PakistanToday-Paperazzi-issue-346-May-3-2020

Did you stumble upon your career or was it something
that you always wanted?
I fortunately and luckily stumbled upon my career.
When I enrolled in my undergrad at LUMS, I intended to
pursue a career in Economics but, in my freshmen year
,an internship in an education organisation , helped me
realise my true passion- Education and Training.
Being brought up in a traditional, mechanical education
system where beating your child is the way to
successful education, experiencing a system based
on empathy and a two-way learning process, sparked
my interest for this field and since then, Education has
become my passion.
What was your "aha!" moment?
This was is hard to choose but if
I really have to pick; I once taught
Public speaking in a government
school of Lahore. During that
month-long camp, there was a girl
who never spoke and always kept
to herself. However, by fostering
empathy in my classroom culture,
I was able to connect with her
and towards the end of the camp,
she gave a speech in front of a
crowd of 400 people in Alhamra.
The moment I saw her on stage,
fiercely expressing her ideas, I
realised how academic achievement
and relationship building are
interdependent.
Did you ever consider or
experience a career change?
Never. I am fully in love with my
work and still in awe of the impact
it creates.
" TO ME, A
BOSS LADY IS
SOMEONE WHO
TAKES FAILURE
AND MISTAKES
AS AN
OPPORTUNITY
TO GROW AND
IS EMPATHETIC
AND KIND
TOWARDS
EVERYONE."
When was the time you felt completely
discouraged and how did you push through
it?
Being a “high-achiever” with stellar grades throughput
her life, I stepped in to LUMS with the same aim of acing
my grades. To my surprise, in the very first semester,
I ended up being on probation and a warning letter
was delivered to my house. This was one of the lowest
moments of my life as I had never experienced “failure”
before and had no idea how to deal with it. I lost all
my interest in studies and my grades tanked further.
It was during this time, I volunteered at an education
organisation and the experience transformed my views
on education and motivated me to look at my studies
from a new perspective. From thereon, I stopped
running after grades an only opted for subjects to
maximise my learning and exposure. This new lens of
not viewing success in terms of grades only allowed me
to grow and perform better.
What are the top 3 things you cherish in your life?
My pet cat, Oro, My support system and partnership
Dancing
What is the #1 thing that is yet to be ticked off your
bucket list?
Have my own space. The concept of “gear” is something
I haven’t truly experienced and having my own safe
space is something I really want.
What does nobody tell you about
being the boss?
I honestly don’t consider myself any
one’s boss. It is ALWAYS a team’s
effort.
Complete this sentence, ‘To me a
#BossLady is…’
To me, a boss lady is someone who
takes failure and mistakes as an
opportunity to grow and is empathetic
and kind towards everyone.
Describe a day in your life..
My days are long and exhausting;
it starts off at 6:30am and at 8am,
I hit my work place. Till 4pm, I do
everything that I love i.e. design
new programs, connect and engage
with amazing human beings and
get inspired. Then I do my ultimate
favourite in the world- dancing! I run
evening dance fitness classes at Aimfit.
Amidst these two jobs, I play with my cat, spend time
with friends and families and workout!
What did you learn from your biggest failure?
Failure is critical for growth.
What advice would you give to young girls who look
upto you and have goals and dreams like you?
Please invest in yourself; step out of your comfort zones
and do something for yourself to be the best version of
yourself! do what you love always!
2020 PAPERAZZI MAGAZINE
13