through my thesis, where I spent 2 years studying Polydimethlysiloxane Hydrogel Biosensors. A fancy term for electronic skin.
Over that time, I dove into research and development by:
Iterating and refining the synthesis of electronic skinConducting electrical, mechanical and rheological testsAnalyzing data to form statistically significant correlationsPublishing articles, journals and reportsPresenting at competitions and conferences
2 years later, my thesis earned awards in biotechnology and material science. More importantly, it contributed to the advancement of life saving technology.
Click here to view my viral post about electronic skin!
Zero Emission Coach
In Association with Ballard Power Systems and Motor Coach Industries • Winner of the John Shewchuk Engineering Award
Hydrogen atoms have one proton (+) and one electron (-). A coach is a bus for long distance travelling. Put the two together and you have a zero emission coach that uses hydrogen as fuel and emits water as waste.
How did I design a zero emission coach? By retrofitting a hydrogen fuel cell system within an electric coach layout. In other words, I solved a complex puzzle.
My analysis included:
Cost, schedule, quality and risk managementEngineering calculations, designs and simulationsStakeholder reports and presentationsVendor sourcing
At the end, my solution won the John Shewchuk Award out of 400+ engineering students. And it was an impactful puzzle to solve in the pursuit of combatting climate change.
Click here to learn more about hydrogen fuel cells!
Ecommerce Business
In Association with Shopify, Facebook and Google
The worlds richest person owns the worlds largest ecommerce operation. So I wanted to give it a try. I didn't build the next Amazon, but I did build a profitable ecommerce business.
What was my goal? To build a brand, grow an audience, consistently scale and pay it forward.
I pursued my goal over 2 years. Using Shopify, Facebook Business Manager and Google Analytics, I drove:
Website development and data analysisProduct research and supply chain operationsMarketing and creativesFinancials and investments
Over time, I grew my team and hit my goals. Now, I pay it forward through my pro-bono practice, Elevate E-Comm, where I help small businesses combat COVID-19. My clients include coaching firms, niche retailers and SaaS businesses with a collective 6-figure evaluation.
If you want to work together (or just have a coffee chat) contact me!
Operational Excellence
In Association with Motor Coach Industries and Toyota
COPQ or cost of poor quality is deadly. That's where operational excellence comes in. It brings efficiency to people, products and processes, making quality a priority.
What was my project? To eliminate the COPQ for my client's company by creating quality driven initiatives.
As the project manager, I used Toyota's 8 Step Method to Problem Solving by:
Identifying current statesConducting root cause analysesMeasuring and analyzing real-time dataImplementing countermeasuresMonitoring and standardizing quality driven initiatives
What was Step 9? I saved my client an estimated $100k annually in COPQ. Not only that, my quality driven initiatives were embraced company wide.
Click here to learn more about the 8 Step Method to Problem Solving!
Experience
My career in aerospace and sustainable tech.
Nov. 2020 - Present
Ballard Power Systems • Recruited by Aerotek
Associate Project Manager, Technical Writer • Remote Contract
Advanced sustainable technology for a zero emission future.
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Sep. 2019 - May 2020
StandardAero • Recruited by Belcan
Configuration Control Specialist • Contract
Drove enterprise growth at the crossroads of business and engineering.
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Jun. 2019 - Aug. 2019
Manchester Airport Group
Project Engineer • Internship
Optimized data driven project management at a global scale.
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Jan. 2019 - May 2019
University of Manitoba
Teaching Assistant
Mentored the next generation of engineers.
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May 2018 - Dec. 2018
Boeing
Quality Engineer • Internship
Accelerated operational excellence across people, products and processes.
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May 2017 - Aug. 2017
FF Marketing Corporation
Mechanical Engineer • Internship
Digitized business standards to embrace new technology.
Extracurriculars
I was also involved as a student.
2015 - 2019
University of Manitoba Society of Automotive Engineers
Sponsorship Executive
Recruited 300+ companies to develop $150k fund.
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2015 - 2018
Engineers Without Borders Manitoba Chapter
Finance Executive
Managed $70k budget with no deficits.
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2014 - 2017
University of Manitoba Engineering Society
Senior Partner
Fortified student body legislation to prioritize minorities.
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2015 - 2016
Women in Engineering Manitoba Chapter
Social Media Manager
Created content that reached 450k+ relevant users.
Want more? Contact me to request my resume. Or check out my LinkedIn.
Testimonials
Some words from my closest mentors and teammates.
"I had the pleasure of mentoring Fariha at the tail end of my career in StandardAero during a period of great transition for the Helicopter Business Unit. Fariha came in at a time where processes were, at times, being developed even as they were being used, and our position as Configuration Control called for close work with our Engineering, Quality, and Production peers. Fariha showed great initiative in learning SAL’s processes, systems, and was productive within her first week. She proved adaptable when assignments changed rapidly and wasn’t afraid to ask questions. Fariha was an asset to my team, and I have no doubt she will be a strong addition to any organization."
Charisma Garcia
Configuration and Information Management Specialist, Irving Shipbuilding
"I had the great pleasure of working with and leading Fariha when she was an Engineering Intern during her last year of studies. Fariha is a very passionate and dedicated worker who always puts forth 100% in everything she did. She was very eager to learn, challenged status quo and always wanted to drive improvement. Fariha would be an added asset to any team she joins."
Rob Swan, P. Eng.
Senior Quality Manager, Boeing
"Fariha uses her strong, opinionated, adventurous personality to engage others with the twinned intentions of evolving her own understanding and drawing greater participation of all parties. She listens effectively, asks direct and appropriately tangential questions, and integrates the new understanding into her next experiences. Fariha has effectively placed herself to accept new challenges. I first worked with her in my GD&T course. Upon it's completion, she adapted to my directness and asked me to help coach her team for ENGCOMM – an annual competition where teams of engineers and business students solve significant, real-world cases under tight timelines. Following that, I coached Fariha and her teammate in their preparation and presentation of a business and marketing plan for the University of Manitoba’s Society of Automotive Engineers (UMSAE) Formula – Electric race team. The professionalism, polish and quality of the presentation earned the duo first-place awards at two international SAE competitions. Fariha’s final year was something of a whirlwind. While completing her senior year and developing the SAE presentation, working as my grader for the GD&T course and preparing for an international internship, Fariha also joined an Advanced Engineering Design team which I advised. Moreover, Fariha’s senior thesis earned her an award for best thesis. It was an intense period in which Fariha rose to the challenges and succeeded. I look forward to following the adventure that Fariha’s career will surely be."
Jim Sykes, P. Eng., GDTP-S, EIR
Professor, University of Manitoba
"Fariha is a passionate and hardworking individual, who favors progression above all else. I find this one quality to be indicative of many front-runners in a variety of industries. It's this one quality that first exposed me to her drive, as when faced with a programming problem she couldn't fix, she wasn't afraid to speak up and request assistance after exhausting her personal attempts at fixing it. This pro-active and collaborative approach to overcoming technical/skill barriers is something I feel will carry her far when integrating into a variety of environments."
Israfel Sskaara
Software Engineer, Aveva
I have known Fariha for almost four years. I have seen her progress from being a know-it-all (because she did in fact pretty much know everything related to her studies) to being a humble team player, who can now lead by virtue of true leadership qualities. What made the difference? Fariha has always been popular with her classmates but tended to do her team work by herself, rather than being a team player. I watched as I coached the Engineering Commerce Case Competition team (EngComm, comprised of 2 engineering students and 2 Commerce students) as she worked on her own and was helpful to other team members with their work. Over the course of the six months of practices with that team, Fariha changed, whether because of her work on the competition or something else, I do not know. She became a team player, which I believe is critical to being a team leader. By the end of that competition, I loved working with her, having seen her mature into a real leader. Fariha did not compete the second year at EngComm, and I specifically asked the engineering students who pick members for their competition teams her third year to ask Fariha if she was interested. She not only was interested, I could see the fire in her eyes, not merely to compete well, but to help lead the team. She did an excellent job. The team placed third out of 16 teams. Fariha has an excellent skill set in engineering. She also added a great skill set in business, both through her education and her participation in EngComm. She also won awards for her participation on the SAE team. She is smart and can do anything she wants to do. She has a good sense of humor and is quick to pick up on ideas. She can engage with anyone and has learned to lead teams, something that was evident in her SAE team performance. Finally, Fariha is a really good person. She will be a great asset in whatever workplaces she chooses to work in."
Mary Brabston
Senior Scholar, University of Manitoba
Want more? Contact me to request my resume. Or check out my LinkedIn.
Appearances
Advocacy, literature, podcasts, keynotes and more, featuring me.
Women in Tech Adviser • Information and Communications Technology (ICTC)
Empowering women in Canada's digital economy.
Learn more about ICTC here.
Entrepreneurship Adviser • Junior Achievement (JA) Canada
Building Gen Z entrepreneurs.
Learn more about JA Canada here.
Keynote Speaker • Women in Business, Northern Cyprus
Accelerating female founded organizations.
Watch life at Northern Cyprus Campus here.
Keynote Speaker • Project Pro-Bono
Advocating universal career developement.
Donate to Project Pro-Bono here.
Panelist Speaker • Juno
Dismantling unpaid internships.
Learn more about Juno here.
Panelist Speaker • Multilingual Monday Meetup (MMM)
Unlocking mentorship in STEM.
Learn more about MMM here.
Panelist Speaker • Nontraditional College Success
Emboldening future engineers.
Listen to Nontraditional College Success episodes here.
Podcast Guest • Mastering College to Career
Advancing marginalized communities.
Listen to Mastering College to Career episodes here.
Article Feature • Tacuna Systems
Empowering women in STEM.
Read my feature here.
Book Feature • Rising Stars
Sharing exceptional Gen Y + Z stories.
Currently under development!
Want more? Contact me to request my resume/request to collab. Or check out my LinkedIn.