(2-minute read)
She was then hired as a Business Analyst in Information Technology, a career move that would provide increased job security and professional growth. That same year, she joined the office of the Associate Vice-President, Students Affairs, where she provided support on strategic and organizational initiatives such as a sector-wide reorganization, the Campus Action Group, which released the 2019 Mental Health and Wellness Action Report, the Academic GPS, which supported the shift of all mentoring services to a virtual platform, and many more projects.
In January of 2021, Kafia’s career journey at the University landed her in a temporary assignment with the Human Rights Office as a Project Officer to support the work of the employment equity committee and the mandate of the Special Advisor, Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence. In this role, her creative and innovative approaches to collaboration and consensus building led her to support the development, implementation, marketing and communication plan of the Special Advisor’s mandate. Kafia recalls the project as one of the most meaningful projects of her career and was glad to contribute toward productive change. Several months later she transitioned to a new role as a Senior Business Expert within the Student Affairs sector.
This year, Kafia was elected to uOttawa’s Board of Governors. With her experience in Information Technology, she was able to make good use of technological resources, which she considered key to the success of her campaign. “Using Teams and SharePoint allows you to centralize your information into one place. It is important to use the resources available to you to communicate effectively and proactively.” Kafia Barkat.
Kafia encourages others to speak up, and to ask for what they need. “It’s about supporting others to go after their professional aspirations.” As much as Kafia values her independence, she believes it is better to work in a team environment to learn from others rather than to try to tackle everything on your own. In her role on the Board of Governors, Kafia anticipates regularly reaching out to others in the University community, taking the time to hear their positions on topics, and being the best representative possible.
We’ll be keeping an eye on this rising star, but feel free to connect with her on Yammer or on LinkedIn.