Schulich Alumni Innovate During COVID-19

During the pandemic, several alumni in the Schulich alumni community have found ways to innovate and act in the interests of the community. Below are some stories of their commendable efforts:

Schulich MBA Graduate Launches New Venture for Face Masks

Paruksheen Dhunjisha (MBA ’20) and her partner Michael Carrier, launched their e-commerce site, GiveAMask.ca, after being concerned about the economic instability in vulnerable populations and their potential lack of access to masks.

They partnered with the Daily Bread Food Bank, Feed the Need in Durham, and other Ontario-based groups to make matching donations for every purchase made.  

“I came to Canada for my MBA, but Schulich helped make Canada my home,” said Paruksheen. “And so, I feel like I want to give back to the community.”

Alumna Co-Founds Non-Profit Connecting Law Students to Projects

A new non-profit is connecting law students who want to virtually volunteer their time with legal organizations that need help on a project-by-project basis during the current pandemic. LawLinks was co-founded by Davina Shivratan, BBA (2016) and University of Toronto JD/MBA graduate and Nadia Shivratan, UWindsor JD student.

“We noticed that COVID-19 created substantial economic uncertainties that resulted in many legal organizations being unable to take on new hires, and law students having their summer opportunities dissolve,” said Davina. “We founded LawLinks to address this gap and provide the legal industry with some much needed assistance.”

MMgt Alumna Delivers Grocery Program for Low-Income Families

As schools remain closed across Toronto and many working families struggle with layoffs due to COVID-19, thousands of kids are not receiving the meals they normally do through breakfast and lunch programs. Gina Lee (MMGT ’17)  decided to launch a COVID-19 emergency relief initiative called Hand Up for Kids to deliver grocery care packages to low-income families with kids.

“Volunteers’ roles are super crucial to this kind of emergency relief initiative as we need to reach many people in a short time,” said Gina. “We are following Health Canada protocols and also providing PPEs to volunteers who work at the packing site.”