Women Professional Development and Networking Night

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Join us on Sep 13 from 5 PM to 7:30 PM for a Women Professional Development and Networking Night at Best Western hotel!

At this event, you will have the opportunity to hear from industry, academia and entrepreneur female professionals about their career paths. Moreover, you can participate in a mini-workshop to enhance your networking skills. You will have the opportunity to meet other participants joining from industry and academia. 


  Date and Time

  Location

  Hosts

  Registration


  • Date: 13 Sep 2024
  • Time: 05:30 PM to 07:30 PM
  • All times are (UTC-06:00) Mountain Time (US & Canada)
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  • 1804 Crowchild Trail NW
  • Calgary, Alberta
  • Canada T2M 3Y7
  • Building: Best Western Plus Village Park Inn
  • Room Number: Foothills
  • Contact Event Hosts
  • Starts 18 August 2024 10:02 PM
  • Ends 13 September 2024 02:00 PM
  • All times are (UTC-06:00) Mountain Time (US & Canada)
  • No Admission Charge

  Speakers

Leanne Dawson

Topic:

Networking for Introverts

Dr. Leanne Dawson is an Assistant Professor in Software Engineering (teaching stream) at the University of Calgary. She teaches machine learning and introduction to programming courses for undergraduate and graduate engineering students. Dr. Dawson has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Calgary and completed a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Calgary. Dr. Dawson graduate research focused on the potential implementation of dynamic line rating in Alberta, using machine learning to analyze large weather data sets. Dr. Dawson is passionate about education, focused on investigating the application of EDI principles in course design to help improve the quality of learning for engineering students coming through the program at the University of Calgary, and the application of generative AI and other software tools in engineering education. She is also passionate about empowering students through leadership and professional development training.

 

 

Raoufeh Hashemian

Topic:

Career Path Panel: Working in Industry
Dr Raoufeh Hashemian is a Software Engineer at Cisco Systems, where she is a valued member of the Data Engineering team for Cisco Secure Endpoint. She earned her PhD in Software Engineering from the University of Calgary in 2019, following the completion of her M.Sc. at the same institution in 2012. Her research focused on performance testing, optimization, and tuning of software systems. Raoufeh began her industry career at Cisco Systems in 2017, where she leverages her extensive research and practical experience to improve and maintain a large-scale backend system, comprising multiple distributed systems, database technologies, and microservices. She is currently leading a domain team focused on improving the DevOps experience within the Data Engineering Team. 

 

 


Bukky Wonda

Topic:

Career Path Panel: Working as an Entrepreneur

 
 
Bukky Wonda is the driving force behind Shirah and Studendly. Shirah is a groundbreaking SaaS venture revolutionizing immigration. Studendly is an edtech platform poised to become the go-to global resource for millions of students. Bukky's entrepreneurship journey began in 2017 as a side hustle in immigration consulting. Today, that venture has grown into a business with a global team of 13 members across three continents. Since going full-time in 2020, the company has generated nearly $2 million in revenue. Supported by IRAP, Alberta Innovates, and Elevate IP, Shirah and Studendly are recognized by the Tech ecosystem for their innovation. 
 
Bukky's leadership at Shirah earned her a top-five finalist spot for the Credit Unions of Alberta Big Future innovation grant. She was also honored as a "Top 5 Black Women in Business" by the BIPOC Foundation for Western Canada. Her mission remains to elevate the immigrant experience and continue making a difference. 

 

Maryam Elahi

Topic:

Career Path Panel: Working in Academia

 

 
 
Dr. Maryam Elahi received her PhD in Computer Science from the University of Calgary in 2017. Following this, she was awarded the Mitacs Elevate Postdoctoral Fellowship, which facilitated a research collaboration between the industry partner Cybera and the University of Calgary untill 2019. Before her PhD, Maryam completed a Master’s degree in Information Technology with a specialization in Software Engineering of Distributed Systems at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden in 2009. During her Master’s program, she was awarded an Erasmus Mundus scholarship to conduct research at the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich.

Maryam’s research focuses on the design and performance analysis of networked and distributed systems. Since joining Mount Royal University, she has received several grants, including the Faculty of Science and Technology Research Grant (2019), the Petro-Canada Young Innovators Award (2022), and the Provost’s Teaching and Learning Enhancement Grant (2023). She was also part of the WISE Planet Change Leadership program cohort (2021/22). She has contributed to the academic community by serving on various program and organization committees for major conferences in her field.

 

 





Agenda

Schedule  (All times are in MST)

5 - 5:30 PM        Check-in

5:30 - 6 PM        Panel Discussion

6 - 6:30 PM        Mini-workshop

6:30 - 7:30 PM   Networking

 

Networking for Introverts Mini-Workshop - Are you a student or industry professional who finds networking a bit daunting? You’re not alone. Networking is an important part of job hunting, but many people struggle to network effectively. Being an introvert can make it even more difficult to form meaningful connections.

 

In this session, we'll explore practical strategies and techniques to make networking more approachable and effective. You’ll learn how to define your strengths within a personal brand and to set attainable goals, so that you can build valuable professional connections without feeling overwhelmed.

 

Whether you’re looking to enhance your internship opportunities or build a foundation for your future career, this seminar will equip you with the tools to network with ease and confidence. You will get a chance to practice your new skills at the networking session after this workshop.

 

 

*** Participants who wish to attend the event online, can join from 5:30 - 6:30 PM MST for the panel and mini-workshop sessions. The link for online attendance will be sent to registrants prior to the event. ***