Carleton University Student Samina Hashmi Voted One of Canada's Most Powerful Women

November 21, 2006

Source: Carleton University
http://www.carleton.ca/duc/newsroom/newsreleases/Nov_21.html

Today at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Carleton Engineering student, Samina Hashmi, was voted one of Canada’s most powerful women by the Women’s Executive Network. WXN is Canada's leading organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of executive-minded women in the workplace.

The WXN Top 100 Awards is a symbol of the success women have attained and represents a unique array of proven achievers from many walks of life. An independent advisory board selected winners in eight categories. Hashmi won in the Future Leaders category.

"The major thing I have learned from all of my experiences is that there is a lot we can all do on the international front from right here in Canada because we’re all interconnected and we all have the potential to make a difference in the world," says Hashmi.

Hashmi, a fourth year Engineering student in Electronics at Carleton University, has been actively involved in Engineers Without Borders (EWB) at Carleton. In January 2006, she was the chair of the national EWB conference that was hosted by Carleton in which more than 500 Canadian students participated. While working tirelessly to raise the awareness of issues related to international development on campus, in 2004, she spent four months in Northern Ghana as a volunteer working with small-scale farmers.

This summer, she was the business management coordinator with the SHAD Valley, an inspiring leadership and innovative learning experience designed to push outstanding high school students’ creative and intellectual capacity to the limit. One of the many Awareness Campaigns that she spearheaded was the Point Seven Pizza campaign, which culminated in her sending 398 Point Seven Pledges (signed by students) to Prime Minister Paul Martin requesting him to review Canada’s commitment to pledging 0.7 percent of Canada’s GDP to foreign aid. She was also involved in a program to promote equity within Ottawa-Carleton District Schools via anti-racism workshops with students, directed and produced a Racism Awareness Video. Hashmi was awarded the Young Trail Builders Award at the 2005 YWCA Women of Distinction Award ceremony in Ottawa.

For more information about the award, please go to: http://www.wxnetwork.com/top100.html

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For more information:
Samina Hashmi
(cell) 613-889-8640

Lin Moody
Media Relations Officer
Carleton University
613-520-2600 ext. 8705