Empowering Neurodivergent Students
Hi! I’m Ameera Ladak – Sauder BCom ‘16 graduate and EDI advocate. As a neurodivergent student, I experienced firsthand the challenges that students face when attending one of the most rigorous business schools in the country. That’s why I’m creating a new financial award to support Bachelor of Commerce students with disabilities related to neurodiversity and/or mental health. I’m asking you to join me in establishing this award to show students we believe in them and support their journeys.
Project Description
Being neurodivergent means your brain works differently from the average or ‘neurotypical’ person, and functioning in a neurotypical society comes with a great deal of barriers and challenges. This new financial award – the Tejpar-Ladak Award * – will support neurodivergent students, and students with mental health issues. With your help, we can make a significant impact on the lives of students as they navigate their way through their education and the world.
*Award is pending approval by UBC Senate.
Challenges and Impact of Your Support
If I had to sum up what I want this award to convey to applicants and recipients alike, it would be, “I see you, I support you, and I commend you for showing up just as you are.”
As a recipient of an award during my time at Sauder, I understand the value and importance they have. The award I received gave me my confidence back, and told me I could still achieve my goals – and that someone supported me in doing so. It was never about the dollar value, and that’s exactly what I want this award to be. As someone who has faced mental health issues and is neurodivergent myself, I empathize with the challenges, trials, and tribulations they come with. This award doesn’t have any financial, academic, or community involvement requirements – that’s part of the point.
Neurodivergent people or those facing mental health challenges will automatically have an inherent financial need. They have the unfair burden of various additional bills and costs related to their health. This award will play a small role in addressing that inequity. From a health perspective, we’re often told to pause and stop until we get better. For many of us, there isn’t a “sick” period that you get better from – this is our reality, and we learn to live with it every day. We can’t simply stop living our lives, and we’re required to do our best to keep up with the neurotypical crowd. This award is for those students – the students who are trying every day just to get by. This award is for students who, like me, often were forgotten or unrecognized.
About Me – Ameera Ladak
Ameera Ladak (they/them) is a gender non-conforming diversity, equity, and inclusion advocate based in Calgary, Alberta on Treaty 7 land. They graduated from the Sauder School of Business in 2016 with a Bachelor of Commerce, specializing in Transportation & Logistics, and now work in tech.
Ameera is an active mental health advocate, publishing over 60 stories for The Mighty, a health publication and community, reaching millions of people with over 100,000 interactions. They served as an Equity Consultant and Founding Board Member on the Mood Disorders Society of Canada’s National Youth Advisory Council, and as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Educator and Facilitator with the Ismaili Council for Canada. Since graduating from UBC, they’ve worked for some of Canada’s largest companies, including Shopify, Canadian Tire, and Labatt Breweries of Canada.