Ismaili Professionals Network in collaboration with Ismaili Healthcare Professionals Association for North East hosted a unique TED-talk like an event, “Win Win: Seek Fulfillment, Find Success!” designed to present students and professionals an opportunity to network and learn more about the ways in which to seek professional and personal fulfillment.
The event started with an icebreaker, the host encouraging the group to discuss ‘how an individuals experience could help each other’. This led to a complete change in the room ambiance. Creating a supportive environment for people to have open-ended conversations. Following that, a group of a renowned panel of speakers hovered on topics such as, civic engagement, creating a career one loves, and the importance of daily meditation.
Speakers on-stage shared their individual life journeys about facing difficulties to reaching the epitome of the career, and the role the Ismaili community played in helping them achieve the status.
Sehreen Noor Ali, a business development professional with over 10 years of experience in the digital space, highlighted her turning points in life and shared her perspective on being digitally literate, “In a world where technology is driving our lives and economy, I hoped to share some of my experiences in the tech field where I’ve seen how important it is to be digitally literate, empathetic, and inventive.”
Another speaker, Zeshan Muhammedi, the founder and CEO of FundRX, previously held senior management positions at four startup ventures, conveyed his excitement “to see the amount of entrepreneurial spirit in our community.” During the presentation, he stated, “Ismailis have the entrepreneur gene and willingness to collaborate, so it’s all about people taking the leap – events like these help plant seeds.”
Zahur Karim, senior vice president of Bank of America shared his amazing experience working for Time and Knowledge Nazrana assignment and expressed, “Having a TKN experience is not only beneficial for the receiving institution, but also for the person actualizing their niyat. The additional skills and interpersonal interactions gained while on a TKN assignment are absolutely invaluable!”
Non-Ismaili speakers were also present and shared their valuable lessons. Dr. Samantha Sutton got everyone on their legs to plan the necessary steps to accomplish their respective goal in their personal or professional lives.
Everyone at the event left with motivation and right information they needed. The IPN event, as Mr. Aleem Walji, CEO AKF-USA, mentions in his words, “a great platform to connect professionals within the community, learn from each other, and act as a trampoline for success.” The event ended with a relaxing meditation session led by Dr. Bindu Babu, who shared how to “live a meaningful life through mindfulness.”
Perspective 