Mehnaz
“If I set my heart to something, I really, really, work for it and I am not afraid to take risks…I decided to come to Canada when I was 17 years old, without any student loan or any financial support ever since. $3000 is all I had when I came, and I built my life in Canada from that. I am a self-made person and I think I made it to this day because of my persistency and ‘never give up’ mentality. And I am really proud of that.”
Mehnaz is 23, a federal public service employee, currently working with the Canada Revenue Agency, and a member of the Premier’s youth council where she provides advice to the Premier and Provincial Government, bringing a youth perspective to select topics important to youth and government’s agenda. She told me her proudest accomplishment is being nominated for the ‘Women of Distinction Award’ by YWCA St. John’s. The award recognizes women who are making significant contributions to their community and demonstrate leadership, maturity, innovation and inspires others to follow their example. Mehnaz told me, “this nomination is an embodiment of everything thing I have done so far and my dedication towards making an impact in our community, and inspire young girls leading by example.” When she is not working, she loves to paint and write in her diary/read her past diary entries. What’s most important to Mehnaz is her family. She told me, “When I tell my story to anyone about my struggles and how hard I worked to be where I am… the first assumption that people make is either I came from a poor family or have a tragedy that distinguished my entire life. None of that is true. I grew up in a very privileged family… but while providing us with everything we need, they also provided us with values and knowledge, and not to take for granted everything we had. Both my parents are self-made too. Their story inspired me and my siblings so much, that we decided to set [forward on] our journey, and work hard to achieve our dreams. My family educated me with so much empathy, knowledge and passion towards community development, that I continue to follow in their footsteps even on the other side of the world.” When I asked Mehnaz what motivates her she told me, “don’t be afraid of failures, or what others think. What worked or didn’t work for another person may or may not work for you, but you will never know if you don’t go for it. Failure is not the end, it’s actually the rickety bridge you have to cross before you are on the right trail again. Keep walking on your trail, and don’t be afraid to walk alone.”
Q&A Feature:
Where is your favourite place to find yourself?
“It may sound cliche, but my room is my favourite place to be. I tend to maintain a busy schedule, I have always worked full-time since I came to Canada, and I am always a full-time student, and I always enjoyed and did a lot of volunteering work, so I hardly had time to stay home or take a day to myself. I was running from one place to another all the time. So on my day-off. I thoroughly enjoy being in my room, lying in bed with my cat and my partner, and either watch a movie or read a book, or talk to my family over the phone.”
