We had the privilege of talking to Meriem Mansour, an electrical engineering student at the Institut Supérieur des Études Technologiques de Tozeur, in Tunisia. As part of the BCDI 2030 project Mobility and customized training to improve knowledge and skills in technology and the environment in Tunisia’s ISETs, Meriem is completing the third and final year of her program at the Cégep de Jonquière. She is one of eight BCDI 2030 Scholars participating in the Global Affairs Canada-funded project. She has been in Canada since August 2024.
Edited for length and clarity
My name is Meriem Mansour, and I’m a student at the Institut Supérieur des Études Technologiques de Tozeur in Tunisia. My field of expertise is automation in electrical engineering. I’m passionate about technical innovation.
Taking part in this project gives me the opportunity to strengthen my skills while connecting with experts and broadening my horizons.
The experience has also allowed me to develop my autonomy and improve my technical skills. Because here in Canada, technology is very important. So to have an experience like this in this country is really wonderful, especially in my field of automation. It’s really very interesting.
At first, I had a bit of difficulty integrating because the education system is not the same as in Tunesia, but with the support of my teachers, the Cégep administration staff and also with BCDI 2030, I managed to fit in and create links with many people from all over the world.
This opportunity allows me to deepen my technical knowledge. I’ve worked with many of the world’s most advanced technological instruments. We worked on internationally recognized robots. I’ve learned a lot.
Technical fields are still predominantly male. For example, I’m in my third year here at the Cégep de Jonquière, and I’m the only woman among 40 boys. In Tunisia, there are several girls in my program.
It can be intimidating. But thanks to my determination, I’ve learned to assert myself and prove my worth. I believe that diversity is a strength and that it’s essential to encourage more women to join sciences and engineering. It’s still perceived as a male domain. But we really need to do away with this image. We women have a place here too.
It’s a field for everyone, for people who are interested in innovation, in participating in development. It’s not just a question of gender.
I’ve met several women here who work in the industry. We’ve had several meetings with companies where women were active and representing their companies. The percentage of women in the technical field, I can’t say is equal to men, but there are a lot of them.
I’ve also acquired many skills, particularly in electrical engineering regulations. Safety standards, for example, are not the same here as they are in Tunisia. So I was able to discover North American regulations and deepen my knowledge of electrical safety, a subject I’m passionate about.
In a short space of time, I’ve learned a lot about the whole world. I learned a lot from my friends and showed them Tunisian culture, our food, information about our religion and traditions. We share things together.
Once I’m back in Tunisia, of course I want to finish my engineering studies and become an engineer. But my plan when I finish my studies is to set up an electrical company using the standards I’ve learned here and using advanced technologies to make human tasks easier.
I really like Canada, because it’s a diverse country. I’ve met a lot of people from different countries. It’s the first time I’ve lived with people from all over the world, from different countries, different languages, different religions, different cultures, different ways of life.
I imagined that I would find many people from different countries, but not to this extent!
If I had any advice for other BCDI 2030 Scholars coming to Canada. It’s that you really have to be a person who loves diversity, a person who wants to learn.
Because when you meet people from different countries, different religions, you can learn a lot, and that’s the case for me.
It’s true that this experience has enabled me to learn, to acquire academic knowledge and all that, but it has enriched me on a personal level too. It has enabled me to develop my autonomy. To improve my technical, language and cultural skills.
It has allowed me to get to know myself.
