Anum Shakeel
I was a ray of hope for my loved ones, the eldest one in the family and the only sister to a younger brother.
I was expected to guide those younger than me and be a role model with no proper guidance.
Seeing my family struggling under a mountain of financial burden, I was determined to be their tower of strength.
Upon completing college, I was exuberant to start my undergraduate studies. But was clueless about the choice of university. Since my family’s financial circumstances were not sunny, I could not get admission to a private institute.
With very little on our plates, I gave up on the idea of studying in a private university. But I never gave up my determination to excel in my studies. So, I entered a public university, which marked the beginning of my learning, unlearning, and relearning journey.
I often saw my friends discussing their career choices with their parents. Unfortunately, I couldn’t. With a father trying to make ends meet, and a mother tending to our household needs, I had no one to mentor me.
As a student at a public university, I faced numerous challenges. Benefits and facilities that are readily available to a private university student were far from accessible to me. A few months into my enrollment, I discovered the political influence my university was under, leading to lectures getting postponed or cancelled altogether.
On-going disturbances and political clashes were a constant source of hindrance to my educational journey.
Moreover, the restrained number of courses and a few majors to choose from meant low career options. I doubted my chances of succeeding in professional life, with no footstep in the corporate world, lacking soft skills, and no market knowledge.
A wide gap existed between students and the corporate sector. And it was at this point I decided to bridge this gap. Motivated by my teacher’s confidence in me, I set about introducing myself and others to industry experts.
With the help of a few students, I arranged the first guest speaker session at my university. My audience was 30 students crammed up in a classroom. But the wave of knowledge that came flowing towards us was just indescribable.
This was just the beginning. I aimed to equip students and myself with industry knowledge, internship experiences, and familiarity with the corporate culture. Thus, I set the stepping stone of “The Marketects Club-TMC”.
The days that followed were a whole blend of tears and rejections. But what kept me going was my mother’s belief in me. She wished to see me as a gold medalist, and nothing seemed compelling to me other than fulfilling her desire.
I worked tirelessly around the clock. But to my disbelief, I discovered evening students were not entitled to receive a gold medal. Only the morning students had that privilege.
But I didn’t give up. I continued to work relentlessly alongside “TMC”. Fortunately, I had the honour of graduating with a gold medal and created history by receiving it as an evening student.
TMC picked up the pace. I expanded my audience from a mere 30 to more than 1000. I arranged seminars and conferences in my university’s auditorium and later at hotels. To date, I have assisted more than 10 000 students by providing them with internships, volunteer opportunities, and career counselling.
This was shortly followed by me co-founding “Momentum”, a leading conference and exhibition for startups in Pakistan to help struggling entrepreneurs. As the only woman amidst an army of males, I was responsible for heading the first largest Momentum event, which received 700 plus startups applications across Pakistan.
Single-handedly managing all aspects of the event and spending the night at the conference venue proved that my gender did not impede me from achieving my goal.
In most parts of the world, a person’s goals and aspirations are defined by gender. Unfortunately, a woman is often discouraged from pursuing her dreams just because she is a woman. I know the fear that consumes a woman when her family does not fuel her aspirations. I can relate to how lost a woman feels when she is not guided to the correct path.
To play my little part in ensuring that every woman can spread her wings as wide as possible, I was appointed as the mentor from Asia to WEDU Global. Wedu invests in the leadership development of inspiring and passionate women committed to social change and who might otherwise not have access to dedicated mentors, higher education, and a community of like-minded leaders. I am currently mentoring females in Bangladesh and Nepal.
As a woman, I have been let down many a time. As a woman, my accomplishments were looked down upon by my friends and family. Sometimes, they didn’t realise the struggle and motivation behind my work.
But becoming the Ambassador at WorldPulse- women’s global social network to raise their voices, was extraordinary.
I sailed through stormy waters to reach the shore. I never gave up on my aspirations regardless of what hardships come may. My mother’s belief in me kept me going and got me to where I am today.
Today I take pride in representing Pakistan in the World Economic Forum as the Global Shapers. Also, I am among the top 25 females in the Pakistani tech industry, named by the Women in Tech- PK platform.
The single person that inspired me throughout my journey was my beloved mother. I always prayed to God to make me like her, helping and inspiring others around her. And today, Allah Made my prayer a reality.
