When you picture a mechanic, what comes to your mind? If your answer was a ‘man,’ we are here to tell you otherwise. Bringing you another example of a woman who broke gender stereotypes to follow her passion; Huda Al Matroushi is the UAE’s first female mechanic, who owns and runs her own garage.
Huda’s passion for cars sparked at an early age when she was driven by curiosity to fix broken car toys and understand their mechanics. In her teens, she spent most of her time at garages learning how to fix real cars. Later, she studied engines and mechanics and obtained a BA degree in Public Relations and Media and a Master’s Degree in Management and Leadership.
Being a mechanic is often an uncommon career choice for women, and the environment can be very male-dominated. Still, Huda didn’t let that stop her from following her dreams, choosing to block out those who tried to put her down simply because they are not used to seeing a woman holding a wrench and plier.
With her hard work, persistence, confidence, and experience in the field, she succeeded in opening her own garage, Imex Car Service, in 2020, after which she received the call of her life from none other than His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to express how proud he is of Al Matoushi’s significant achievements. “I was in tears when His Highness asked me if I would accept his car for service in my garage. I could not help being emotional. It was such a special moment in my life. I felt so proud of being an Emirati that day,” she said in an interview with Gulf News.
Huda Al Matroushi aspires to share her knowledge with young kids by teaching them how to fix toy mechanical engines. And most importantly, she hopes to set an example for women to follow their passion and believe that anything is possible and achievable.
