Haïriya and Wiam: women in science

Training, International, Student Life Paris-Saclay
Wiam Benrguibi and Haïriya Guidado Aïssatou on the walkway of the ENSTA Paris-Saclay campus

On January 22, an all-ENSTA team won the “Cybersecurity Strategies” section of the inter-school challenge organized by the consulting firm Wavestone. Two young women, Haïriya Guidado Aïssatou and Wiam Benrguibi, were part of this team. On the eve of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, they shared their experiences of this immersive challenge addressing real-world cybersecurity issues and, more generally, their career paths.

No fewer than 65 teams lined up at the start of this inter-school challenge in November 2025, and only 12 remained for the grand final on January 22, 2026. Among them was a team made up of students from the CASI (cybersecurity and information systems architecture) specialization program in their third year of the general engineering cycle at ENSTA: Haïriya Guidado Aïssatou, Wiam Benrguibi, Mohamed Mziou, and Ralph Florian Ngonga.
 

From left to right, Wiam Benrguibi, Haïriya Guidado Aïssatou, Ralph Florian Ngonga, and Mohamed Mziou with their first prize from the Wavestone inter-school cybersecurity challenge

As Haïriya summarizes,

« The goal of the Wavestone challenge was to confront us with the reality of being a cybersecurity consultant. We were given a strategic mission scenario inspired by real-life situations, and we had to carry out a whole cybersecurity consulting mission, including recommending a strategic roadmap. »

 

« This last part of the challenge was clearly the most stressful, » continues Wiam. 

« While issues of methodology and cybersecurity management are part of our daily training at ENSTA, in this exercise we had to propose urgent deliverables to a fictitious executive committee to resolve the crisis, as well as targeted communications to external parties. As time was the most precious resource, the key to the ENSTA team's success was our ability to organize ourselves through efficient task distribution and rigorous execution, which allowed us to stay focused. »

Wiam and Haïriya in the main hall of ENSTA's Paris-Saclay campus

Participating in this challenge was particularly important to Haïriya, whose career plans in cybersecurity have been carefully thought out since her gap year and the various internships she has completed in the field. 

« I am very grateful to ENSTA because, in addition to the quality of its training, this school really allows you to personalize your course of study through numerous options and dual degrees, such as the COSI master's degree from the Sorbonne School of Economics in my case. »

Admitted on the basis of her academic record to the second year of ENSTA's general engineering program, Haïriya was previously a student at the École Nationale Supérieure Polytechnique in Yaoundé, where she specialized in computer science.

« I come from a country where the role of women is still a very sensitive issue. I would like my example to inspire young girls to believe that yes, it is possible to pursue higher education, excel, and attend one of the best engineering schools in France. You have to believe in yourself, work hard, and dare to try. »

Wiam, who attended the Lycée Mohammed VI d'Excellence in Benguerir and won one of only three places offered by ENSTA to TSI preparatory classes in the Mines-Ponts joint entrance exam, echoes these sentiments:

« Daring to believe that it's possible is really the key. But it starts in the early grades, where you have to dare to participate and speak up, then dare to take part in projects in high school, challenges... You don't win every time, but you learn and progress each time. And in the end, you win. »

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