Work Experience

Academic Orientation Coordinator

Western University Student Experience / May 2021 - December 2021

• Coordinated guest speakers, contracted vendors, created budgets and implemented detailed event and volunteer schedules in a virtual setting to plan large-scale academic orientation events for over 6,500 students attending Western’s 2021 orientation week

• Hired, trained, managed, and coordinated over 350 Student Experience and Western Housing student leaders in the facilitation and execution of academic-based, off-campus student and second-year student orientation programming

• Addressed low-level incidents on sight and performed the duties of one of the main correspondents connecting students in need to Paramedics, Emergency Medical Services, and Campus Constables in higher-level emergencies

Residence Don/RA

Western University Student Experience / Aug 2019 - 2021

• As an on-call Don, I performed the duties of the acting manager such as liaising between Western Campus Police, and Emergency services, being the onsite representative of Western Housing, responding to housing policy violations and addressing emergencies as they arise.

• As an Off-Call Don, I fostered a community atmosphere to support student transition into university life by carrying out needs assessments and organising building-wide events, weekly floor events, scheduling individual meetings with students on the floor and addressing concerns regarding one’s mental, physical, and financial well-being.

• Successfully advocated for increased anti-racist and group Emotional Intelligence (EI) training for student leaders, and increased BIPOC and international student support in residences.

Projects Intern

Aga Khan Foundation, East Africa – Dar es Salam, Tanzania / May 2022 - September 2022

• Researched pressing climate-change-related issues impacting the livelihoods of smallholder farmers across East Africa and ran environmental scans on non-profit industry-related food security and sustainable agriculture projects to identify policy gaps within the projects implemented by other non-profit organisations within the industry

• Co-developed six project proposals with experts in the field, projected to be implemented East Africa-wide, focusing on youth socio-economic empowerment through micro-entrepreneurship and new practices to encourage urban farming to increase food security in East Africa

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Instructional Designer

The Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion at Western University, March 2024 - July 2024

• Conducted sophisticated academic research and liaised with the EDI Digital Learning Specialist, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, and Student Experience at Western to develop e-learning modules on addressing misogyny & sexism, and ableism for the Anti-oppression Certificate program at Western University.

• Engaged with subject matter experts to review pedagogical approaches, curriculum content, and digital learning materials to ensure compliance with universal instructional design strategies, quality assurance, and accessibility requirements.

Policy Development Intern

The Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade (MEDJCT), August 2024 - August 2025 (Present)

• Conducted in-depth economic and policy research using tools like PowerBI and economic modelling software to analyze Ontario’s key economic indicators and inform evidence-based decision-making.

• Prepared high-impact briefing materials, presentations, and reports for Ministry executives, synthesizing complex data into actionable insights for strategic initiatives.

• Collaborated with cross-ministerial teams to address policy challenges, including investment attraction, R&D growth, and business innovation adoption.

Leadership Experience

Senator At-Large

Western Senate / September 2020 - May 2021

• Advocated for equitable outcomes for international students on academic and campus policy issues, made amendments on the Self-Reported Absence (SRA) policy to accommodate faculty-wide student mental health needs in the context of the ongoing pandemic, and advocated for increased Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization (EDID) initiatives at an academic level.

• Collaborated with all faculties across campus and the Western Senate, representing the 35,000+ students, to guarantee that students at Western University receive the best student experience.

• Served as the co-chair of the "Early Exam Schedule Release" working group and represented the Student Senate on the Operations and Agenda Committee (OAC).

Stand Up Shout Out (SUSO), Uganda

Co-managing director / June 2016 - September 2019

• Expanded membership base from 2 to 450, coached and supervised executive teams and members from Aga Khan High School, Gayaza High School, Makerere University

• Administered partnerships and organized 2 conferences with The Office of the Prime Minister of Uganda and The Ministry of Youth and Children's Affairs;

• Organized 3 Annual Ubuntu Football Festivals and secured sponsorship from Radiocity FM radio station, Centenary bank, and various donors Managed various food and clothing drives at the Missionaries of the Poor orphanage, feeding 400 disabled children and donating over 300 used books and toys.

• Orchestrated a collaboration with youth fighting climate change to promote a tree plantation campaign to engage youth in good and sustainable forest management and preservation; 5000 trees are expected to be planted by November 2019.

Community projects

Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Western University - London, Ontario

Student voice and advocate for the Black Studies Program at Western (March 2021 – Present)

• Collaborated with Western’s Associate Vice Presidents – Academics and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonisation (EDID), various deans, department chairs, faculty, and students under the Black Studies Organizing Committee (BSOC) to establish the Black and African Studies program across all Western and affiliate campuses

• Actively participated in the BSOC meetings to design and approve course modules to launch the Black Studies Minor starting January 2022, and Black studies Major starting 2023

• Spearheaded over 20 focus-group style community consultations with students at Western to gather student opinion on the design of the Black and African Major and Minor Program at Western and compiled policy reports for BSOC and the Western Senate

Musa and His Five Brothers Fund (M5BF) GoFundMe Fundraiser - Canada and Uganda

Organiser (February 2022 - June 2022)

NOTE: This fundraiser is no longer running - we achieved our short term goals and we are brainstorming long-term solutions to adress child abandonment in Uganda.

A past call to action:

The Musa and his five Brothers Fund (M5BF) was initiated by Tom Gwebayanga, a New Vision journalist, who covered the tragic story of six abandoned children in Kamuli Uganda. Gewbaryenga’s story was about six children, Musa, Ian, Allon, Joseph, Amos, and Yobu Magaya who were abandoned after their father accused their mother of infidelity after she tested positive for HIV. Ever since, their oldest child, Musa, was to play the role of father, mother, and older brother for his five younger siblings. While thousands of children experience abandonment or homelessness in Uganda, broader issues such as HIV/AIDS stigma, domestic violence, poverty and other factors come into play. With the Covid pandemic, child abandonment in Uganda has only increased.Gwebayenga’s article and Opiyo Oloya, PhD, M.Ed, LLD (Honoris causa) call to action on the same story reminded me of an African saying, “it takes a village to raise a child.” It is in times like this that I am calling my fellow Africans and the international community to play their roles to support civil society when governments are unable to take action.The role I hope to play is to bring to your attention this fundraiser and to create awareness about child abandonment in Uganda and all over the world. Irrespective of where you are from in the world, I hope this fundraiser inspires you to donate to my GoFundMe page and learn more about what you can do to address issues related to child welfare in Uganda and globally.

Gwebayenga’s article and Opiyo Oloya's call to action on the same story reminded me of an African saying, “it takes a village to raise a child.” It is in times like this that I am calling my fellow Africans and the international community to play their roles to support civil society when governments are unable to take action.The role I hope to play is to bring to your attention this fundraiser and to create awareness about child abandonment in Uganda and all over the world. Irrespective of where you are from in the world, I hope this fundraiser inspires you to donate to my GoFundMe page and learn more about what you can do to address issues related to child welfare in Uganda and globally.

Click to learn more about Musa's Story.

Click to to read Dr. Oloya's Call to action.

Click to learn more about my fundraiser.

NOTE: This fundraiser is no longer running - we achieved our short term goals and we are brainstorming long-term solutions to adress child abandonment in Uganda.

Office:
Social Science Center
Room 4110

Email:
isavani2@uwo.ca