Board of Directors (2017-2018) - Reflections
Hear from 3 of the BODs below from 2017-2018 as they reflect on their experiences working at the UTSC Women's and Trans Centre!
Ayesha Khan, BOD 2017-2018
Volunteering with the UTSC Women and Trans Centre was always the best part of my day. I met so many different people, experienced new things, and had the opportunity to grow as an individual. The Centre itself gives off an insane amount of positivity. This is why I decided to run as a Board of Director. This year was a year of learning - I learned how to solve problems, I learned to stay on task, I learned to work with a diverse team, and most importantly I learned to remember to love myself.
Being on the team gave me an entirely new perspective. I was given the opportunity to facilitate workshops, to partner up with other campus groups and be a part of a larger group whose motto was to bring everyone together and promote inclusivity. I am beyond grateful that I was given this opportunity. I met a group of empowering women that were always there for me throughout the year, my team was ready to take over whatever I was lacking, and reach a level of perfection and milestones that were never accomplished before. The balance in our team allowed us to make up for each other’s flaws and perfections.
Being a part of the WTC family is something that I will forever cherish.
Carly Sahagian, BOD 2017-2018
Being a part of the Board of Directors at the UTSC Women’s and Trans Centre helped me to navigate my leadership skills and introduced me to the work team sphere. I was able to conduct my very first workshops that got me more involved in student life on campus. Meeting and connecting with people is something I personally love to do and my role allowed plenty of opportunity for that. Ensuring the maintenance of the Centre as a safe space for everyone is one of our first priorities as BOD because it helps identified women in navigating their identities such as by opening up to us on issues, which is not necessarily possible in other spaces. Hearing all the amazing stories from those women in the space gave me broader knowledge on many aspects of life alongside the ability to apply what I have learned in my Women and Gender Studies classes in real life. I am very grateful for everything that I have learned and experienced at the UTSC Women’s and Trans Centre.
Ramsha Viquar, BOD 2017-2018
Working at the UTSC Women and Trans Centre this past semester has been such an interesting and dynamic experience. There is so much that I have learned, not only about the centre but about the many inspiring people that walk through its doors every single day. As a director on the team, it has been my pleasure to experience working with a talented group of individuals who are so knowledgeable about the issues that surround women and trans women. Though I must admit, my daily interactions with the volunteers and students have been my favourite part about working at the centre. There is such a wide spectrum of people from all walks of life, who, in the inclusive environment of the centre, are able to simply sit and engage in conversation with just about anyone without hesitations or fears. I have enjoyed listening in and participating in conversations ranging from the political climate of the U.S. to conversations about the latest shoes. The welcoming atmosphere of the centre is something I had felt and appreciated as a volunteer and it became something I strived to maintain as a director. I cannot exclude, of course, my experience with assisting in hosting the annual conference - Blossom 2018! Though it was a tiring process with many moving parts, the hard work of the team proved to be worthwhile on the day of. It was such an emotionally enriching experience to be part of something bigger than myself, and I will look back upon my days as a director at the Women and Trans Centre fondly.