Through soccer, a newcomer finds success on—and off—the field
For Alexander Baryshev, volunteering on the soccer field after arriving in Calgary ultimately led to a league championship for his team—and a foot in the door of corporate Calgary. Alex was still in Moscow with his family when he received an important piece of advice from his Calgary mentor over Skype. “After you arrive in […]
For university instructor, mentorship led to new role
Dr. Esam Mustafa arrived in Calgary with an impressive CV. Equipped with a PhD in technology management, he’d built up a successful academic career in Malaysia as a lecturer and researcher. But when he came to Canada in March 2017—moving here to join his wife, a Canadian citizen and an AISH Generalist with the Government […]
Stampede 101—a primer for newcomers
Every year, CRIEC hosts a Stampede 101 session for newcomers—a primer on the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. The evening is always a blast—and this year’s June 20 bash at Fort Calgary, held in partnership with Making Changes Association, was especially fun. Tariq Elnaga, an immigrant from Dubai who works as an engineer by day, […]
Learn About YOUR Transferable Skills!
I told my kids not long ago that under no circumstances should my obituary include the word “lawyer.” “Problem-solver” and “servant leader”… maybe. They were much more accurate. Not that I wasn’t proud of being a McGill grad (BCL and LLB 1985) or my time in private practice or as General Counsel with The Forzani […]
Telus supports newcomers by Speed Mentoring
“Did I do okay in that job interview?” All of us can relate to that question. But when you’re an internationally trained professional (ITP) in areas such as sciences, engineering, law, accounting and IT who hasn’t yet built a support network, waiting for feedback that never comes is especially hard. Interviewers don’t often call […]
Calgary couple on mentorship: ‘It feels good to give back’
After immigrating to Canada from the Middle East and building successful careers in Calgary, Nadia Namini and Ali Roshannejad give back to their city through mentorship. “Mentoring is a very good investment in the community,” says Ali. Ali and Nadia are married and both are engineers working for The City of Calgary. They didn’t have […]