United Arab Emirates: How an Accidental Engineer Found Art in Algorithms

Once a teenager who dozed through computer class, Amira never imagined she'd become a computer science educator. Then she learned that coding could be a powerful canvas for creativity.

You don’t need to choose between art and engineering. You can be both. You can be more.

As a teenager, I was deeply in love with art. I’d get lost in my sketches, in colors, in imagination. But when it came to computer science class? I slept through most of it, literally. It felt dry, technical, and far from the creative world I wanted to live in. I wasn’t a rebel, nor did I hate it. It was just meh: another subject, another lecture, another day.

Until one day, my teacher, probably out of desperation, asked me to explain PowerPoint to the class. I remember standing up, feeling awkward, but somehow, everything went smoothly. The class listened. I wasn’t the best, but I did it. Still, I didn’t think much of it. It was just a moment. I returned to doodling in the margins of my notebook, unaware that something had quietly shifted inside me.

Fast forward a few years: I graduated from high school with no clear path. Art still called to me, whispered to me in the quiet moments, but it didn’t seem “practical.” Society tells you to be “realistic.” So, like many others, I followed my parents’ advice. “Try computer science engineering,” they said. I didn’t feel excited or even interested.” Honestly?” I rolled my eyes. “Why would anyone choose this as a major?” I wondered. I told myself I’d switch later. That this was just temporary.

But life has a way of leading us exactly where we’re meant to be.

The first semester felt like I had landed on another planet. Binary numbers, algorithms, error messages — it was like learning a new language. And yet, there was something strangely familiar about the challenge. Maybe it was the way a small piece of logic could lead to a powerful outcome. Perhaps it was the invisible structure beneath the surface, like lines in a sketch guiding a masterpiece. I don’t know when it happened, but I stopped feeling lost one day. I started seeing possibilities.

Year after year, I began to discover the beauty in code: the logic, the structure, the endless freedom to create. It wasn’t just commands and brackets. It was about building something from nothing. It was about giving shape to ideas, solving real problems, and — most importantly — connecting with others. I realized that programming is an art form of its own. It’s where creativity meets logic, where imagination is translated into apps, games, and tools that can change lives.

And that’s when I truly fell in love with the process, language, and power that came from being able to build.

I began teaching, building, and exploring. And for the first time, I found myself not only awake in class, but leading it. I started seeing my students the way I used to see myself: unsure, hesitant, unaware of their own potential. So, I made it my mission to awaken that potential. I didn’t want them to memorize code — I wanted them to feel what it could do. To see how it could bring their wildest ideas to life.

Five years after graduation, I stand proud as a computer science educator. I use technology to empower students, bridge creativity with coding, and bring ideas to life. I’ve created activities that combine history with AR, puzzles with programming, biology with algorithms, and even social impact with app development. I design escape rooms with binary clues, let students code their own feedback bots, and encourage them to challenge each other with their creations.

I’ve trained teachers, led workshops, and watched young girls light up when they realize, “I can build this. I can code this.” Those moments are everything to me.

But more than the lessons and workshops, it’s about showing a new generation, especially young women, that they belong in tech. That creativity has many forms, and you don’t need to choose between art and engineering. You can be both. You can be more.

If you had told 16-year-old me I’d one day be obsessed with computer science, I’d have laughed. But here I am, telling the world: if this isn’t the most important major, it’s certainly one of the most powerful because it gave me the tools to connect with others, innovate, problem-solve, and inspire.

And that sleepy art girl? She never left. She just found a new canvas, one made of algorithms, dreams, and a whole lot of heart.

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This story was published as part of World Pulse's Story Awards program. We believe every woman has a story to share, and that the world will be a better place when women are heard.