UTM Muslim Students’ Association hosts multi-disciplinary Career Fair
Students from UTM and beyond were invited to a full-day event of lectures, networking, and panel discussions across eight discipline categories.
On November 22, the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) hosted a Career Fair in collaboration with the Islamic Community Centre of Ontario and the MSAs of York University, the University of Waterloo, and the Ontario College of Art and Design University. Taking place in UTM’s Kaneff Centre, it featured a whopping 24 panellists across eight discipline categories, two speakers, and 15 professionals at the networking session. The panel categories included medicine, law, academia and education, entrepreneurship, business and finance, humanitarian work, psychology, and technology.
Attendees had the opportunity to learn about professional and personal development, engage in Q&A, and network. An important theme was the interplay of one’s faith and professional life, as seen with the focus of the two speakers. In particular, Nabeela Elsayed, Former Chief Operating Officer of Walmart Canada, delivered a lecture on building an abundance mindset, and Jannat Firdaus presented a workshop on Canadian workplace rights.
Two UTM MSA event team members, Saad Rizvi and Ahmed Al-Duhaidahawi, shared insights and an insider’s look in an interview with The Medium. While organizing an event of this scale was no easy feat, both touched on how it was accomplished through “months of planning” and inter-departmental collaboration.
Within the professional context of the event, a strong social atmosphere was maintained where attendees felt not only comfortable, but were also active and engaged. Al-Duhaidahawi described how the participants were “having fun,” but were also seeking to “become successful” and were “taking advice from each other.” For some, this event marked the beginning of or significantly progressed their networking journey.
“People were a bit shy at the start of the networking session,” Rizvi noted. “But once it started to get going, it was smooth and people really enjoyed their conversations. When we needed to end the session, it was kind of hard because everyone was already in a flow state.” He added how inspiring the sense of initiative was, such as seeing “how people were motivated to…engage with the professionals.”
Part of what facilitated this ease in engaging was likely the faith-driven nature of the event, as Al-Duhaidahawi described how praying beside the panellists reminded attendees that they are connected and made them relatable.
Their message to the UTM community, much like the topic of the message itself, was connected. “Getting involved in a club can honestly be life-changing,” said Rizvi, speaking from personal experience. “The MSA is welcoming; you really don’t need to be a Muslim to come to events, to meet people, and make friends.” Similarly, Al-Duhaidahawi explained, “even if you’re alone, don’t be shy to come…. When you go [to MSA events], you’re going to feel like this is a community and you’ve known us for a long time, because we’re really welcoming.”
Students interested in helping to facilitate such events can sign up as general members of the MSA to access many volunteer opportunities. Al-Duhaidahawi noted that attendees also play a significant role in the success of events. “People may think we’re hosting the event, and so we’re carrying it, but I think the people are carrying it; they bring the energy.” Rizvi added that “the most effective way to reach more people is through word of mouth and personally inviting someone to come,” which is also one way people can contribute.
