June 23 is recognized as International Women in Engineering Day, a global celebration of women in engineering and their contributions to the field, and an opportunity to inspire future generations to explore careers in engineering.
For Seaspan Outfitting Specialist Ghazal Feizitalarpoushti, that opportunity was realized recently when she was able to share her passion for engineering and shipbuilding with young girls at Camp Engies, a not-for-profit, volunteer-led camp designed to inspire girls to fulfill their engineering potential.
Ghazal (right) sitting with campers holding their bridge creations
Ghazal has always been interested in the process of building things. When she was younger, that meant building with Lego, and later, it meant building ships. Last weekend, as a speaker at Camp Engies, she was back to using Lego to help her explain the shipbuilding process to young girls.
Ghazal joined the team at Seaspan in 2023 as an Outfit Engineering Intern, quickly becoming a full-time Outfit Engineer. “I’ve always been interested in how things work together in systems,” she explained. “I enjoyed math in high school because I found that solving problems was really satisfying.”
That love of problem solving was why Ghazal pursued engineering, and as someone who grew up along the coast with a love of the sea, marine engineering was a perfect fit. After completing her BA in Marine Engineering, Ghazal went on to complete her Master’s Degree at UBC through the Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering (NAME) program.
At Seaspan, Ghazal ensures engineering projects satisfy customer requirements. Day to day, that means providing direction relating to marine systems design to suppliers and subcontractors and liaising with partner design teams on polar.
Ghazal in front of Seaspan’s Lego Polar Icebreaker
“I really enjoyed representing Seaspan as a speaker at Camp Engies. It was an incredibly meaningful opportunity to connect with young girls who are resonating with the concept that they can build, design, and solve problems too. I’m proud to help inspire the next generation of engineers.”
During the weekend, Ghazal shared insights into her role at Seaspan and walked participants through the shipbuilding process. Students participated in hands-on engineering challenges — such as building bridges out of popsicle sticks — alongside outdoor activities like archery.
Ghazal’s advice to young women interested in engineering is simple: don’t be afraid.
“You don’t need to have everything figured out to be an engineer. As long as you’re curious and want to understand how things work, there’s definitely a place for you in engineering.”
Learn more about Camp Engies at their website.