A year ago, I was in a completely different place, both geographically and academically. I was studying Business Technology in Egypt, a path that focused heavily on the business side of the industry. While it provided a foundation, I quickly realized it wasn't where my passion lay.
I had the highest GPA of 3.79 in my class of 200+ students in both year 1 and year 2 at my Egyptian university. I was familiar with the place, with the people, my friends, my community. And to be completly honest, I was scared of making such a big, risky move when I was already happy in my comfort zone.
But...
I still wanted to build, to dive into engineering, and to work closer to core software and infrastructure rather than business administration. But I still wanted to take the risk anyway!
Making the decision to move to Canada and restart my academic journey at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) was daunting. It meant stepping into an entirely new chapter, starting over in a different country, and pushing myself into a rigorous, highly technical environment.
One year later, that transition has completely transformed my life.
Instead of letting the fear of a new start hold me back, I focused on building momentum. I immersed myself in the local tech community, actively pushed code to GitHub, and connected with peers who shared the same drive. By shifting my focus entirely toward software engineering, I was able to lean into the technical challenges I had been craving.
Reflecting on this past year, these were the turning points that redefined my path:
Community Leadership: I stepped into a role as a Marketing Executive for the BCIT Women in Computing club, helping build and scale a supportive network for student developers.
Hackathons and Practical Building: I pushed past my comfort zone at Hack the Break 2026, collaborating under pressure to design and build functional software solutions.
Industry Immersion: I volunteered at and attended Web Summit Vancouver 2026, gaining firsthand exposure to the global tech ecosystem and connecting with founders and engineers.
Enterprise Exposure: I had the opportunity to tour the SAP Vancouver office, learning directly from engineering teams about their development lifecycles and infrastructure.
Academic and Peer Support: After finishing the year with a strong academic standing, I was appointed by the BCIT Learning Commons as a Computer Information Technology Peer Tutor for the upcoming academic year.
Transitioning from a business-centric curriculum to a technical, hands-on software path was a massive risk, but it taught me exactly what kind of impact I want to make in the industry. Year one was about building the foundation and finding the brick to where to lay my foot. I am incredibly grateful to the mentors, friends, and peers who supported me along the way.
I am excited to keep building, learning, and pushing boundaries as I step into Year 2 this fall!
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