Resilience, Compassion, and the Pursuit of Education: A YWiB Role Model Interview with Shamim Ahmadi

Young Women in Business Toronto (YWiB) aims to provide our diverse community of young, self-identified women with genuine career advice, encouragement, and examples of local role models. That's why, for the next few months, we’ll be interviewing both career professionals and entrepreneurs that our community can be inspired by and learn from.

Shamim Ahmadi, Advocate, Nurse, & TedEx Speaker

Shamim, tell us a little bit about you!

I was born in Central East Afghanistan, during the Taliban rule. Due to the threat my family migrated to Pakistan, where I spent most of my childhood and teenage years. I did my high school in a refugee school called Aryana Girls High School, run by an Afghan non-profit in Pakistan. As a young refugee girl, I experienced bomb attacks and loss of friends and classmates. It was scary. I graduated in 2010 and waited a year to pursue higher education. 

When I returned to Afghanistan, I had so much hope for change after the war but discrimination against Hazaras still clearly exist. At Kabul University, I felt isolated and like I didn’t belong there. Many things have changed, but there will still be many challenges for me as a Hazara minority. There were days, I witnessed students of my ethnicity, were beaten, and even kicked out of school. I was so scared and had to keep my identity a secret whenever I could to protect myself by not participating in class and not answering my professor’s questions. It was sad and scary for me to see the discrimination, and persecutions in an academic environment of Kabul University. I made a decision to go to Canada where I hoped I wouldn’t be judged for my looks and faith, and where I could be safe and accepted.

Read more of Shamim’s story: https://www.unhcr.ca/news/persecution-perseverance-survival-stories-hazara-community/

I arrived to settle in Toronto, Canada in July 2013 with limited English skills. Early on, I attended ESL classes at an adult learning centre and did some courses to be eligible to apply for nursing at Centennial College. I graduated from Centennial in 2018 with a Registered Practical Nursing Diploma. Right now I’m completing my RN BSCN at Ryerson University and also working full-time as a nurse.

In a 2019 TEDx talk, you shared your incredible story of how your journey led you to find your life's true purpose. What advice would you give to young women who have yet to find theirs? What “clues” should they be looking for?

For me, my education has always been a priority. Since I was very young, I realized educated people had more opportunities. I noticed in high school that my teachers, unlike my parents, had better life for having access to education. I’ve been a refugee, had no rights to higher education, and faced many barriers... but education became my purpose and I wanted despite any circumstances.

At times, my future felt dark and I didn’t know what to do to achieve my dreams. I was the oldest of my siblings so I had a lot of responsibilities to contribute financially to my family alongside my schooling. When I wasn’t in school or studying, I worked with my father, who is a tailor. I knew I had to work hard and be super-focused on my education goals.

When I arrived in Canada, I was homeless and without papers. I stayed in a shelter and started learning English right away so I could get into post-secondary. 

I felt physically safe and secure in Canada, yet I felt like I was mentally under attack. I suffered from depression. I could still see the news about my people dying and suffering. I still was worried about leaving my family behind in that terrifying condition in Pakistan. Sometimes when I was going to school, I was not myself. I was struggling to learn but still, I pushed through these challenges towards my goals. 

My advice would be the same for other young women in Canada: you are fortunate to live in a country like Canada, having everything that anyone on the other side of the world would wish to have. In my opinion, nothing is impossible here. Look at me. My dream is now a reality. Once you identify your purpose, focus on it, work hard… go all in. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and share how you are feeling with your friends and supporters. 

In your talk, you discussed how your own resiliency (and that of your parents) helped you overcome the many challenges and overwhelming barriers you faced growing up. What message would you like to share with young women in our community who haven't been able yet to find the inner strength you possess?

I say that life has its ups and downs, all the time. It won’t always be straightforward. You will face unexpected challenges, family and health issues...no matter who you are. These hard days won’t stay forever, so stay strong and keep the hope. I've always remained optimistic and hopeful that things will get better. 

Be kind to yourself. It took me a while, but I realized that taking care of myself is so important. I didn’t accept that I was stressed so I was forcing myself, holding my pain in, and trying to solve everything by myself. It was impossible to maintain. Reach out to others for support and help. Sleeping well, exercising (I love nature walks), and trying to enjoy every moment has been how I’ve learned to care for myself. Sometimes when I feel emotional or low, I go to the beach/nature to talk positively to water/nature and myself.

Read more: Quest Atkinson offers sweet advice for entrepreneurship and mental health

As a nurse working during the Covid-19 outbreak (thank you, we all appreciate you!), what's the biggest lesson you've learned from your work and/or your patients?

The COVID pandemic has been so stressful for all healthcare workers. When the outbreak reached Toronto, nurses like myself were anxious and often overwhelmed with the workload. I learned that being kind makes a huge difference in everyone's life. Working with the patients, I saw firsthand that patients need more than medication and clinical care. They also need someone to talk with them, make them feel comfortable, and be kind to them. It makes a huge difference. I had a patient a few weeks ago who was going through shortness of breath. He told me about his pain and how he wished the suffering would just be all over. I held his hand, stayed with him, and tried to console him. I committed to staying there and keeping him comfortable. Before the respiratory team arrived, he was already starting to breathe better. That experience truly stopped me and impacted my approach to care in a stressful period. I was reminded once again how much kindness mattered during the pandemic and beyond.

All of my colleagues and I have been stressed during COVID, we’ve been asking each other if we needed support or help. I felt relief to have this support from my team and to know they cared about me. It’s a tough time for everyone, so we should make sure we are kind to each other. Call and ask your loved ones how they are doing, if that's all you can do.

You've previously described yourself as having a goal to "empower women and help children through education and medicine." Tell us a little bit more about what this means to you.

Yes, my future goal is to empower children and women through education. As a woman, I have always been told I can't “do it,” can’t be independent, and I am not “capable”. I’ve always heard these comments about myself, especially directed at my father in reaction to him investing money in my education.

 I’ve realized I am capable of anything if I have education and support. It’s close to my heart, this belief that I am so important and powerful, and all women are smart, passionate, and powerful in their own ways.

I want to give what I received from my parents to others and want them to be able to overcome the discouraging comments and challenges they face.  I’ve focused on my studies for now, but eventually my life plan is to help women and children around the world access education and make their dreams come true.

Read More: Annamie Paul on positive social change and community engagement

You created your charitable organization, the Ahmada Development Organization to provide scholarships for Afghan students. How can our community help you with your mission? 

The original, grassroots Ahmada Development Organization is active in Afghanistan. Our international team provides scholarships and partners with universities and English language centers in Kabul. We fundraise among our members to help students. During the COVID outbreak, it has been challenging for the families, so we’ve pivoted a bit to fundraise and financially support over a hundred families.

As we aren’t registered in Canada, I can’t legally fundraise here. I am looking for support to join my team and build a website and register this organization. As I am currently working full-time, going to school, volunteering, and sponsoring my family to come to Canada, so I could use support. 

Connect with Shamim: LinkedIn