Lamya Ait Ali’s classmates want to be fashion designers and secretaries because those are jobs suited to women. She stands out because she is determined to become a computer engineer.
“Women always work in some office and stay all day in [a] chair,” said Ait Ali, 16. “I don’t want that.”
In the loud cafeteria at the Association Tischka in Ouarzazate, Morocco, Ait Ail and her peers catch up after spending the summer apart. She is one of about 100 female students ages 14-20 who pay for room and board at the Non Government Organization.