As my third year comes to a close, this would be the first year at university that I would miss a lot of the people I had met who would be graduating this year. A lot of these individuals had ranged from good acquaintances to close friends, yet all of them had shared their wisdom and advice to the lower years in hopes to help and inspire us to continue making the most out of our time at UofT. One of those individuals I had the opportunity to meet and get to know is Tabish Gilani, graduating Mechanical Engineering student who has without a doubt made a lasting impact in the community at the Engineering faculty. While not in Engineering myself, I’ve seen nothing but amazing things from Tabish, from consoling stressed out first years on my floor at Chestnut Residence, to taking on leadership roles such as being on Skule’s Orientation Chair and EngSoc Board of Directors, to being an all around kind and friendly person to talk to about anything and everything. I no doubt see amazing things from him after his time at UofT and I’m excited to have met him during my time here. For these reasons and more, I decided to interview Tabish about his time at UofT in hopes to share his advice and experiences with students who may need the last push to get out of their comfort zone, no matter what they’re studying at university.
Name: Tabish Gilani
Year: 1T6T1 + PEY
Faculty/College: Applied Science and Engineering
Subject POSTs: Mechanical Engineering, Track One stream previously
Tell me about yourself.
Alright, so I’m an international student from Dubai, I was born in Delhi, India, I moved to Dubai when I was 9, did my high school there, then I moved here for University. I started Mechanical Engineering in 2012. And yeah, that’s a little bit about myself I guess […] also I came up with the “Track One Best One” cheer.
What inspired you to take on a leadership position every single year you’ve been at university?
I just want to quote something that was said at the awards ceremony […] The speaker said something that really resonated with me, it was that “leadership is a process” and I totally agree with them, that leadership is a process. When I first came here, I had a couple of conversations with my [frosh] leader, and I asked them “Hey I heard you were in Track One, what are some cool things Track One do?” and they told me they were the Track One representative […] told me about all of the amazing people he worked with and all of the experiences. I really wanted that, to make those connections and experiences. I talked to my leaders during Frosh Week and they confirmed that people who get involved feel so much more fulfilled and get to reach out. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do or what excited me but I told myself I’d get involved because I guess I’d found something that was fun. Honestly, it’s been the whole process of figuring that out, figuring out my narrative.
Since your time at University, what are you most proud of accomplishing, and what has been the most challenging?
Honestly, the number one thing for me is that it’s not one singular experience it’s more so the people I’ve been able to meet and the connections I’ve made. I’ve met some of the most amazing people because of these connections, they’ve challenged me in such a way that they’ve pushed me to continue impact and improve the student community in such a positive way.
When [the class of 1t6] started Skule, it was such a different place […] it wasn’t as inclusive as it is now. It’s not to say that we’re there yet, but the conversations about inclusivity wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t talked to people and made those connections and recognized the different diversities that made us who we are. For me, it’s the connections that have given me so much insight and really appreciate the diversity within this community and how much I love it.
The biggest challenge is always still speaking out and just making sure your voice is heard. Coming as an international student, it’s really hard to feel the connection to the community. I clearly remember I was one of few international students involved with EngSoc, and even now and being aware of that is crazy because it’s hard to bring change about and it’s hard to make other people realize that. So I think just adjusting [in Canada] and then making others realize how hard it is to adjust here and working with them to make this place adjustable. It’s a huge process and an ongoing conversation that I’ve been grateful to be a part of.
Was it a dramatic change coming from Dubai?
Yeah, well the weather is totally different for one. I came from 40 degrees to negative 40, so that was crazy. And two, it’s the nuances of being an international student versus being domestic. Talking about the GTA, the TDSB and I just didn’t know what those terms meant. Talking about childhood shows, how the law works, […] how different things come up in conversation and daily life that we don’t notice. How people react to different catalysts and observations, their perceptions of what’s right and wrong and noticing that at the end of the day, everything is just a grey area that comes out of you judgment.
What’s something you wish you knew in first year / what advice do you have for the incoming class?
I don’t know what I wish I knew in first year because there’s so many things I wish I knew in first year I wish I knew my whole first year syllabi so I would actually do better, I wish I knew the first year exams that would come up so that I would do better I wish I was I had connections with all my profs so I could talk to them .
Hah, maybe something a little more feasible.
Honestly at the end of the day for all the knowledge I could have had nothing could have prepared me for what I had no clue what I was getting into. I came across a quote recently that was “if you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done” […] you learn and you grow outside of your comfort zone so if I had known that before I started university, my high school experience would have been completely different maybe I wouldn’t have come to UofT but recognizing that UofT has so many opportunities and being aware of that of the things you can do the amount of clubs and opportunities to push yourself and grow and have fun […] That is one thing I wish I knew is being aware of all the opportunities and the advice is literally to step outside of your comfort zone and push yourself as much as you can.
What are you most excited about doing next year / will you maintain being an active member of the SKULE community?
I’m going to be a community coordinator at the University of Waterloo, but before that I’m going volunteering in Peru for a month working at a local school, go back home to Dubai, travel in Europe with my family, then start the job at waterloo and see where it goes from there […]
I for sure want to continue being involved with the SKULE community. Some of the people that I’ve come really close with are still involved them and I want to be there to support them. Funny story when I’m going to Peru, the alumni office connected me with the someone who was orientation chair ten years ago and I’m meeting her in Peru, it’s crazy. It’s testament to how strong the alumni community is and how meaningful those connections are. I’m going to a place where I literally don’t know anyone and there is someone to welcome me with open arms. I want to be that person for someone else to be someone who can welcome someone in a new place and someone to talk to. If I can be that for somebody I would feel great.