Genius is active in Antigonish, and her name is Ispeeta Ahmed.
Having recently been awarded two major scholarships in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), the high school graduate with a passion for coding and robotics is ready for further success — and she’s taking others with her.
“The main thing that I want to do is just make sure that other people have the same opportunities and same mentorship that I was able to receive,” says 17-year-old Ahmed, a recent graduate of Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School, where she led the school’s robotics club.
Ahmed’s interest in robotics began in Grade 9 when she joined the school’s robotics club — a once male-dominated extracurricular space. Encouraged by the club’s coach, Janie Lumsden, Ahmed stepped into a leadership role in Grade 10 and recruited more members than ever for the club — 70 per cent identifying as female. The team placed in the top 10 in provincial robotics competition, Robofest, a first for her school.
“It came from me being really nervous and just not knowing my ability and then going from there. I’m happy that I continued on with it.”
Her community (and the STEAM/STEM world) is also pleased she continued. In addition to robotics, Ahmed has been a Teen Ambassador for Canada Learning Code for three years, hosted countless online workshops and mentors middle school students and girls through initiatives such as Techsploration.
“I know how it feels to feel like you don’t know anything, especially in STEAM,” says Ahmed, born in South Korea to Bangladeshi parents. “I think women and underrepresented minorities, it’s very hard to break into through this industry because we often feel like we don’t know enough and then we feel like the space isn’t for us.”
Seventeen-year-old Ispeeta Ahmed moved to Antigonish about five years ago. She has since led her school’s robotics club, mentored young girls interested in STEM and received the Nova Scotia Institute of Science Medallion and Nova Scotia Engineers Award for a science fair project, among other things. CONTRIBUTED
Furthermore, Ahmed has contributions extend to building Connect 2 Change. It’s a website to merge computer science and social activism featuring youth authors from the U.S., Canada, Pakistan and Mexico. In addition, her latest science fair project was the creation of a low-cost radon detector that earned the Nova Scotia Institute of Science Medallion and Nova Scotia Engineers Award.
Having lived around the globe, including British Columbia and Vancouver, before moving to Nova Scotia about five years ago, the former big-city girl had no idea of the opportunities that small-town life could provide.
“I found that living in a small town actually improved a lot of my opportunities and a lot of my outreach because, for the first time, I could create something.”
Her accomplishments have aided Ahmed on her journey while she continues to inspire.
“When someone sees my name, or my achievements, I hope they can see that, ‘this girl came from a rural town and she was able to do all of this stuff and get recognized for it. I hope that serves as inspiration for anyone else who’s also in the Maritimes, rural towns, anyone who comes from an underrepresented minority and also women.”
Her message is being heard.
Ahmed is one of five recipients of the 2022 Ingenium-NSERC STEAM Horizon Award, which awards $25,000 towards post-secondary education to Canadian youth who promote positive changes throughout their community using STEAM. Made possible by a consortium of partners, including the Ingenium Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Indspire, Lockheed Martin, and Syncrude, the awards are only awarded to five students nationwide.
“Each year, I am astounded with the ingenuity and passion of these students,” says Ingenium president and CEO Christina Tessier.
Ahmed has also been selected to be a Schulich Leader in Engineering at Dalhousie University, with a scholarship of $125,000. The scholarships will allow her to focus strictly on her studies, research and outreach within the university.
“I’m really grateful … it’s not just the money; it’s the opportunities that come with it and the gateways that it opens.”
She says she couldn’t have done it alone. As a champion of mentorship, Ahmed acknowledges the great mentors she’s had on her journey. Like her coach Lumsden.
“She’s the only other woman that was on the team. Even though she was not a student, I still really resonated with her,” says Ahmed. “A good teacher is crucial. She’s the one who pushed me and put full faith in me, even though I didn’t have that confidence.”
And family is crucial.
“I give thanks to my parents as well — (Dr.) Nafisa Tasneem and (Dr.) Hossain Ahmed and my sister,” says Ahmed. “They really just help me ground myself and realize that my life is also beyond school and academics.”
Ahmed plans to have a regular summer of travel, spending time with friends and family while continuing to mentor, including outreach with St. Francis Xavier University’s Ocean’s Department. Also preparing to relocate to Halifax for studies at Dalhousie University in the Bachelor of Engineering program, she promises to return to Antigonish.
“I’m actually really grateful that I live in Antigonish … because of the opportunity that Antigonish gave me, I’d like to give those back when I finish my university education.”
Ahmed encourages everyone to follow their hearts regarding STEAM/STEM or other areas of interest, even if it’s scary at first.
“You start off with something; it might not work, but then that opens another door and that will work probably. My word of advice: join things, ask for help and don’t be afraid to fail because that’s what’s needed for eventual success.”