A phone call from his father in Algeria left Nafaa Haddou reeling. Wildfire had broken out, homes were destroyed and hundreds of community members were affected. People were injured. Lives had been lost.

Haddou knew he had to make 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 the idea for FireSafe AI, an Edmonton-based company Haddou co-founded with his brother. Combining satellite, cameras and drone footage with artificial intelligence, FireSafe AI leverages data to detect and assess wildfires.

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. His early academic struggles meant giving up on the dream of a career in medicine. But 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 that 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 create a new work-integrated learning opportunity for MacEwan students. And why his sights were set on working with more than a single intern. Haddou dreamed up a mix of hackathon and tiger team that brings together groups of students from diverse programs to tackle specific FireSafe AI business problems.

Whether he’s working with students, creating employment opportunities or saving communities from hardship and suffering, Haddou will do whatever he can to help.

“If I’m in a position to put people on the right path and share knowledge or create opportunities – why wouldn’t I?”