I am. A Heritage Story from Tasneem Zaihra Rizvi brought to you by Western Union

Western Union is a proud sponsor of NetIP’s stories of Cultural Heritage, Drops. Ripples. Waves.

Join us at the NetIP Annual conference in Washington DC over labor day to celebrate your heritage.

My Cultural Heritage Story begins with a drop that consists of hopes and aspirations that has led into a ripple of inspiration and determination. And now, I am hoping that turns into a wave that not only satisfies my own quench to give back to society and achieve the impossible but just as importantly to give back to society and my cultural heritage. I would like the next generation to also benefit from my own cultural heritage while becoming a vibrant product of the community for all to partake in.

My cultural heritage is who I am, where I have come from, is my identity and a major part of who I am. As it’s commonly said, you can take the Indian out of India, but you can’t take India out of the Indian. Such true words that echoes my sentiments. I have applied all that I have learnt from my cultural heritage in my daily life and career as I go about my life trying to reach for the stars one day at a time. I strongly feel that I have been able to achieve what I have so far directly due to my energetic cultural heritage.

Well, here I am. Officially, I guess, I am well on my way within the pulsating world of Statistics. ‘Statistics’ – a word many cringed as I mentioned my background, as if it was worse than root canal. However, Statistics, where I am both in the academic as well as research sector, has been an enriching experience for me so far. As clichéd as it may sound, my journey towards achieving the very best, and going for the top, has truly been a wonderful and thrilling ride. And it has just begun.

The fact remains that I come from a very humble background. I was born and raised in a small town in north India; a place where usually only a few can have the audacity of even dreaming and reaching for the skies. And yet here I am today after breaking all shackles and freeing myself from all norms, striving towards a professional career. However, I have never forgotten where I have come from, my background and what my cultural heritage has taught and inspired me. I would like to be an inspiration to all those women out there who dare to dream and reach for the stars.

Despite coming from a humble background and raised in a country that many consider as a third-world, I have been able to overcome all my obstacles and critics; and ignored the social norms, to pursue my goals while making an overall positive difference to society. I was able to achieve much despite being raised in area where even the basics such as water and electricity is considered a luxury.

My aim is to touch the lives of others and motivate others to take full advantage of their own lives, dreams and destiny, and go after the impossible. I am attempting to do that through the world of education where I personally interact with many who are the future of this world. I hope through my teachings, I can reach out to the various students and inspire them to be all that they can be. My ideas and achievements are a mirror image of my parents, my teachers and my overall education, a major part of which was in north India.

I was also fortunate enough to be motivated by all my teachers in general but especially my high school math teacher. I still remember her constantly reminding us in class that though we live in a small town with only six hours or so of power supply; yet that won’t be written anywhere on our transcripts.

She inspired me greatly and gave me the courage and determination to dream and excel beyond the horizons that our eyes can see despite any and all odds. I acquired from her teachings along with my father’s preaching that it does not matter what kind of society we are born in or the lack of resources we may have, what truly matters is the kind of society we leave behind, and the people we touch.

These words have left an everlasting impression on me as I strive to continue on that path with these words of my teacher, as my guiding light and motivation. When you have lived in that environment, and seen first-hand, the poverty and obstacles around you, it gives you that drive with a keen sense of guts to first make a difference in your own life, and then give back to society through your achievements and the network you create. We come across many people, and there are only a few that leave their footprints and the cultural heritage stamp on our hearts. Hence, it is vital to instill the values and principles that are a result of our cultural heritage, and become a contributing citizen of wherever our paths lead us to.

After attending renowned private Catholic schools throughout my education till high school where I was provided one of the best education to assist me with my dreams and goals, I finally went to Aligarh Muslim University where I completed my Bachelors, Masters as well as a MPhil degree. I have always been determined and attempted to reach for the stars regardless. In India, as I was pursuing my Bachelors in Statistics Honors, I achieved the University Gold-Medal for securing a first position in the Faculty of Science.

I not only won another University Gold-Medal while doing my Masters in Operations Research for securing a first position in the same Faculty, but this time I also won the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for academic excellence in the MSc exam conducted nationally by the Central Universities of India. Out of millions of students literally, I was of one 15 students selected for this notable award. As a result,

I along with the other winners were personally invited by the then Prime Minister of India to sit with him in his private box on a national holiday, Republic Day, to watch the major Parade in the nation’s capital. This was a moment of pride not only for my family and friends, but a pride for the country and my community as well. There was no looking back for me at that point. I wanted to fully grasp life, and go where others seldom even dream of going.

For a female in that region to travel abroad alone let alone for educational purposes was a distant thought. But I was determined to take advantage of all her resources and skills to reach the mountain top. So in 2005, I arrived in this great nation of opportunities to further pursue my education. Of course, as I had never seldom ventured out of my small town let alone traveling by her self except for my education, I was a little overwhelmed, a little apprehensive of the unknown, and what laid ahead, and had to get adjusted to this new environment.

But I overcame all of my fears and anxiety, and achieved what I came here for. By beating all odds and continuing to beat all it all, I was able to cross the seven seas to pursue my doctorate. I completed my PhD in Statistics in summer of 2009 from the University of Windsor in Ontario Canada. My dissertation was on “Inference on some epidemiological indices and variance function in semi-parametric analysis of count data”.

My research included the analysis of correlated and clustered counts, and proportions which occur frequently in the field of biostatistics. While at the University, I also wanted to give back to the community here in Canada that gave me so much, including another amazing chapter and a new beginning of my life, and was a major part of my achieving yet another one of my goals. So I volunteered a lot of my time as well in between my studies. There were many including as a council member of the Graduate Student Society which represented the Canadian Federation of Students on my campus. That was just one of many. I also actively volunteered for a wonderful organization that helped students in India as well.

Along the way, I have added to my overall credentials and achievements, attaining many awards and successes. During the 23rd New England Statistics Symposium, CT, I was awarded an Honorable mention for the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center / Student Research Award Competition. I was also covered in AMStatNews (ASA) magazine. As I progressed towards completing my PhD, I was often confused about the path to take next. I contemplated about teaching, research and the corporate world, and all of its pros and cons. I guess God does work in mysterious ways as teaching was something I was leaning towards, and has now become my calling.

I am currently working as an Assistant Professor at a University in Canada while also engaged in various research. I have also had the pleasure of giving various talks and presentations both in Canada as well as the USA. Regarding my research, I have also written a few papers as well that were published in various reputable journals. I still remember my first day of teaching. Excited but nervous, anxious but uneasy not knowing what exactly lied ahead. How the students would be, how they would respond to my teaching, if I would be able to convey all the materials effectively, how much should I move around in the class, if I should be more of a mentor than a teacher?

So many thoughts in my head, so much to teach and learn, as the butterflies in my stomach buzzed about. While teaching, I also enrolled in Diploma in University Teaching (DUT). It’s been a great program, giving me a better insight to the world of teaching with some fantastic resources. It has provided me with the knowledge of teaching in relation to an academic discipline, skills related to educational design and to the assessment of teaching-learning interactions. DUT has helped me in further defining my teaching goals more precisely.

I am constantly encouraging my own students to excel, to do their best, achieve all that they can, strive for their dreams and to be the best they can. When my students come to know of my background and cultural heritage, where I came from, how that has shaped my life, my identity, and made me who I am, and how I have been able to achieve much, and continue to do so, they are motivated and geared to take on the world as well, come what may.

I try to reach out to my students, interacting with them on a individual level and rallying them with motivating and encouraging words not to hold back, or let anyone hold them back, and conquer their fears and accomplish their goals. You can see the sparkle in some of the students’ eyes as reality sets in that they too can do be whatever they want to be, and achieving whatever they want to be. I attempt to offer various opportunities for students to fine-tune their overall skills and gain additional experiences.

I try to actively find ways to help my students and reach out to them. As a teacher, my goal became not only to educate the students to its fullest but also give them a reason to learn and be a part of the learning. I would do my best to instill in them a zest for the subject by making the lectures more interactive, interesting and dialogue based. Teaching for me is similar to the art of pottery, where as teachers; we play the role of a potter who moulds the students who are like unshaped clay, in the best possible form with new ideas, thoughts and information. Enlisting these eager students into the world of education, they can then go into the real world armed with new knowledge, finding their own selves, drawing their own conclusions, creating an identity, and creating new frontier. I want to encourage my students to achieve their true potential.

I would like to instill self confidence in them to a level where they can have confidence in themselves and aspire to do something which they perhaps thought they could not do when they came to class for the first time. I believe in an egalitarian classroom where both teacher and student are partners. Education is a two-way process. I believe that as a teacher my role is to act as catalyst in their learning process by encouraging them to ask questions and by continuously reminding them that no question is trivial and asking questions is the first step towards the process of learning.

I would like to focus on the individual student as best as I can while listening listen to their concerns, and provide guidance, support and encouragement. I would say that I am a good teacher if I can help my students not only get a better understanding of the subject I am teaching but actually help him or her in the overall development of his or her personality, while encouraging them to develop a sense of belonging to this society and a sense of giving back. If I succeed in motivating even one student I would be glad, as for me, even one rose in my garden is better than none. I would like to strike a balance between teaching and with research as also being an essential part of my job function.

Teaching does matter and I believe it should be recognized in all its various forms as it opens the minds. Research is just as vital as it opens new frontiers. Both are vial and needed in their respective ways. Both the academic and the volunteer areas have fine-tuned my various abilities enabling me with a very strong work ethic. As a result, I am self-motivated, detail-oriented and a goal achiever, striving to attain the very best in all the endeavors that I embark upon. I hope that my passion for challenges and education helps towards making a little difference in learning and research while making some difference wherever I go and whoever I meet. There is one other thing that this journey has provided me with, and that’s my husband, Hasan Rizvi who is from the USA.

He has been my pillar of support and strength, and has been the next chapter of my life’s inspiration. If he wasn’t there, then I am certain I would hesitate on doing certain things. He loves to proudly proclaim that he is originally from Allahabad, where his mother was born and raised completing her college there, before immigrating to the United States with her husband, my father-in-law.

My husband believes that this part of his cultural heritage, i.e. Allahabad has produced two giants contributing towards India, namely Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru and Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. As a result, my husband is proud to have some major ties with this city. Even though my husband came to the United States when he was two years, with his father who was coming here with his own dreams and hopes, for residency after completing his medical degree at King George Med School in Lucknow, due to his parents, he has never let go of his cultural heritage as his parents took him back to India for regular visits as he was growing up. My husband feels proud to have two great and powerful countries as part of his cultural heritage. My husband has also been very successful in his own right as he continuously embarks on his own dreams and goals with his business and other activities which includes various non-profit, volunteer and political purists. Like his father, he has established himself well in society giving back to it as much as he can.

There are those in the world who work and strive for their own personal satisfaction from within. And then there are those who go out to make a difference in the lives of others, giving meaning and satisfaction in their own lives. We come across these handfuls who are set out to make an lasting impression on others and their lives. Their goal is to make a positive difference in the lives of others and assist them to achieve their dreams.

I would like to think that I am in this later category. I want to touch as many lives as I can, help as many people as can, inspire as many people as I can as I walk about this world. Hence, I choose this noble profession of teaching as an avenue to achieve a major part of my goals. I would like to share with others, what I have learned so far, even though I still have many miles to go, something that I am looking forward to, as I fondly cherish the memories. One thing is to enjoy the journey itself, and not to be blinded by the goal.

Have fun in the process, taking one day at a time. Relax, be yourself, and don’t let anything take over your life. It should revolve around you, and not the other way around. Always believe in yourself, have faith and trust the many decisions you take.

Thank you.

Tasneem Zaihra Rizvi

Bloomfield, NJ

Western Union Provides Convenient Online Money Transfer Service

This is a sponsored message

ENGLEWOOD, CO, – June 1, 2011 – The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a leader in global payments, is offering a new service that allows consumers to send money transfers online from their bank account to India via westernunion.com. In addition to India, this service has been rolled out for money transfers from the U.S. to more than 130 countries this year, and plans are to expand further to additional countries by year end.  The new Western Union^® ACH (Automated Clearing House) money transfer service, provides a three banking day¹ delivery of money at a more economical transfer fee* from the United States.

Fees begin as low as $8* and consumers sending money transfers to India via this Western Union^® online service from the United States, can send up to $2500 for a $14 transfer fee*.  You can learn more by visiting:  westernunion.com/threeday.

“By offering the ACH service, Western Union is expanding our portfolio of services to help consumers with options to conveniently send money transfers from the United States anywhere and anytime and to have the money transfer funds provided from the sender’s bank account,” said Victoria Lopez-Negrete, Senior Vice President, North America, Western Union. “This service continues Western Union’s commitment to providing electronic channels as a convenient way to meet our consumers’ money movement needs.”

Consumers who regularly send money transfers now have a more economical fee* structure option, along with the convenience of sending money 24×7.  Money is ready to be picked up by the receiver by the third banking day¹. When needed, senders can also choose the online “Money in Minutes” money transfer service. Receivers can pick up the funds at more than 71,000 Western Union Agent locations in India.

After the initial online registration to use the ACH service, repeat senders are able to have their send and receive information pre-populated on the online form when returning to make additional money transfers. Consumers who have bank accounts often prefer an option where they can transfer funds from those bank accounts.

Western Union ACH money transfer services from the United States are also currently available to over 130 countries including Argentina, Korea, China and Vietnam. Additional corridors will be announced throughout the year. You can learn more about the ACH service by visiting westernunion.com/threeday.

* WESTERN UNION ALSO MAKES MONEY FROM CURRENCY EXCHANGE.  Money sent with the online ACH service can often be sent for a fee that is more economical than the fee to send Money in Minutes online.

¹ Funds availability subject to terms and conditions of service, including Agent location hours and differences in time zones.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. The Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services are offered through a combined network of approximately 455,000 Agent locations in 200 countries and territories. In 2010, The Western Union Company completed 214 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $76 billion of principal between consumers, and 405 million business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com .

The Genesis of IISD: a Cultural Heritage Story brought to you by Western Union

Western Union is a proud sponsor of NetIP’s stories of Cultural Heritage, Drops. Ripples. Waves.

Shomik Chaudhuri is a UN Representative for the Institute of  International Social Development, a NetIP North America Alliance Partner.

I was born into privilege with my father heading the largest printing ink company in India and with my siblings, got schooling from La Martinere School, Kolkata, regarded as one of the best schools in India.

Yet, our parents made us conscious of the deprivation all around and service to humanity was made a priority during our leisure. So, along with our studies and training in various skills, arts, and sports, we also got to serve people who needed help.

My sister Rajyashree and I developed a passion for rendering service and got ourselves volunteering in a local NGO that had some affiliation with the United Nations. My mother, having done her thesis in United Nations related subjects for her Masters, inspired us to work with the United Nations. We transformed the local NGO into a national NGO with 23 branches within 6 years.

After a national conference organized by us with Jadavpur University on ‘Social Development and NGO Management’ in January 1995, came my biggest break when I was chosen to represent the United Nations System in India to the ‘World Summit for Social Development’ in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1995. I was the youngest person in UN history to represent the UN at a world summit.

My experience from the trip was an insight into the vastness of opportunities that existed in networking at the international level that could be used to better serve the underprivileged.

To fulfill our dreams back home, Rajyashree and I formed Institute of International Social Development (IISD) under Section 25 of The Indian Companies Act, 1956, as an international NGO that could work to bring about transformation in people’s lives in real terms through sincere, honest, professional grade work and service.

The NGO was formed in October 1996 and in January 1997 we organized the First International Conference on Values for a Better World which had speakers like Dr. Robert Muller, former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, Nobel Laureates, among others.

To us values form the foundation of life and are essential for any work including developmental work to be fulfilling and sustainable. Our report from the conference is deemed as a valuable document at the United Nations on values even today.

We started on Project Sushiksha (Functional literacy) in the slums of Kolkata, slowly expanding into Project Suswasthya (Healthcare) and Project Shramdaan (employment generation). We also opened our branch in New York, U.S.A. in 1997.

Our projects, programs, workshops and other programs gave us the platform to seek Consultative Status with ECOSOC of the United Nations and we received this most prestigious Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC of the United Nations in October 2000. We are in the exclusive panel to recommend to the UN on various relevant issues based on which the world body would formulate their legislations.

From 2000, we also consciously framed every project to support the newly formulated Millennium Development Goals by the UN. That opened a whole new class of projects. Check www.iisd-ngo.org

1974 St. Patrick’s Day, a cultural heritage story brought to you by Western Union

Western Union is a proud sponsor of NetIP’s stories of Cultural Heritage, Drops. Ripples. Waves.

Hima Dasika, Special Events Chair, for the 2011 conference submitted this family Cultural Hertiage story written by her mother.

The thought to come to USA was sudden, along with a desire to be close to family and friends. My sister was here in 1969 and my husband, Vijay’s, older brother since 1955, and many of his close friends since 1968. My Mother lived with my sister in the U.S. for several months and when she came back to India she spoke so highly of the U.S. My mom was a well read person and she knew a lot about American culture and what it stands for – democracy, freedom, progress and a model for the rest of the world.

She wasn’t disappointed during her visit as America was every bit the way she imagined it or saw in Hollywood movies. She described how impressed she was by the U.S culture, it’s fight for freedom and democracy through great leaders like Lincoln and Kennedy, TV programs , buildings, bridges and tunnels of engineering marvel, roads and infrastructure, giant stores and malls, availability of resources, and most importantly the courtesy of the American citizens.

I remember my Mom describing how surprised she was to always be greeted with a big smile, “Hello Ma’am may I help you” in a grocery store or mall. This type of friendliness was unheard of in India. My mother was instrumental in encouraging me to choose Nutrition as my major for both my undergraduate and masters degree.

My Mother, a Physics Professor, had mentioned that Nutrition as a major was unheard of in the thirties and forties. She felt that Nutrition is one of the up and coming fields with a promising career opportunity for the future. It is because of her guidance that I chose to specialize in Nutrition….and ironically, this is what helped me to get my green card to come to USA.

My husband and I got married in 1972 and my husband, a recent medical school graduate, applied for a visa to the U.S. for both of us. We anxiously waited only to find out we were denied. We tried multiple times writing endless and endless applications in lengthy writing including an application to Australia which we were denied as well. We almost gave up hope after months and months of continuous disappointment. That was 1973.

At this time, one of Vijay’s friends was visiting India and he told us that anyone with a degree in Nutrition is eligible to get permanent visa. There was a shortage of nutritionists in the U.S. and talk of accepting foreigners in the nutrition field.

I immediately applied. I still have the letter that I wrote to American Embassy in Madras. I just wrote a few lines stating my qualifications and a desire to immigrate to US. I got a reply within weeks instructing me to come and apply in person.

I wasn’t just granted a visa…I got my Green card in 6 months and we began packing to immigrate to this great country of opportunity with nothing but a suitcase full of sarees and a lot of hopes and fears for the new adventure.

Sadly, my Mother passed away suddenly and shortly before we were to leave the country. It’s amazing how great hope for opportunity and tragedy can occur at the same time. I carried the strength I had from my Mother and remembered her great description of America as well as her encouragement to pursue Nutrition as a career.

It is were not for my Mother, I would not have dreamt about moving to America – I would not have pursued Nutrition – and I would not have gotten the Green Card to immigrate to America. We arrived to NYC on March 17th 1974. Little did I know the significance of that day, as St. Patrick’s Day.

That was the drop for me – and exactly 37 years later, March 17, 2011, as I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with my husband and daughter over some green beer and a nice dinner, my husband and I recalled the events of the day we landed in this country as immigrants.

As I continued to live in the U.S. my ripple was the involvement in my professional career. I am a dietitian by practice. Thus, food and cooking have always been an important part of my life. I saw the need to develop standardized Indian recipes with nutritional information for both the South Asian and American communities.

So I spent years working on writing a cook book with nutritional information and assisted many of my Indian clients. It was a sense of accomplishment when I finally got it published. I don’t know if I would have had this opportunity to develop my career, raise two children, and simultaneously write and publish a cook book had I still lived in India.

There were so many Indian Dietetic professionals in the Tri state area that we formed an organization and it was recognized by American Dietetic Association.. We were members in our professional South Asian organizations to promote the interests of Indians politically and be connected with our homeland.

There is a bright future for the next generations with the strong foundations laid. There is respectable recognition both politically and culturally by the community which we have adopted as ours. Some school districts are giving a day off for Indian and other South Asian holidays. The first generation immigrants have made a tremendous impact both by the adopted and homeland countries. Both have progressed with the contributions made in many areas.

My husband and I raised our children such that they wouldn’t feel we were pressuring them to stick to their traditional Indian roots – so we exposed them to very little and let them have an independent mind to explore and absorb the American culture. I am so happy to see how much pride my children take in their heritage – a decision they made on their own.

They not only carried on the traditions to pass on to future generations in an effort not to let these traditions die down from generations to come, but also they have used this to educate others through various leadership roles to make an impact in the South Asian American community.

My children have a diverse group of friends…Italian, Korean, Japanese, Lebanese, Peruvian, Greek, Pakistani, Indian etc – and they educate their friends on their Indian heritage and also are educated on their friends’ ethnic cultural heritage – and together they create new waves of culture. The diversity is the beauty of living in this country and I don’t regret landing at JFK airport in New York City on March 17, 1974. I always say that I was born in India but I really grew up as a responsible adult in USA.

NetIP Conference Registration is OPEN!

Western Union Diwali Sweepstakes

WESTERN UNION RETURNS THE LOVE TO CONSUMERS THIS DIWALI SEASON

Western Union Provides Consumers a Chance to Give the Gift of Cash and Receive an iPod touch device for Themselves During this Diwali Season