“In trying to find my career path and entertain different career choices and options, I have spoken to many individuals over the past few years – friends, family, friends of friends, and guidance counselors. My discussions with Zainul were by far one of the most impactful and inspiring. I felt with her that my career and my happiness with my career choice was important, not just to me but to her. I felt that we were equally invested, brainstorming options and discussing different paths together, and from what I’ve experienced that’s a rare sentiment. Not a lot of people are genuinely interested in helping you so wholeheartedly and patiently, as though it were their own future at stake. It was a huge support and encouragement, to say the least. Aside from her compassion, her experience and knowledge of practical public health in particular was really insightful. And she wasn’t afraid to share her own personal insights in the conversation, which made me feel more open to explore my honest interests and curiosities. All this aside, Zainul’s ideas are tremendously helpful. She thinks outside the box which is perfect when you are trapped in it, familiar only with thinking of conventional career paths and trajectories. And she thinks of things beyond her realm and her experience, and pitches them in a way that I felt empowered. After our conversations I always felt extremely motivated and driven but not in a loose or abstract sense. I came out with concrete steps we had decided on of what to do next in order to continue the conversation and keep exploring my interests. She helped me alleviate my impatience with not knowing what I wanted to do and transform it into a curiosity to discover. I am so confident in her ability to share this sentiment with so many others who are trying to find their way, and I am so excited that they will get to experience the same support, compassion, intelligence and insight that I experienced from her.”

“The aim of my meeting with Zainul Virgi was to brainstorm and create a 2-3 year plan for my future as a recent graduate with a BBA. I was first asked to think about my hobbies and then my strengths and weaknesses in order to find industries where I could pursue my passions. Instead of giving me generic advice about how to better perform in my first job, Zainul was able to contextualize the advice based on my current position and what my plans were for the future. This is what struck me as being different from other career counseling I have received, and made me really listen to what Zainul had to say. The advice was tailored around exercising my strengths and challenging myself every single day at work to go beyond my comfort zone in order to overcome my weaknesses. Zainul also stressed the importance of finding activities outside of work to overcome my weaknesses: An important such activity being volunteer work.

The most valuable piece of advice I was given was that there are two kinds of people, those who settle into jobs they are not happy with, and those who have a clear plan for the future. Zainul helped me see beyond this first job, provided me with tips to ensure I regularly reflect on my progress, and stressed that I keep developing and improving myself. She equipped me with the knowledge and motivation to be in the position to succeed. For this reason, I would highly recommend Zainul as she is not only someone who has a wide range of experiences both academically and professionally, but is someone who is passionate about helping people find their passions.”