By Arielle Piat-Sauve
Shazia Shivji could possibly be the most involved student on campus! She’s a Science Frosh Leader, McGill Science Olympiad, Member of the Science Graduation Ball Committee, Member of the Student Association for Medical Aid (SAMA), Member of the Montreal Ismaili Student’s Association’s (MISA) executive team, and Executive Member and Chairperson of BELIEF (a student group that promotes leadership and positive self image in women) — and the list goes on!
These are just some of the extra-curricular activities this week’s campus celebrity has been involved with during her time at McGill. When she isn’t coordinating meetings or raising money, this collegiette™ volunteers at the Oncology ward at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. She spent last summer working on a humanitarian aid project in Uganda with SAMA.
Impressed? Thought so. Shazia Shivji truly is an amazing person, and I was lucky enough to be introduced to her earlier this semester. Her friendly and outgoing personality has made her a leader within the McGill community, and a great friend.
Hometown: Burnaby, BC (in the greater Vancouver area)
Major: Environment (Ecological Determinants of Health)
Minor: Interdisciplinary Life Sciences
HC: Favorite class taken at McGill?
SS: PHGY 208: Mammalian Physiology 1. While it’s only a second year class, it was an amazing experience because for once I felt like I wasn’t just memorizing facts for a science class, but actually learning something relevant to how we, as humans, function.
HC: Favorite part about McGill?
SS: I love the McGill campus environment during the summer months and early September, with everyone hanging out on lower field and uniting as a community.
HC: Best university experience?
SS: It’s hard to pick just one… I’ve had so many amazing experiences from visiting Mont-Tremblant, to participating in the Color Run, as well as trying out so many different foods.
HC: Something most people wouldn’t know about you?
SS: I used to be extremely shy as a child (shocking, I know!)
HC: Most recently you helped coordinate the ARTS4ART fundraiser-can you tell us a little bit more about this and what your role was?
SS: ARTS4ART is a holistic fine art show that exhibits art of all kinds – music, dance, photography, visual art, and fashion. It is a great initiative because it allows the audience to surpass the artistic boundaries that are usually put up and instead, experience art without any limitations. The show has been running for two years now, and all proceeds go to charity. This year’s charity was the Social Equity and Diversity Education (SEDE) program. I joined the team as Promotions Coordinator and created the promotional video for this year’s event. I really urge students to get involved with this show, as artists and as coordinators to sustain this amazing initiative for the future!
HC: You also recently participated in the SynesthASIA Fashion Show – how was that experience?
SS: It was amazing! I’ve always been behind the scenes planning events and it was great to be on the stage performing for once. Walking the runway was such an adrenaline rush, I’d love to do it again!
HC: Why do you think it is important for students to be involved?
SS: I think it’s important because it contributes to a student’s ability to keep a balance and maintain a positive mindset throughout his or her student career. It also allows for personal growth through meeting so many different people and developing communication and time management skills.
HC: What have these experiences taught you personally?
SS: They’ve definitely taught me how to work with people and communicate effectively. I’ve also learned more about myself in terms of my strengths, weaknesses and interests.
HC: How do you balance academic success with everything else?
SS: It is difficult but I think the important thing is to know when you’ve taken on too much. It happens to the best of us, but prioritizing and managing time effectively is really important. I think my extracurricular activities, along with leisure activities like playing guitar, going to the gym and playing soccer, contribute positively to my academic success because they allow me to organize myself better while allowing me to relax and not burnout.
HC: What are your plans for after graduation?
SS: I wish I knew the answer to this question for sure, but like all hopeful medical physicians waiting on medical school decisions, it is hard to know… However, while I’m not quite sure where yet, it does look like I’m headed to medical school next year!
HC: Congrats! So how excited are you to walk across that stage at Grad?
SS: So excited. I think I’ve been ready to graduate since September, especially since I saw so many of my friends do it last year. This final year was definitely one to remember, but it went by really fast and as much as I’ll miss Montreal, I’m ready to start a new chapter.
Image by Media Vision Photography