SheLeads: Shezadi Khushal

Shezadi Khushal has spent the past 20 years advocating for human rights. Her academic, professional, and personal trajectory has led her towards various projects, including: policy development in the United Nations in New York City; creating microfinance models for poverty alleviation in Jakarta, Indonesia; working for Ontario’s third largest school board’s Human Rights Office; and her latest adventure - commencing doctoral studies.

Shezadi was awarded six scholarships during her Masters’ program for her poverty alleviation work in developing countries. As a PhD student in Education, she hopes to continue her life’s work in helping the vulnerable and marginalized. By bridging the gap between education and human rights, Shezadi is working towards transforming educational policies, which have historically excluded certain members of society from curriculum design. It is important to ensure that human rights principles are at the core of a student-centred approach to learning.

As a graduate of the International Waezeen Training Program (IWTP) as well as a former principal of Bait-ul Ilm, Shezadi believes nothing is possible without the grounding and teachings of our faith. She attests that her desire to help and serve others stems from the ethics and values of her Ismaili Muslim identity.

Shezadi is an author of two books and a mother of two. She serves as a role model not only for her daughter, but for many young girls growing up in today’s rapidly changing and unpredictable climate. When girls see women in leadership roles, they see examples of what success can look like for them in the future.