Love of science lands Milton teen top job at Laurier

Muneeza Sheikh is a 17-year-old who is pretty confident in what she wants to do with her life.

"I'm in love with science," the student from Bishop RedingSecondarySchool in Milton said after a tour of the labs at Wilfrid Laurier University's Centre for Cold Regions and Water Science.

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"I really have a strong affinity for science anything bio-related, medicine-related, like the work (Laurier president) Dr. Deborah MacLatchy does."

MacLatchy and Sheikh were paired up as part of the Girls Belong Here initiative to mark International Day of the Girl on Wednesday.

Sheikh became president of Laurier for the day, which saw her sitting in on meetings and having a lunch meeting with Waterloo MP and Minister of Small Business and Tourism Bardish Chagger.

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She applied to be part of the Girls Belong Here program through Plan International Canada and they paired her up with MacLatchy, whose research is a near-perfect match for what Sheikh hopes to do.

"Today has confirmed this is what really interests me and this is where my passion lies," Sheikh said.

Deserve equal opportunity

There wasn't one eureka moment where Sheikh realized she loved science. She has an uncle who is a nephrologist a doctor who specializes in the kidneys who she looks up to, but said she's always just really liked the way science is taught.

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"Science class really fascinated me at school and experiments, hands-on learning, is what I really like," she said.

Sheikh, who was born in Saudi Arabia and moved to Canada with her family when she was just one, said she knows programs like Girls Belong Here will encourage her and others to be whatever they want to be.

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"Women and girls, definitely, if they have a dream that they want to chase in science, STEM-related places, then they deserve the opportunities," she said.

"Opportunities like this, like Girls Belong Here, definitely gives them the opportunity to see what it's like to be in a leadership role and leadership in STEM specifically and I think that's super important because they deserve the equal opportunity to chase their dreams."

Next generation

MacLatchy beamed as Sheikh spoke.

"Muneeza embodies the hope that we really are trying to engender in the generation of girls and young women to want to take on leadership roles, whether they be in science or in other areas," she said.

Laurier was the only Canadian university to take part in the Girls Belong Here initiative, and MacLatchy said it was important for her because they want young women like Sheikh to know they can do anything.

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"My pathway to leadership was through science and through following the passion and what it was I really loved doing," she said.

"I think that's the most important message for young girls and women, that their achievements will come if they do follow their heart and their interests and their passions if they have the support of their families and school teachers and university professions to continue to develop I think those pieces are critical," MacLatchy added.

"One of the things that we're really trying to do is make sure that young girls do hear the message from us as a university that they do belong here."