This woman says ‘yes!’

IN a professional world that was once dominated by males, females have begun to make strides in an aim to make their voices heard and develop their skills beyond what is usually expected of them.

The Pepperpot Magazine recently sat down with Morissa Howard, a young female electrical engineer from Banks DIH, who recently became the first female electrical engineer that the beverage giant has produced in years.

Howard recalled that during her high school years, she always enjoyed fixing things of an electrical nature such as radios, circuit boards and paying careful attention to what the electrician did whenever he stopped by her home.
According to Howard, working in a male-dominated world can be really tough.

“Most times if given work from the electrical workshop at my place of employment (Banks DIH), it is often said that me being a female wouldn’t be able to do the task because of the nature of the job, whether height or any task that can be more handled by a male,” she explained.

Nevertheless, Howard says that she often demonstrates to her male colleagues than she is up for the challenge, because of her love for the job.
The electrical engineer believes that more women should take up this profession simply because women are more cautious, methodical and detailed in bringing a solution to the problem as against providing a quick-fix solution.

Howard hails from Sophia in Georgetown and is the only technical person among her 13 other siblings.
She is also the mother of a five-year-old and says it has been a challenge to balance work, studies and parenting, but she made it successfully.
Her advice to young people in the field of electrical engineering is to:

“ Prepare to study especially… Maths and Science. Above all, you must prepare to study hard and put in your extra work and as a result you will be successful.”
Morissa has been described by Banks DIH as a trailblazer, as quoted in the Banks DIH Pacesetter Magazine of 2021.
The Pacesetter Magazine also made mention of the fact that Morissa was awarded the Peter D’ Aguiar Scholarship in 2016, which is an award that was established in honour of the late Banks DIH Chairman.

Morissa joined the company in 2004, as a trainee/casual with very little knowledge, but as time progressed, and with training, the young female electrical engineer pursued studies at the Government Technical Institute where she gained distinctions.

She was confirmed on June 1 2006 as an employee of Banks DIH LTD. Morissa has been encouraging and continues to encourage female employees.

“Take up the challenge, study to improve your livelihood, the opportunities are available through scholarships and other methods,” Howard said in the Banks Pacesetter Magazine.
Morissa‘s goal is to become the Chief Engineer of the company and she pledges to continue to study and realise her dreams.