Two Polytechnique Montréal students reflect on how tragedy shaped their path

“During my studies, I just realized how privileged I was,” said the fourth-year undergraduate student, who studies biomedical engineering at the school now known as Polytechnique Montreal, at CBC Montreal Dawn.

As Quebecers plan moments of silence and solemn ceremonies to mark the 32nd anniversary of the tragedy, Danouj sees this day as a declaration of the resilience of the women engineers who carry on the legacy of the victims.

“[It shows that] no matter what, or no matter who stands in our way, we will take the place we are entitled to. And it’s like fuel, we won’t be stopped, ”she said.

For Justine Petrucci, a 25-year-old master’s student in sixth year civil engineering at Polytechnique, December 6 is a day to remember the pioneering women in engineering to whom she assigns a place for her.

“It allows me to remember all the women who came before me and how far they have come,” she said.

“And because of that, I feel like… now it’s my turn to continue for those who will come after me.”

“Women still have to fight for their place”

As president of the Polytechnique student association, Danouj affirms that the school attaches great importance to equality.

“I think there is this community that places so much importance on the place of women in engineering,” she said. “It’s so strong here, like between these walls, everyone is talking about it [equality.]”

But she notes that there is still a lot of work to be done to tackle the unfair treatment of women in the industry still dominated by men.

“I can’t deny the fact that it’s a struggle, no matter how far you’ve come in the industry, women still have to fight for their place,” she said.

“As a woman, you still have to go that extra mile to have your place recognized, to have your worth recognized, so that other students understand that you are here because of your skills.”

Faced with these persistent barriers, Petrucci points to an unofficial count of 18 women killed in a wave of homicides targeting women in Quebec since the beginning of 2021, which, according to her, amplifies the weight of the anniversary of the tragedy. This year.

“Sometimes we wonder if the tragedy that happened at Polytechnique could happen again, just because there is this distress in our community,” she said.

However, she says sexism and misogyny are much more discussed topics these days among her male colleagues, and they are “responsive to our calls and the challenges that women face in the world of engineering.”

Danouj says conversations are a start, but women also need to start taking the place they deserve in the industry – something she wished she had known years ago.

“I remember me as a freshman… I just never had the confidence, but like the place is there,” she said.

“What I would tell other women is take it, you have a right to it.”

Inspiring the next generation of girls

Petrucci says she is using her position as an engineering student in higher education to inspire and encourage young girls to turn the tide in the industry.

She is student ambassador of Geniuses, a program offered at Polytechnique that aims to encourage the next generation of young women to move into the fields of science or engineering by demystifying career possibilities.

“We also give scholarships … we do lectures. And so the girls can ask me their questions about how it was to get [to be] a woman in engineering, why did I choose to study in engineering … It’s about sharing my experience and making sure that women are more represented. ”

The program offers a host of diverse initiatives for girls ages 12 to 20 and contributes to Engineers Canada’s 30 by 30 initiative, which aims to have at least 30 percent women among newly graduated engineers. by 2030.

When asked to explain what a woman in engineering looks like in 2021, Petrucci said that thanks to women pioneering the field before her time, she didn’t have to.

“At Polytechnique, at school in general … I didn’t feel so different [from] my male colleagues, ”she said.

“The point is that we don’t think about it anymore and that women are just part of the engineering world.”