“Who are your biggest inspirations in life?”
"My biggest inspirations in life are my parents. Growing up poor in Pakistan, my parents did not have many of the simple things that a lot of us take for granted. In 2008, I had the opportunity to visit my Mother’s childhood home. Upon arrival, the sight of the kitchen left me in disbelief and shock. You could barely fit two people in there. What was even more shocking to me was the fact that my father’s kitchen was even smaller than that. My father and his family lived an underprivileged life. Fruits were a luxury for him and was something that his family indulged in twice a year. Looking back, I now understand why during my childhood, my dad only ever bought fruits for dessert. He’d spoil me by making me smoothies and bringing cut fruit to my room.
In 1995, my parents took the courageous step of leaving their life in Pakistan behind and starting a new chapter in Canada. I am proud to say that my parents worked so hard to get to where they are now. They are now very proud small business owners in Toronto. However, to this day, my mother determinedly works 10 + hours, 7 days a week. Sometimes this makes me sad, but it’s also comforting and gratifying to know that I have such inspiring and loving parents. I hope one day I will be able to accomplish something remotely close to what they have done and make them as proud as they have made me."
- Mishal Butt
3rd Year Marketing Student, Member of WMN
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this weekly feature of the Telfer Career Blog will contain photography of individuals from the Telfer School of Management community and a corresponding narrative that gives us a glimpse into their lives.
