Stacey Gibson / en 鈥楾he entire world coming together': 缅北强奸 alumni's website highlights COVID-19 research, recoveries /news/entire-world-coming-together-fight-one-goal-u-t-alumni-s-covid-19-site-highlights-research <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">鈥楾he entire world coming together': 缅北强奸 alumni's website highlights COVID-19 research, recoveries</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/IMG_1389.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=pcT4J63V 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/IMG_1389.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=tXtJqiJU 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/IMG_1389.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=MtjBO_yh 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/IMG_1389.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=pcT4J63V" alt="Juliana Lee photographed at Oxford"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-04-22T18:17:24-04:00" title="Wednesday, April 22, 2020 - 18:17" class="datetime">Wed, 04/22/2020 - 18:17</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">缅北强奸 alumna Juliana Lee, who is now studying at Oxford, says she wanted to counter the steady stream of distressing pandemic news with information about vaccine research and patient recoveries (photo courtesy of Victor Schippers)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/stacey-gibson" hreflang="en">Stacey Gibson</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/coronavirus" hreflang="en">Coronavirus</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/trinity-college" hreflang="en">Trinity College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In March, as the number of COVID-19 cases ascended worldwide, University of Toronto alumna&nbsp;<strong>Juliana Lee</strong>&nbsp;realized that she had been posting so much negative news about the pandemic on Instagram and Facebook that she herself was becoming anxious and depressed.</p> <p>鈥淔rankly, I didn鈥檛 realize what I was doing to my own mental health,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 started to look for positive news and I realized that there鈥檚 actually so much out there regarding recovering patient stories and treatment and vaccine news, but the news media doesn鈥檛 give enough of a spotlight to those.</p> <p>鈥淚 thought, 鈥榃hy not create a website that focuses on those specifically?鈥欌</p> <p>Along with fellow Trinity College alumna&nbsp;<strong>Sophia Shim</strong>&nbsp;and current master鈥檚 student&nbsp;<strong>Leo Zhu Lee</strong>, Lee launched&nbsp;<a href="https://www.covid19recovery.net/">www.covid19recovery.net</a>&nbsp;on March 18 to promote promising news associated with COVID-19. The site highlights the many vaccines being developed throughout the world and the stories of people who have regained their health after battling the virus. It also aims to educate, by explaining the science associated with the pandemic, and provide levity, with a quarantine playlist, links to music livestreams and suggestions for indoor health and wellness activities.</p> <p>Lee鈥檚 favourite part of the website is the 鈥渃ommunity鈥 section that focuses on the good works of people around the globe 鈥 from&nbsp;<a href="/news/covid-19-battle-escalates-u-t-students-offer-busy-health-care-workers-help-home-front">the 缅北强奸 medicine students who are performing domestic tasks for health-care workers</a> to people in Turkey who are leaving food packages outdoors for the needy.</p> <p>The site garnered thousands of unique visitors from more than 70 countries in its first two weeks. It is now on Instagram and Facebook and offers a weekly newsletter.</p> <p>Lee is well-suited to explain science to a general audience: She has a bachelor鈥檚 degree in immunology and biochemistry from 缅北强奸 and now studies infectious diseases as a master鈥檚 student in clinical medicine at the University of Oxford. (Lee鈥檚 lab work involves studying malaria, while some of her lab colleagues are currently working on COVID-19 vaccines.)</p> <p>She traces her interest in explaining science to the public to an experience in a second-year organic chemistry class at 缅北强奸. She had participated in a chemistry challenge and was selected to present her slides.</p> <p>鈥淚t was such an amazing feeling to be able to present something that I know to people that I didn鈥檛 know,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hat feeling still carries on, and I think that might have been what powered me to develop this website showing what I know to the general public.鈥</p> <p>The website has not only helped alleviate some of Lee鈥檚 own anxiety, but it has made her acutely aware of the empathetic global response to the pandemic.</p> <p>鈥淥ne thing I realized while maintaining this website was that, literally, everyone around the world is moving toward one goal, which is fighting COVID-19,鈥 Lee says. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 such a wonderful thing that鈥檚 happening because I don鈥檛 remember ever seeing the entire world coming together to fight for one goal. Seeing all these communities from different countries doing good for others is really heartwarming.鈥</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 22 Apr 2020 22:17:24 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 164098 at Doing the devil鈥檚 work: How 缅北强奸's Elizabeth Bagshaw became a pioneer in women's health /news/doing-devil-s-work-how-u-t-s-elizabeth-bagshaw-helped-women-canada-s-first-birth-control-centre <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Doing the devil鈥檚 work: How 缅北强奸's Elizabeth Bagshaw became a pioneer in women's health</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Bagshaw02_large-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=KHlfx6Ot 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Bagshaw02_large-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=QFGe-hj1 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Bagshaw02_large-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ieJ8Yd-1 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Bagshaw02_large-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=KHlfx6Ot" alt="Photo of Elizabeth Bagshaw packing her medical bag"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-08-20T12:35:49-04:00" title="Tuesday, August 20, 2019 - 12:35" class="datetime">Tue, 08/20/2019 - 12:35</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw packs her medical bag before making house calls in Hamilton in 1976 (photo by the Hamilton Spectator, courtesy of the Hamilton Historical Collection)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/stacey-gibson" hreflang="en">Stacey Gibson</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/canadian-history" hreflang="en">Canadian History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/women-s-health" hreflang="en">Women's Health</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">The local bishop called her a heretic. The Criminal Code deemed her work illegal. But Dr. Bagshaw was more concerned with helping women at Canada's first birth control centre.</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>In September of 1901, 19-year-old <strong>Elizabeth Bagshaw</strong> came to the University of Toronto to register for studies in medicine. She had just arrived in the city the day before from her family farm near Cannington, Ont. When she entered the registration area, she noticed most of the women were in the line to enrol for arts courses. She joined the queue that was almost entirely men 鈥 to register for medicine. One young man tried to redirect her. I鈥檒l stay here, she said. The reaction of the men was one of amused disbelief.</p> <p>鈥淭hey just laughed,鈥 Bagshaw said in the National Film Board of Canada movie&nbsp;<em>Doctor Woman: The Life and Times of Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw</em>.</p> <p>It was the beginning of a life of defying expectations for Bagshaw who, after earning her medical degree from 缅北强奸 in 1905, would set up a successful practice 鈥 exceedingly rare for a woman in the early 20th century. She became medical director of Canada鈥檚 first and illegal birth control clinic in 1932 and spent more than three decades at the centre empowering women to control their reproductive health and plan the size of their own families.</p> <p>During her years at 缅北强奸, Bagshaw thrived under the challenge of medical school. Many of her classes were held at the Ontario Medical College for Women and she was particularly adept at dissection 鈥 her professor praised her proficiency at dissecting cadavers 鈥 likely due to her steady, level-headed nature and ambidexterity. She and the other women did, of course, face gender discrimination: classes such as obstetrics and dissection were segregated, teasing from male classmates occurred and women were pushed into the field&nbsp;of obstetrics or pediatrics.</p> <p>鈥淚鈥檇 [have] liked to have gone through for a surgeon, but in those days there was no chance,鈥 she said in&nbsp;<em>Doctor Woman</em>. 鈥淭hey wouldn鈥檛 have trusted a woman in those days to be a surgeon.鈥</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Bagshaw_smaller-1600x0-c-default.jpg" alt></p> <p>After moving to Hamilton, Ont., to begin her career, Bagshaw (photo, right, courtesy 缅北强奸 Archives)&nbsp;found that maternity work was the mainstay of her practice. Many of her patients were recent immigrants, often Italian, raised in the tradition of midwifery 鈥 and this made them much more comfortable with a female doctor. In the early days, Bagshaw rented a horse and buggy from a livery to make house calls during the day; at night, she would bike to homes to deliver babies. So successful was she at maternity work that for three years in a row she signed more birth certificates than any other doctor in Hamilton.</p> <p>Like every doctor of the time, she also ministered to patients suffering from life-threatening illnesses such as tuberculosis, smallpox and typhoid 鈥 in the days before the necessary antibiotics and immunizations existed. Bagshaw herself caught the Spanish flu 鈥 which killed tens of millions throughout the world from 1918 to 1920 鈥 but made a full recovery. It was not possible, however, to make a full recovery from her personal losses: In the summer before her final year of medical school, her father had died in an accident on the farm, falling off a ladder and breaking his neck. Then, during the First World War, her suitor, Lou Honey, was killed in the line of duty. Before he had enlisted as a soldier, Honey had given her a diamond ring. He died in 1915. For many years, a picture of him in uniform remained on Bagshaw鈥檚 wall.</p> <p>It was against the hardscrabble backdrop of the Great Depression that Bagshaw鈥檚 pioneering work with Canada鈥檚 first birth control clinic began. One day in 1932, a woman named Mary Hawkins paid a visit to her office. Hawkins 鈥 who did much volunteer work with women and children 鈥 had opened the clinic on March 3, 1932, to offer contraceptives and information on family planning. However, the doctor they hired resigned three weeks in, and Hawkins had come to implore Bagshaw to sign on as medical director.</p> <p>The stakes for those involved in the clinic were extremely high: It was an indictable offence 鈥 liable to two years in prison 鈥 to sell or advertise contraceptives or to instruct people on how to use them. One clause in the code offered hope: if one could prove 鈥減ublic good鈥 was served by their actions, they could avoid conviction. But no one wanted to be put in the position of a long, expensive trial or risk being jailed.</p> <p>Bagshaw initially turned down the position of medical director. It was not out of legal concerns: She was not one to back away from a fight. But she was time-constrained as a doctor with a thriving practice and a young adopted son to raise.</p> <p>Then, she changed her mind. As a physician, she had borne witness to the hardships that many large families faced, and the physical problems women suffered from bearing many children. Now, in addition, there was the relentless poverty caused by the Great Depression: husbands on relief, great numbers of children that couldn鈥檛 be fed or cared for. In the 1930s, the maternal death rate in Canada was high. Many women also died trying to perform abortions on themselves, or while undergoing the procedure illegally. Bagshaw believed informing and helping women in the arena of family planning was the right thing to do 鈥 for them and their families. 鈥淚 had so many patients who were having babies nearly every year or two years, and their husbands were out of work, and they hadn鈥檛 enough to eat. Why should they go on having more children?鈥 she said, pragmatically, in the book&nbsp;<em>Elizabeth Bagshaw</em>, by Marjorie Wild.</p> <p>And so, almost every Friday afternoon for the next 34 years, Bagshaw would work in the clinic: She would fit women for diaphragms, instruct them on the proper use and then have them come in for a followup. She did not receive a salary 鈥 only a small honorarium fluctuating between $100 and $200 a year. The number of women who sought her help was well beyond the clinic鈥檚 predictions: In the first year, they expected about 60 women. Almost 400 came.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/bagshaw-gov-gen.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw, CM, receiving the Governor General's award for the Persons Case (photo courtesy of the Government of Canada)</em></p> <p>In retrospect, this likely didn鈥檛 shock them. The clinic provided the first opportunity most women ever had to learn about their own bodies and control their reproductive destinies. Prior to the clinic, men were the gatekeepers to women鈥檚 health in Canada. Men headed the educational and medical systems that controlled knowledge about birth control. They helmed the pulpits that made the religious creeds against using contraceptives. They ran the courts that judged birth control as unlawful, and spoke loudest in the court of public opinion that deemed it immoral. The women who ran the clinic cut through this socially constructed shame, countering that birth control was 鈥渁bout as immoral as a good day鈥檚 washing is immoral.鈥</p> <p>鈥淭he challenges that [Bagshaw] faced during the Depression are similar to challenges that doctors in many countries face today, whether it is in countries where bias against women prevails or in countries where sexuality is not understood as a natural and important part of life,鈥 says 缅北强奸鈥檚 <strong>Rebecca Cook</strong>, a professor emerita at 缅北强奸鈥檚 Faculty of Law and co-director of the Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program. 鈥淗er legacy continues to motivate doctors today. She understood that neglecting health care that only women need contributes to their subordination.鈥</p> <p>One of the clinic鈥檚 staunchest opposers was the Roman Catholic Church. Bishop J.T. McNally of Hamilton incessantly attacked Hawkins and Bagshaw at the pulpit, referring to them as 鈥渄evils and whores,鈥 and birth control policies as 鈥渂lasphemous, degrading, dehumanizing.鈥</p> <p>鈥淭he bishop always warned the [nursing] graduates not to come near the [clinic] because it was run by heretics and devils,鈥 said Bagshaw in&nbsp;<em>Doctor Woman</em>. 鈥淚 was the devil. I didn鈥檛 worry about it.鈥</p> <p>鈥淚t was the best advertising we had,鈥 she added. 鈥淚t was against the law to advertise, therefore we couldn鈥檛 say anything, but he advertised it 鈥 then I鈥檇 tell the nurses, 鈥楤e sure to be on time, don鈥檛 be late at the next two or three clinics because we鈥檒l have a number of Roman Catholics there.鈥 And we always did.鈥</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/download%20%281%29.jpg" alt></p> <p>In September 1936, a trial brought the issue of the legality of distributing and advising on birth control to a head. Dorothea Palmer, a nurse with the Parents鈥 Information Bureau in Ottawa, was charged with advertising birth control after visiting women in their homes to teach them about family planning. After a tense 20 days of trial, a verdict was reached: she was not guilty. The magistrate found that Palmer had, indeed, acted for the 鈥減ublic good.鈥 The case was appealed. She won again.</p> <p>After that, the most stressful, worrisome years were over for the clinic. The fear of being charged or imprisoned had dissipated. But it wasn鈥檛 until 1969 鈥 three years after Bagshaw retired from the clinic, that the birth control law was officially changed.</p> <p>Bagshaw didn鈥檛 retire from her own practice until the age of 95 in 1976, which made her the oldest physician practising in Canada. (At that time, she had about 50 patients all over the age of 80.) She died at the age of 100. For her pioneering work, she had been inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, invested into the Order of Canada and had an elementary school in Hamilton named in her honour. Bagshaw had greatly advanced the concept of health-care equality: Regardless of what opinions one held, society was not entitled to impose them in a way that impeded the health of another.</p> <p>鈥淚n addition to her courage in facing prejudice and stigma, her work contributed to our understanding of health equity. She understood that health-care services need to be provided in an equitable way to all women, in a way that attends to their sex-specific health-care needs,鈥 says Cook. 鈥淣ow, international human rights law recognizes that for women to be equal, in fact, their sex-specific health-care needs have to be accommodated.鈥</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 20 Aug 2019 16:35:49 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 157701 at Sabeen survived two abusive marriages. As a 缅北强奸 student, she鈥檚 being mentored by someone who understands /news/sabeen-survived-two-abusive-marriages-u-t-student-she-s-being-mentored-someone-who-understands <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Sabeen survived two abusive marriages. As a 缅北强奸 student, she鈥檚 being mentored by someone who understands </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-05-01-Mentors01-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=fwNpwGPq 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2019-05-01-Mentors01-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=DdLCT3UW 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2019-05-01-Mentors01-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=RFV66FcE 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-05-01-Mentors01-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=fwNpwGPq" alt="Photo of mentors"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-05-01T11:45:38-04:00" title="Wednesday, May 1, 2019 - 11:45" class="datetime">Wed, 05/01/2019 - 11:45</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Mentor Samra Zafar and Sabeen (photo by Steph Martyniuk) </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/stacey-gibson" hreflang="en">Stacey Gibson</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mentorship" hreflang="en">Mentorship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">缅北强奸 Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item"> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Sabeen* had survived two abusive marriages. She had entered the first 鈥 an arranged marriage 鈥 in Lahore, Pakistan, at the age of 21. After almost 10 difficult years, she boarded a plane with her children to start again in Canada. At 35, she then tried marriage a second time. This husband quickly turned emotionally abusive. To Sabeen, living with him felt like 鈥渓iving with the devil,鈥 and she began fearing for the safety of her children. In a matter of months, she found the strength, yet again, to leave.</p> <p>Sabeen had wanted to attend the University of Toronto Mississauga for a long time, hoping to attain a degree in criminology and sociolegal studies to pursue a career in family law. But there were so many roadblocks to attending university, including paperwork: She didn鈥檛 have her transcripts from the university she had attended in Pakistan. She was dealing with the emotional and financial toll of a divorce in progress, and of being a single working mom. But she thought a lot about applying, anyhow.</p> <p>One day, her mom sent her a link to a&nbsp;<em>Toronto Life</em>&nbsp;article, with a one-line message: 鈥淚f she can do it, you can do it.鈥 It was a memoir by U&nbsp;of&nbsp;T alum <strong>Samra Zafar</strong>, who had been forced into an arranged marriage at the age of 17. Like Sabeen, she had survived emotional and physical abuse. She, too, had two children very young. She, too, had found the strength to leave her marriage. Unlike Sabeen, Samra was much further ahead in her academic journey 鈥 and her journey of healing. She had not only earned a bachelor of science in financial economics from 缅北强奸 Mississauga in 2013, but had followed it up with a master鈥檚 in economics in 2014. She was now pursuing a successful career in commercial banking.</p> <p>After she read the article, an astounded Sabeen looked up Samra on Facebook and messaged her. She wrote, 鈥淚 feel like this is a sign from God that I have to pursue this and submit an application to UTM.鈥 Samra messaged her right back, and advised her to email her story to the office of the registrar. So Sabeen wrote to them, laying out her entire life story. 鈥淚 felt, 鈥業 need someone to open one window for me so I can just jump through and save my life.鈥欌</p> <p>On a summer day in 2017, she was visiting her parents who were then living in Abu Dhabi. She sat down and checked her email. There was a letter of acceptance from 缅北强奸 Mississauga. 鈥溾業 did it,鈥欌 she thought. 鈥淚 got in.鈥 That night, she messaged Samra. 鈥淚 thought I heard Samra scream through Messenger. She was so happy for me.鈥</p> <p>Since then, Samra has been her mentor, an unofficial position that sees them meet up or talk once a month. The first time they met, at a Starbucks, they talked away the hours over coffee that went cold. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥楽he is so powerful and confident鈥 鈥 and her smile,鈥 says Sabeen. 鈥淲hen people go through pain, it鈥檚 hard to smile. So for her to be able to smile like that, where her eyes and her entire face sparkle, you can tell she鈥檚 come a long way and she鈥檚 proud of herself.鈥 Adds Sabeen: 鈥淢y smile鈥檚 kind of getting there now. Going to UTM is my healing process. Doing something for myself is a whole new beginning.鈥</p> <p>Their conversations range from academics, to juggling single parenthood with classes, to career goals, to dealing with fears about future relationships. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very holistic,鈥 says Samra. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about school; it鈥檚 about life.鈥 And because mentoring shape-shifts with each step that the mentee takes, the conversations change, too: When Sabeen started school, she had questions about the credit system. Now, she mulls over whether she should pursue grad school right away or enter the job market.</p> <p>They also talk about lighthearted things 鈥 from the keto diet to dating: 鈥淪he has a great sense of humour,鈥 says Samra. 鈥淭here was a time when I went through a breakup and I said, 鈥極h my God, I have the worst luck with men.鈥欌 They both just looked at each other. 鈥淏abe, I鈥檓 with you,鈥 said Sabeen. 鈥淲e鈥檙e both magnets.鈥 In that moment, they burst out laughing.</p> <p>鈥淢entoring is very different from teaching or coaching or even helping, because it鈥檚 not about what you can do for them. It鈥檚 about how you can empower them to do it for themselves,鈥 says Samra, who has mentored more than 30 women 鈥 at U&nbsp;of&nbsp;T and otherwise 鈥 and also founded Brave Beginnings, a non-profit to support abuse survivors. 鈥淢y own mentors have never told me what to do. They鈥檝e been my sounding board. They鈥檝e given me ideas. They鈥檝e played devil鈥檚 advocate. They鈥檝e given me a reality check sometimes. They鈥檝e connected me with people. At the end of the day, I鈥檓 empowered to make informed decisions for myself, which is so liberating. I can actually craft and create the life that I want for myself, and I don鈥檛 want to do it alone and I鈥檓 not meant to do it alone. That鈥檚 the power of mentoring.鈥</p> <p>When Samra left her husband in her second year at 缅北强奸 Mississauga in 2011 and moved into campus housing, she was struggling under the weight of court cases surrounding the divorce and domestic abuse; her own challenges of healing and coping; working multiple jobs; raising her girls; and going to school. It was her university mentors and friends who lifted her up: Students would look after her children when she was at the lawyer鈥檚 office. Professors would spend hours motivating her and encouraging her to go on.</p> <p>One mentor who had a profound effect on her was <strong>John Rothschild</strong>, a 缅北强奸 alumnus who was then&nbsp;CEO of Prime Restaurants. He is still an integral part of her life, providing emotional support and encouragement, and helping her navigate fears and hard decisions. 鈥淧eople would hold my hand in the worst circumstances. It just warmed my heart so much, and that is what made all the difference,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 realized that resilience is not just an individual concept. It鈥檚 a collective concept. When people are connected to each other, and when people are comfortable in offering and asking for help, that鈥檚 what builds resilience.鈥</p> <p>Like Samra, Sabeen certainly knows what it鈥檚 like to navigate her way through extreme stressors while attending university and raising children. She tries to schedule her classes so she can be there when her 10-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter get home from school; then she makes dinner and helps them with homework. When night hits, it is time for her to do her own assignments. Making friends with other students has been difficult given the difference in age and life experience 鈥 and Samra helps her with that. 鈥淥nly she can understand the pain that I feel, the misery of being undermined so much,鈥 says Sabeen. 鈥淪he went to hell, she came back. And she鈥檚 OK. Unless you鈥檝e been to hell and back, you don鈥檛 know what it feels like and you don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 going to be OK.鈥</p> <p>Samra was accepted into 缅北强奸 in 2004, but her husband wouldn鈥檛 pay the tuition fee and she couldn鈥檛 get OSAP because of his salary and assets. She started to babysit and tutor, and saved enough money on the sly for tuition. On a proud day in June 2013, at the age of 31, she walked across the dais in Convocation Hall, graduating as 缅北强奸 Mississauga鈥檚 top economics student. Samra is now an alumni governor at U&nbsp;of&nbsp;T and her bestselling memoir,&nbsp;<em>A Good Wife</em>, was recently published by HarperCollins.</p> <p>A few weeks ago, Samra had a vivid dream that she was back living with her ex-husband and his parents. She was in the basement, and tried to open the door to get out. She was trapped. She woke in a sweat and looked around. She was home in her condo, safe. Her kids came by. 鈥淎re you OK, Mommy?鈥 They all hugged.</p> <p>After Samra has had a nightmare or flashback, or has experienced anxiety, she imagines embracing her young self. 鈥淭hat 17-year-old girl who was forced into marriage or the 23-year-old who was told she couldn鈥檛 go to school, I just imagine hugging her and telling her it鈥檚 OK.&nbsp;You鈥檙e a part of me&nbsp;and&nbsp;I love you, and just saying the things she should have heard at the time.鈥</p> <p>Now, as a mentor, Samra is able to support other women who may need an embrace 鈥 whether it鈥檚 a physical one, or more of a helping hand. She tells them: 鈥淭he only thing that can heal you is you. Know that the strength lies inside of you, not around you. The people around you will help you&nbsp;realize&nbsp;that strength, and that鈥檚 what mentoring is about, but ultimately it鈥檚 in there. Once you know that you have that power, then you鈥檙e unstoppable.鈥<br> &nbsp;<br> *Sabeen鈥檚 last name has been withheld at her request.</p> <p><em>This article first appeared in the University of Toronto Magazine.&nbsp;<a href="https://magazine.utoronto.ca/">Read more of the Spring 2019 issue</a>.&nbsp;</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 01 May 2019 15:45:38 +0000 noreen.rasbach 156488 at Beauty in the everyday: author and 缅北强奸 alumna Kyo Maclear writes about birding /news/beauty-everyday-author-and-u-t-alumna-kyo-maclear-writes-about-birding <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Beauty in the everyday: author and 缅北强奸 alumna Kyo Maclear writes about birding</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-01-18-KyoMaclear.jpg?h=8c4bd285&amp;itok=KiRH2i5a 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-01-18-KyoMaclear.jpg?h=8c4bd285&amp;itok=sr-7yn6T 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-01-18-KyoMaclear.jpg?h=8c4bd285&amp;itok=qZR1pI65 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-01-18-KyoMaclear.jpg?h=8c4bd285&amp;itok=KiRH2i5a" alt="Photo of Kyo Maclear"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-01-18T16:00:59-05:00" title="Wednesday, January 18, 2017 - 16:00" class="datetime">Wed, 01/18/2017 - 16:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Author Kyo Maclear identifies herself as an amateur birder. She writes about birding in the city and how it helped her get through a difficult year (photo by David Wall)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/stacey-gibson" hreflang="en">Stacey Gibson</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Stacey Gibson</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/books" hreflang="en">Books</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/city" hreflang="en">City</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/urban" hreflang="en">urban</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Birders often speak of a 鈥渟park bird鈥 鈥 the one that hooks you on birding, and never lets go.</p> <p>For author <strong>Kyo Maclear</strong>, a&nbsp;缅北强奸 alumna,&nbsp;there were two: the exotic magnolia warbler 鈥 the yellow-streaked songster who migrates north from South America 鈥 and the more modest house sparrow, ubiquitous on Toronto鈥檚 streetscape and in its skies.</p> <p>鈥淭here鈥檚 a competitive aspect to birding: people covet the rare,鈥 says Maclear. 鈥淏ut actually, finding house sparrows everywhere makes it so pleasurable&nbsp;because they鈥檙e always around. I鈥檝e always liked the common.鈥</p> <p>It is finding the beauty in the everyday and urbane that Maclear captures so well in her new book, <em>Birds Art Life</em>, equal parts memoir, sketchbook and meditations arising from birding in the city.</p> <p>The book centres on one year in Maclear鈥檚 life: a devastating one in which she watches her father 鈥 an award-winning war reporter 鈥 lose his independence and dignity after suffering two strokes.</p> <p>An only child with two young boys, Maclear struggles to care for two generations of loved ones. She needs an outlet to help her breathe and recalibrate. A new friend with a passion for birding takes her on outings, introducing her to chimney swifts in High Park, trumpet swans at a local marina, red-necked grebes at Humber Bay.</p> <p>鈥淛ust walking around the city with him made me discover that every shrub and tree had a whole sub-world of birds that I鈥檇 never known about,鈥 she says.</p> <p>The passion for winged creatures does, indeed, run deep among writers: Sylvia Plath had her beekeeping, Nabokov his butterflies, Jonathan Franzen writes feverishly about his birds.</p> <p>While Maclear identifies as an amateur birder, the passion she feels for them begins to fuel her work.</p> <p>鈥淔or me, having a bit of a routine where you make space and hold a space for beauty or for creativity is so important. And birding gave me the oxygen and psychic spaciousness needed to get through a creative rut,鈥 says Maclear, the author of such <a href="http://kyomaclearkids.com/">children鈥檚 books as <em>Virginia Wolf</em></a>.</p> <p>Maclear鈥檚 love of all things literary and artistic was writ large during her days at 缅北强奸. While pursuing a BA in fine art and art history through University College (and later a master's from OISE), she wrote about art, dance and theatre and drew illustrations for the <em>Varsity</em>.</p> <p>She and a group of friends 鈥 including now well-known activist <strong>Naomi Klein</strong> 鈥 created Free School at UC, an open-format classroom where speakers talked about everything from ecology to the anti-apartheid movement&nbsp;as students sat in a circle and let the conversation flow.</p> <p>鈥淭hat give-and-take, to me, is the DNA of learning,鈥 says Maclear.</p> <p>Today, Maclear is writing another children鈥檚 book and working on her PhD at York University.</p> <p>The birding remains, and she鈥檚 grateful that it helped her see beyond Toronto鈥檚 concrete: 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 notice the rhythms of the city and the whole understory that was happening,鈥 says Maclear of her pre-颅birding days.</p> <p>鈥淚 could see the permanent infrastructure of buildings, but I didn鈥檛 notice how much was transient 鈥 the seasonal, annual story that happens where certain birds vanish and then others appear. There鈥檚 a sense of rhythm that鈥檚 very analog and human.鈥</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zhm5teU4N24" width="750"></iframe></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 18 Jan 2017 21:00:59 +0000 ullahnor 103386 at