Greatness is all around us. Sometimes it’s quiet and unassuming. Other times, it’s bold and unmistakable. But wherever a strong sense of purpose takes root, greatness flourishes.
Just look at MacEwan University graduates like Nafaa Haddou, BSc ’16, who co-founded FireSafe AI. He’s one of tens of thousands of alumni who take the experiences they had at MacEwan and use them to fuel new ideas, achieve artistically, lead communities and spur economic growth.
This is greatness at work.
A phone call from his father in Algeria left Haddou reeling. Wildfire had broken out, homes were destroyed and hundreds of community members were affected ― people injured and lives lost.
Haddou had a choice. “I could sit and wonder if I was the right person to do something about it, or I could just do it.”
That decision sparked FireSafe AI, an Edmonton-based company that Haddou co-founded with his brother, which combines satellite and drone footage with AI to detect and assess wildfires.
But approaching problems as binary choices ― one of Haddou’s personal paradigms ― stretches way back to his first year as a Bachelor of Science student at MacEwan. Academic struggles meant giving up on the dream of a career in medicine. From the ashes of that dream, he says, came the understanding that he simply wanted to help people.
And doing that meant leaning into doubt with acceptance and understanding.
“Now I know I don’t always have to be the expert in the room. I can surround myself with experts. My strength is connecting the dots and building off of that.”
The importance of bringing the right people together is one of the many messages Haddou wanted to share when he agreed to work with MacEwan students. That’s why his sights were set on working with more than a single intern. Haddou dreamed up a mix of a hackathon and tiger team, bringing together groups of students from diverse programs to tackle specific FireSafe AI business problems. And he’s already incorporating the teams’ solutions.
Whether he’s working with students, creating employment opportunities or saving communities from hardship and suffering, Haddou will do whatever he can.
“If I’m in a position where I can help others, point them on the right path and share knowledge or create opportunities ― why wouldn’t I?”
Visit MacEwan.ca/Greatness for more stories of innovation and impact.
