University of Canterbury holds first careers event for women & non-binary

The three panelists at the event: Ari Nicholson (left), Chris Beardsley (centre) and Dr. Hafsa Ahmed (right).

In a historic move, the University of Canterbury held its first-ever careers event exclusively with, and for, women and non-binary individuals this past July.

Before the microphones turned on, a diverse range of students filled the audience, all engaged in comfortable chatter as Lady Gaga's ‘Born This Way’ played in the background, setting the tone for the conversation.

The event brought together a panel of inspiring figures, including Dr. Hafsa Ahmed, Chris Beardsley, and Ari Nicholson, who all discussed their unique career journeys, struggles, and triumphs within the social and cultural context of Aotearoa.                                                                 

“I am not a victim of my life. What I went through pulled a warrior out of me and it is my greatest honour to be her” – Rupi Kaur

This is how Dr Hafsa Ahmed described her struggle as an immigrant student, woman, and hijab wearer following her 2007 arrival in Aotearoa from India.

UC Postgraduate student, Valeria Sanchez, said she felt "inspired" and could relate a lot to Dr Ahmed, as Sanchez herself is an immigrant from Mexico.

Drawing parallels with Dr Ahmed's challenges, who spent over two years applying for nearly 200 jobs in Aotearoa without success, Sanchez shared her own struggles with finding employment after moving to the country.

She said she sent her CV to hundreds of companies and was either rejected or did not get a response.

“I was expecting things to be different,” she said.

UC Postgraduate student, Valeria Sanchez, is an immigrant from Mexico and has found finding a job difficult.

Sanchez said she feels that there is much to be done in Aotearoa regarding openness and possibilities for immigrants.

Leaving the career conversation, she said she felt inspired to focus on her career in teaching languages and empowered to break barriers.

The career conversation also delved into how to navigate the patriarchy, deal with feelings of failure, embrace feminism, address homophobia and understand the intersection of parenthood with one's career.

Chris Beardsley, born in 1950 during the emergence of the first wave of feminism, said finding her “inner steel” helped her to stay strong when faced with unwelcoming men in male-dominated sectors.

“They wanted to fight and test me, but I didn’t take the bait. They gradually learnt that they couldn’t unsettle me,” she said.

A similar sentiment was shared by Ari Nicholson as they reflected on their childhood, their journey of self-discovery, their involvement in advocacy and the complexities and joys of parenthood.

“Be ambitious, do not give up. Keep fighting for what you want, if it doesn’t work one way, find another way to make it work,” they said.

As the career conversation came to an end, students were encouraged to express their thoughts on the event by leaving a note on the bulletin board located near the exit.

Among the responses, one student's sticky note stood out, stating that the most valuable aspect of the event was the “frank discussion of struggles” and the “reassurance of identity, values and community as three key foundations.”