In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a Filipina engineer named Engr. Ronnet Closa, who has won many awards, shared her story of overcoming challenges to gain respect in a male-dominated industry. Now 42 years old and originally from Batangas, she faced many rejections and difficulties as she started her career fresh out of college 21 years ago.
Today, Closa is a highly respected corporate manager for health, safety, environment (HSE), and sustainability at an engineering company in the UAE, where she has been working for 10 years. Her job involves overseeing safety inspections at over 20 projects, including skyscrapers, luxury villas, and oil and gas companies across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Closa admitted that working in a field dominated by men wasn’t easy. She had to stay strong and continue learning by attending classes and training programs while balancing her job. “It wasn’t easy, especially being a woman. But I stood firm and showed I could do the job,” Closa said.
She also talked about facing discrimination and rejection. In 2006, despite applying to hundreds of companies, only one gave her a chance. That company helped her gain experience and provided training. Closa later earned a master’s degree in Urban Planning and Sustainability Design from Batangas State University and is currently studying law (Juris Doctor) online.
Grateful for the UAE’s efforts to promote gender equality in recent years, Closa appreciates how much has changed for women in the workplace. She is proud to be part of the growing movement for inclusivity.
Engineering is in her family’s blood, as her father encouraged her and her siblings to pursue it. Four out of five children became engineers, while the other became a teacher. Despite coming from a financially struggling family, Closa worked hard to support herself, doing menial jobs and helping her family sell snacks and fish to make ends meet.
“My journey wasn’t easy. We weren’t wealthy, and I had to work hard to support myself through school,” Closa recalled. Yet she always dreamed of a brighter future, studying hard to eventually work abroad and succeed. Today, her achievements include being named Best Sustainability Contractor of the Year 2022 by the Emirates Green Building Council and being shortlisted for prestigious awards such as the Sheikh Hamdan Environmental Award.
Closa remains a strong advocate for environmental protection and regularly participates in clean-up drives and tree-planting campaigns. Through her work, she trains others on environmental awareness and helps reduce her company’s carbon footprint.
