Alumni spotlight

Spotlight

U of G alumna Amreen Kadwa sees sports as a way for Muslim women to gain confidence in the broader community.

Field of diversity

Empowering Muslim women by playing sports

Hijab is a state of being, says Amreen Kadwa, a University of Guelph alumna who founded the community organization Hijabi Ballers to help Muslim women and girls become empowered by sports.

“It’s not necessarily a physical covering,” says Kadwa, 24. She explains that while the practice of hijab does include covering the head, it also encompasses the way one speaks and presents themselves.

“It is you as a woman expressing your faith,” she says.

Originally from Scarborough, Ont., Kadwa acquired a deep appreciation for non-profit organizations and community-building while studying economics and international development at U of G. Her degree program instilled in her a passion for helping others and making a difference in the world.

“A lot of people think economics is about numbers and finance, but there is so much of the social sciences involved,” she says. “The program at Guelph really encompassed that and that’s why I chose to go there.”

Spotlight

Her four years spent working as a residence assistant gave her hands-on experience in community development. She learned how to make a community of people feel safe and welcome and how to create programs and services that meet their needs.

Kadwa started playing rugby in high school. She excelled in the sport, which she says gave her strength, confidence, determination and a strong sense of community.

In her first year at U of G, Kadwa tried out for the Gryphons camp, but a serious injury ended her dream of playing varsity rugby.

One summer while at university, she worked for Toronto Inner-City Rugby Foundation (TIRF), a non-profit organization that uses rugby to help improve underserved, low-income and priority neighbourhoods. “It got me involved in this area of community development through sport, seeing the impact of sports in grassroots communities, with kids in schools and camps, in inner-city communities with low income. That got me really involved in that community.”

Using that passion and experience, she started Hijabi Ballers in 2017 to give Muslim women

KADWA LEARNED HOW TO MAKE A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE FEEL SAFE AND WELCOME AND HOW TO CREATE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT MEET THEIR NEEDS. and girls the confidence to participate in sports while showing their Muslim identity.

Hijabi Ballers celebrates Muslim women playing sports and instills pride by sharing stories about what inspired them to play sports and the obstacles they faced, Kadwa says. “For a lot of women on the field, they choose to take off their hijab and don’t go out of their way to identify as Muslim because of the associated discrimination or stereotypes. And for many of these women, there are cultural pressures because participating in sports is frowned upon.”

During her playing days, Kadwa says, she was often the only person on the rugby field wearing the hijab. And while she says it didn’t create problems for her – because of the diverse community she lived in and the supports around her – other Muslim women in sport have a much different experience. “When you are playing sports, if there are people staring at you when you’re on the field or making comments, it makes the experience of sport negative and makes it hard for them to be themselves while playing sports.”

Wearing the hijab on the playing field is a sign of strength for members of Hijabi Ballers.

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Spotlight

Emmy Luo’s campaign uses donated tech to connect families during COVID-19.

Connecting during COVID-19

Alumna’s campaign brings families together

The isolation of COVID-19 patients in hospitals and other care facilities – and especially loss of bedside connections to family and friends – moved University of Guelph alumna Emmy Luo to improve their lives.

If hospital patients couldn’t meet family members face-toface, she thought, they should at least be able to see their loved ones virtually.

Luo, who graduated this past spring with a bachelor of science degree, co-founded Frontline Connect Canada, a campaign to collect donated tablets and smartphones to help patients and their physicians communicate with families during the pandemic.

“A close friend and I started a GoFundMe campaign to donate personal protective equipment to our local hospitals and other health-care facilities after seeing the shortage in supplies,” Luo said. “I actually reached out to several of my past professors during our campaign, who were so supportive and willing to share or donate. I’m always so amazed by the sense of Gryphon community.”

Through that GoFundMe campaign, Luo connected with like-minded entrepreneurs and doctors who were passionate about making a difference during the pandemic.

Several of the doctors faced a new challenge caused by visitor restrictions. Normally, family members provide information about the patient, advocate for

THIS INITIATIVE HAS HELPED KEEP FAMILIES UNITED WITH THEIR LOVED ONES, WHETHER IT IS IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM OR AT THE END OF LIFE. them and provide emotional support, she said.

“Obviously, this changed with COVID-19 infection control measures,” she said. “These doctors had to use their own phones to call family members or put family members on FaceTime so they could speak with their loved ones before they were intubated. As such, our group came up with a way to use donated devices and virtual communication apps like Zoom.”

With her own plans disrupted by the pandemic, Luo used her time to do something that could truly help the community.

“I loved this project because it’s such a simple solution to a huge need,” she said. “If I can use Zoom to attend my university lectures online, why can’t patients and physicians do that to connect with families?

“I imagine it must be an amazing feeling for patients and their family members to stay connected, even though they can’t be there in person. This initiative has helped keep families connected with their loved ones, whether it is in the emergency room or at the end of life. It’s been so rewarding to be a part of it.”

As of midsummer, about 300 donated devices had been placed in four hospitals and 63 other care facilities, all free of charge.

“We are continuing to work hard to collect donated devices and connect them with other care facilities in need, with no plans to stop anytime soon,” Luo added.

To learn more or donate, visit www.frontlineconnect.ca.