The support that helped Lida build her career while studying
Is it a good idea to combine university studies with a demanding job based 200 kilometers away? For engineering student Lida Faramarzi, it was a chance worth taking. And it worked, thanks to an understanding team and Alleima’s approach to inclusive leadership.
Lida Faramarzi’s career at Alleima started with a summer job when she was still a student at the Göranssonska school in Sandviken, some 200 kilometers north of Stockholm.
Lida clicked so well with the work, the people and the culture that she came back again. And again.
When it was time for her next chapter, engineering studies at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, she didn’t close the door to Alleima in her hometown. Neither did her Sandviken team. When the team needed extra support, they reached out and asked if Lida would be open to working while studying.
She said yes.
Finding a way forward, together
“The most meaningful part for me was knowing I didn’t have to put my career on hold just because I chose to study,” says Lida. “That kind of chance isn’t something you can take for granted.”
Together, Lida and her team figured out the practical details so she could work from Stockholm while studying. She visited Sandviken a few times each month, but the schedule was adapted to her exams and project deadlines. When school demanded more, she worked less. And when she had more time, she stepped up.
It’s a clear example of what trust, flexibility and inclusive leadership can look like in everyday life.
Small gestures, big impact
One moment in particular has stayed with Lida.
When a large business team meeting was being planned in Sandviken, she worried it would clash with an important course. But before the date was even set, her manager reached out and asked if the timing would work for her.
“It may sound like a small thing, but it meant everything,” she says. “It showed they saw all of me, both the student and the colleague.”
Leadership is about seeing the person
This experience has shaped how Lida thinks about both work and leadership.
“I’ve seen up close what a difference it makes when a manager shows care, trust and flexibility,” she says. “It’s not just about results. It’s about seeing the person behind the role.”
For Lida, it’s a lesson she will carry with her wherever her career takes her.
Today, she is working at Alleima in parallel with completing her engineering degree. The journey has not always been easy, but it works because both she and her leaders chose trust over tradition.
“When you feel seen, trusted and valued, you grow,” she says. “And you want to stay.”