Samera is a chronic over-achiever. She has three engineering degrees, a black belt in a karate and is an accomplished boxer (8-0-1). She came from Somalia when she was six years old, along with her divorced mother, aunt and three siblings (two sisters and a baby brother). Selected as Ottawa Life magazine’s 2021 “Trailblazer of the Year,” the article described her as “having always risen to society’s demands that she prove herself over and over again,” though she wished it hadn’t. Her mother framed the cover.

Working for Exo-Tech Labs in Kanata since before she graduated, Samera spent four years as the lead engineer developing adaptable and inexpensive mechanical exo-skeletons. She designed them to allow the paralyzed to walk and workers to increase strength and endurance while improving their safety. Her company’s rush to launch and an ill-fated "recreational" model led to a marketing fiasco. The pilot, who had never used it before, failed to outrun Ottawa’s perpetually broken light rail transit in a suit that Samera had told them was not ready for field trials. He derailed the train and knocked a news helicopter out of the sky in the process. 

After that, the company congratulated itself on having the foresight to have passed Samera over for promotion again the previous week and shelved her project. When she offered her resignation, Exo-Tech was only too happy to sell her its shares in what it saw as her malfunctioning i.p. They even bought an ice cream cake for her going away party with her name almost spelled right.

Samera started running “Adkaysi Engineering” out of the family garage, somewhere in Hunt Club. With less time being wasted on office politics, her exo-suit now functions better than its perpetually broken namesake. Following her social-media savvy aunt’s advice, she reached a deal to embrace the name “O-Train” when she pitched the launch of the Ottawa Awesomes at City Hall. She now has no problem outrunning Ottawa’s light rail transit. Ironically, the municipal superhero gig is mostly publicity events. It’s cushy, and it keeps her from having to resort to military contracts to pay for her workshop and the lawyers she needs to keep Exo-Tech at bay now that they suddenly want the suit back.

So the Ottawa Awesomes was Samera’s idea. She pitched it, wrote the justification and the business plan, and applied for the federal grants. She ran auditions. Followed through. Made it happen. When the time came, she accepted the offer from the city. She had thought that she would be the team leader, or at least have a say in who was chosen. Instead, they gave the job to Tom Taylor.

Tom. Taylor.

Former executive assistant to the Deputy Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications for the City of Ottawa. Yeah. That Tom Taylor. No extraordinary abilities. No enhancements. But he’s “a really good guy.” Tom Taylor. Marketing.

Work harder Samera. You should smile more.

OK, Tom. Hamdullah, I will work harder.