1. What was your childhood like, and how do you think it contributed to this career path?
I was born here (in Toronto) and raised in Karachi, Pakistan. I moved back to Canada at age 19 to pursue higher education and establish a career in a then-unknown field.
As a child of divorce, I was generally an introvert exploring many skills that helped me channel my anxieties through creative outcomes. I was often removed from social gatherings by choice and preferred a book over tv shows, journaling over phone calls, and singing/editing music over hanging out with friends. I often felt a sense of otherness because I have always seen deeper meanings in situations that tend to become loaded conversations once expressed and not everyone seems to enjoy them.
I think my career path is a combination of my early experiences with scientific thinking, public speaking, teaching, creative channeling, and a lot of curiosity about how the world works. Having found myself constantly searching for ways to do things better for myself and others, it was inevitable that I would feel magnetized by UX design once it buzzed past my ears.
2. Were there any role models in your life?
Yes. I’ve grown up looking at perceived success as a means to be loved and respected. It might honestly be a cultural belief to equate material and social success with fulfillment. In that regard, I was highly motivated to succeed in a specific career path, no matter what that may be. Amidst this mental chaos I looked up to my cousin, now a psychiatrist at Stanford, for guidance, and motivation. She was the star of the family and everyone always urged me to be like her but she was the only one who urged me to do my own thing. She encouraged me to be myself when it came to creativity and inspired me to utilize the talents I already had. She was a quintessential guardian angel through the chaos of inconsistent upbringing in my adolescence.
