Maliha Ifitkhar
Turning Wonder into Design and Uncertainty into Innovation
When 10-year-old Maliha Ifikhar pieced together her first Lego Mindstorm in a University of Calgary engineering classroom, she didn’t just fall in love with gears and code. She discovered a truth that still drives her today: STEM isn’t just about logic but is a canvas. Now a second-year electrical engineering student at the University of Calgary, in the very same halls where she once built her first robots, Maliha stitches creativity into every wire and algorithm. “I’m a naturally curious person…If I don’t understand something, I want to learn more about it.”.
This curiosity spills beyond textbooks. Her phone has become a gallery of whimsical doodles, silly sketches she sends to her friends just for fun, “sometimes the silliest sketch sparks the smartest solution. To her, engineering and art aren’t opposites; they fuel each other. This fusion of art and engineering became the driving force behind one of Maliha's proudest projects. She and her team built a mental health companion robot during her first year of engineering. They wanted to specifically focus on panic attacks as a lot of the coping strategies revolve around the ability to self-regulate. During an attack, it can be extremely difficult to have this self-regulation. This project wasn’t just technical but taught Maliha a lot about resilience. “It boosted my confidence in applying theoretical concepts to practical problems.” This newfound confidence propelled her to join her university’s CubeSat team and CalgarytoSpace, a student aerospace group.
Of course, like any journey, this one has not been without hurdles. Despite support, Maliha often questions whether she truly belongs. The fast-paced and competitive nature of engineering can make it easy to feel like everyone else has things figured out. Over time, she has learned to reframe this doubt more positively. To her, feeling inadequate means stepping out of your comfort zone, which is essential for growth. This mindset has shaped the way she approached engineering. Instead of seeing uncertainty as a roadblock, she embraces it as part of the process. “Figuring things out” isn’t just something she does, but how Maliha defines her whole journey. If there’s one lesson she would want you to take away from this, it‘s this: “Confidence doesn’t come from having all the answers, but from trusting your ability to learn and adapt”.
Looking ahead, Maliha is eager to keep pushing boundaries, both in space exploration and in her own growth as an engineer. She is set on securing an internship in the space industry, contributing to refining her skills and staying endlessly curious. At the end of the day, she sees engineering as the chance to ask questions, chase ideas and, above all, figure things out!
Fun Facts about Maliha
Favorite Food: Tiramisu
Favorite part of STEM: The incredible sense of achievement you get when you figure out something that you've been working on for hours or days.
Favorite Movie/TV show: Voltron, Legendary Defender
Go-to Karaoke song: 'Anything but Ordinary' by Avril Lavigne
Dogs or cats: Cats, but I have three budgies as pets.
A Guilty Pleasure: I put almond butter on my croissants and dip them in tea.
Profile written by Alisha Anwar.