Meena Waseem is a Pakistani-Canadian and Muslim advocate for accessible education from Kitchener, Ontario.[1] In February 2019, she was named one of thirty-five Loran Scholars nationwide.[2] In April 2019, she was named Kitchener-Waterloo Woman of the Year in the Young Adult category, making her the youngest recipient of the award.[3]
Education
editWaseem attended Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute in Kitchener, Ontario[4] where she was student council president.[5] She is a Bachelor of Commerce student at Queen's University.[6]
Advocacy and influence
editWaseem is known for co-organizing Stolen By Smith, a campaign calling for improved diversity, equity, and inclusion at Queen's and the Smith School of Business at Queen's.[7] She has criticized business schools for lacking inclusive policies[8] and curriculums that teach equity-centred leadership.[9] She is also outspoken about the minimization of equity-deserving students' experiences in business schools.[10] Stolen By Smith led to the creation of similar calls to action at business schools across Canada.[11]
In March 2022, Waseem also organized Ramadan dining hall supports[12] for Muslim students observing Ramadan at Queen's.[13]
In response to employers' concerns about the Great Resignation, Waseem was outspoken about the importance of workplace flexibility for Gen Z employees.[14]
Waseem was part of a team that created Waterloo Region's first youth wellbeing data collection project.[15]
She is a Young Director in Cohort 5 of the FORA: Network for Change Girls on Boards program.[16]
Waseem serves on the Board of Directors of the Sexual Assault Centre of Kingston.[17]
References
edit- ^ Making Headlines (2019-03-09). "Pakistani Canadian Student Wins Prestigious Scholarship". muslimlink.ca. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Nielsen, Kevin (2019-02-15). "Kitchener high school student awarded $100,000 scholarship". Global News. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ "Recipients". Women of the Year. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Outhit, Jeff (2019-02-26). "Waterloo Region high school students say schools should teach mindfulness and time management early". therecord.com. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Hicks, Jeff (2019-02-12). "Kitchener teen lands $100,000 scholarship". HamiltonNews.com. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Bowden, Olivia (2020-09-10). "Canadian university students use Instagram to reveal racism on campuses". CBC. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Waberi, Osobe (2020-08-24). "Ontario business schools foster 'hostile environment': Racialized students". torontosun. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Smyth, Mackenzie (2020-09-26). "'Stolen by Smith' Instagram account highlights discrimination in Queens commerce". The Charlatan, Carleton's independent newspaper. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Francis, Angelyn (2020-10-04). "Why business schools will need a curriculum overhaul if corporations are going to meet their pledges for equity, inclusion and diversity". thestar.com. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Zoledziowski, Anya (2020-07-10). "Business School Students Are Sharing Racism Horror Stories on Instagram". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Lewington, Jennifer (2021-10-27). "Business schools have committed to becoming more inclusive. But has anything actually changed?". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Fu, Anne (2022-03-25). "Queen's Hospitality Services gears up for Ramadan". The Journal. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Tabassum, Aysha (2022-03-11). "'You're more than just the problems you're trying to solve': Queen's student activists, part five". The Journal. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Fisher-Quann, Rayne (2022-04-26). "What do Gen Z women want in the workplace?". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Heeger, Sean (2020-07-23). "Waterloo org running pilot survey to get feedback from youth". THE OBSERVER. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ "Girls on Boards - Cohort 5". Fora. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ "Board of Directors". Sack. Retrieved 2022-07-18.