Communications Chair - Uriane
So, Zayn, as the Membership Chair of the Executive Committee, can you share a bit about your background and what led you to the Engineers Without Borders Chicago Professional Chapter?
Membership Chair - Zayn
I am the Membership Chair on the Executive Committee. So, I went to college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and majored in engineering there. I attended one EWB meeting at Uni; we have a large chapter there. Unfortunately, I only went to one meeting during my first year. However, I have remembered it since then. So, when I returned home after graduating during my gap year before applying for medical school, I knew I had time, so I decided to do more service work with my time off. In the interim, I noticed the EWB Chicago Professional Chapter. Since I studied engineering as an undergrad, it would be a good idea to get involved again and attend my meeting; things went from there.
Communications Chair - Uriane
Projects often require a multi-disciplinary approach. How does your unique background contribute to the diverse skill set of the Executive Committee?
Membership Chair - Zayn
During undergrad, I had the opportunity to have experiences that involved social media, google collaborations, emailing, and or marketing. So, being on the younger side as a member has an upside to reaching that audience. Participating in various clubs, researching, and finding different avenues to increase our membership and involvement in the chapter.
Communcations Chair - Uriane
Can you highlight a memorable project, with EWB or undergrad, that were able to work on and contribute to?
Membership Chair - Zayn
So, I majored in biomedical engineering, and the nice thing about that is we could work on semester projects. In the projects, we would collaborate with physicians or medical device companies at the university. This helped develop my skill set in project management. I had to lead a few different projects over time. One of them was similar to the work we do here at EWB. We worked with an underserved community in Africa where we created a contraceptive ring for women to help combat HPV. HPV is one of the most highly contracted viruses in Africa. So, working on global health projects in the medical device world. While not directly related, it gave me the passion and background to further my contributions.
Communications Chair - Uriane
So, for individuals considering joining EWB, what advice or insights would you offer based on your journey with the organization?
Membership Chair - Zayn
My journey is a little unique. Still, going out of your way and contacting our members or going to your first meeting, kickstarting your journey, drives trying to really do it yourself and not just wait. It is the best way to get the most involvement you want on projects. It will take a little work, but it's worth it once you do. Yeah, it goes a long way
Communications Chair - Uriane
What aspects of EWB's mission and values resonate with you? Most personally, how do they align with your own professional or personal goals?
Membership Chair - Zayn
My goal is to attend medical school next year. So, for me, medical school and being a physician will be a life of service and service work. So, just going out into our local and global communities and making an impact. And not just in a medical sense, but like in all aspects of life, it is important to me and something that I'll carry now and hopefully when I'm a future doctor. I can continue to work on projects like these and Medical projects as well.
Communications Chair - Uriane
So, finally, as the spotlight you'll be featured, is there anything you'd like to convey to visitors about your commitment to EWB or specifically about how they could be committed to it amid anything that they're doing professionally as well?
Membership Chair - Zayn
Plug our our program and our projects. If you can, come and join us or help us with projects. Be there for events. Donate if you’re able, and encourage others to donate.
Communcations Chair - Uriane
Great, thank you for your time today, Zayn. We’re in the business of helping improve communities, near or far.