Sabina and Bushra grew up in Ottawa, in a first-generation Pakistani Canadian, Muslim household. Alongside their middle sister, Hanaa (also a uOttawa graduate, BSc ’04), the trio were best friends and playmates.
Early on, the Saeed sisters were taught to be proud of their distinctive cultures and identities, not only as Canadian, Pakistani, and Muslim, but also as athletes, students, and young women who were capable of anything they set their minds to. They were also encouraged to give back to their community and country, a value that led all three to careers in the public service.
Their appreciation of different cultures has served Sabina and Bushra well throughout their impressive international careers. Sabina is currently a board and governance specialist with the United Nations Population Fund, the UN agency responsible for advancing sexual and reproductive health. In her role, she liaises with the executive board—ambassadors from 36 UN member states—ensuring they understand the agency’s programs, plans, and results.
“Depending on the context I’m able to use my different cultures and navigate them in a way that makes it easier to connect with people,” says Sabina. She regularly finds herself looking at a world map with delegates, seeing where they’re from and hearing what the place is like. “It’s always really interesting to learn about someone from their perspective as opposed to reading about a country in the news,” expands Sabina.
Bushra also values the cultural interchange she’s experienced within the Canadian foreign service, including while on the South Asia desk. “It was nice to be able to apply the cultural and regional knowledge that I had from personal experiences. I could engage with my Canadian counterparts and South Asian colleagues from other missions to have that mutual understanding on areas that were sometimes complicated or difficult.”
After holding several senior policy analyst roles with the Canadian government, in 2023 Bushra started as first secretary to the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations in New York. Her area of focus is the Greater Asia and the Pacific, and she engages diplomats from member states in the region on UN resolutions and other coordination matters.
Overcoming adversity and embracing adaptability
In addition to their professional accomplishments, Sabina and Bushra say one of the things they’re most proud of is their family’s ability to face challenges with humour, optimism, and togetherness.
One such challenge came in 2009 when Bushra was posted to Afghanistan with the Canadian foreign service. Eight weeks into her tour, a vehicle she was in ran over an improvised explosive device. Bushra, who was 25 at the time, was one of the few survivors. Part of her leg was amputated, and she spent the next two years in The Ottawa Hospital, uncertain of whether she’d be able to walk or work again.
Sabina and Hanaa spent months in Bushra’s hospital room, washing her hair, helping with her physiotherapy, and “quite frankly, making fun of me,” adds Bushra—a valuable dose of lightness and a reminder that life must go on.
“Even though I was injured, I was in Canada. My mom would say, ‘this is the country of Terry Fox, the country of Rick Hansen.’ There were no real legal barriers or cultural norms that stopped me from pursuing life for myself,” describes Bushra. Today, Bushra is a mother of two and is back on track with her goal of representing Canada abroad, despite some trepidation of pursuing an international posting with a disability.
She credits her sisters, parents, and husband as sources of inspiration. Just as she has had to adapt given the circumstances, Bushra says she admires the academic and professional pivots Sabina has navigated.
“I experienced failure quite early on in my career and I knew I needed to make changes,” says Sabina. “That acceptance and hope that I had of pivoting has really served me well. I’ve always thought ‘let me try this,’ and this mindset of growth and being open to challenges is something I’m really proud of in my career.”
This mindset, Sabina says, was nurtured at uOttawa.
uOttawa as a stepping stone for the future
Being a uOttawa alumna is yet another of the identities that Sabina and Bushra hold close to their hearts.
Bushra says studying at uOttawa helped to build her network and connections with the world while she was still a student. “The University of Ottawa helped launch not only my career, but me as a young woman,” says Bushra. “Each of us took advantage of what the University had to offer, applied it to our personal interests, and pursued careers in our fields. It was nice that it was all possible at uOttawa, in our hometown.”
Sabina sits on uOttawa’s New York Alumni Council. “I am extremely proud of the University and what it did for me and my family,” she says. “It is an institution that creates the leaders of tomorrow. To be associated with that in New York was very important to me.”
As mid-career professionals, Sabina and Bushra are both feeling fulfilled in their current roles. And for now, they’re enjoying living in the same city. Shares Sabina: “[Bushra and her family being here] are the best thing I could have asked for in the city. I’m very proud of her, but also very, very happy to be so close to one of my best friends.”
