My McGill story started long before my arrival in Montreal, and dates back to the 60s when my family was living in Iran. At the time, my uncle wanted to study medicine, and he chose McGill University after researching schools abroad. He studied here during Expo’67 and chose to stay because he fell in love with the vibrancy of Montreal. My grandmother decided to join him, bringing along her younger sons. And that’s how Montreal became a natural choice for my parents to immigrate to when the Islamic revolution started in Iran in 1979.
My older brother and his wife also have McGill degrees, and studying at McGill was always my top choice in terms of the quality of education. I worked hard to make the grade.
After the limited horizons of high school and CEGEP, the world opened up to me when I arrived at the University. This reality was manifested to me in campus groups. I had always supported women’s rights and I immediately joined the women’s union. It was the first time I had the opportunity to sit around the table with like-minded women. I went on a Take Back the Night march and it felt very empowering to be part of the group.
McGill also started me on my lifelong commitment to giving back to the community: I joined McGill Nightline as a volunteer, working shifts at the telephone aid service.
While my degree focused my studies on economics and finance, my horizons were broadened by electives such as Introduction to Religion, and an economics class called The Underground Economy which was truly eye-opening.
Having a degree from McGill was a huge advantage in terms of employment. In 1991, the economy was in a deep recession and there were very few jobs postings. Without McGill’s reputation and my marks, it would have been hard to get my foot in the door. I’ve since had a long and successful career working in investments, and I credit McGill with giving me an expansive learning experience.