On the Way There

Join Amina for the finale of the first season of the On the Way There podcast where she interviews Faiza Jamil, an IT professional from the DC area doing system analysis at Sunrise Senior Living. Faiza tells us what inspired her to go into the IT field, how she went about learning the skills needed to be where she is today, and gives away valuable advice on what she has learned along the way that would be useful for others to know along with how to get started in joining the field.

After this interview, Amina also gives a brief conclusion about key takeaways and common themes across many of the interviews as well as hints about season 2 of this podcast series. 

Join Amina as she interviews Leezan Omerbell, an aspiring writer who tell us more about the current book she is working on, what inspired her to work on this coming-of-age novel, and tells us more about her own life story and experiences which helped influence her writing. She also tells us more about how she came to discover she loved to write, and tells us more about the process which can often take years. 

Join Amina as she interviews Bassem Nasir, an Education Specialist at UNICEF. Bassem walks us through his career journey and gives away valuable advice on how to transfer skills you learn from different paths into the one you realize is best for you. Bassem explains how he realized engineering wasn't his passion after completing his undergraduate degree and tells us more about how his passion for the arts, especially in acting, along with the skills he learned through his degree, along with past experiences as an educator at a computer center in Palestine prepared him to be an Education Specialist at UNICEF. 

Join Amina as she interviews Lina Bhatti who is currently studying Islamic Studies and working on creating some beautiful artwork. Lina tells us about her journey to digital art which she creates on an iPad as well as her block printing and embroidery work, which are all inspired by her love for her roots in Pakistan and the Punjab region. You can support her work @linaoftheindus. Lina also tells us more about her journey into academia and her interests in studying Islam in South Asia in particular and her perspectives on pluralism and celebrating diversity. 

Join Amina as she interviews Dr. Ilham Nasser, an expert in education, teacher training, and research and a Director and Senior Researcher for the Human Development Program at IIIT. She was the principal investigator for the Mapping the Terrain Study part of the Advancing Education in Muslim Societies initiative at the International Institute of Islamic Thought, a non-profit organization in the Washington DC area. Dr. Nasser tells us more about this project and walks us through her career journey and gives away important lessons she has learned as she completed her PhD, shifted from being a Professor to a Researcher taking the lead on various projects and offering consulting services to various NGOs in the education space. She also gives away some of the most important lessons or skills she has learned "on the way there" that would be helpful for others to know.

This time instead of doing an interview, Amina Derbi, host and producer of the On the Way There podcast, walks listeners through how to make their own podcast. 

Join Amina as she interviews Dr. Asmaa Chaudhry who is currently working as a dermatologist in the northern VA area. Listeners can follow her on instagram @drasmaachaudhry and check out her website at stoneridgederm.com. Dr. Chaudhry walks us through why she refers to herself as a derm-mom-tologist, her motivating for becoming a doctor and specializing in the branch of medicine dealing with skin. She also walks us through her path through university, medical school, residency, and so forth and tell us about some of the practices that helped her push through and continue onwards. Dr. Chaudhry also gives away vital insights on the most important character traits and skills needed to become a good doctor, and a good dermatologist specifically.

Join Amina as she interviews Noor-alhuda Elbackush, a student at George Mason University pursuing a career in STEM. Noor-alhuda tells us why it is important for women to empower other women, particularly in this field, and also goes into important lessons she has learned from her experiences as a student and why it is important for people of all ages to prioritize their wellbeing and mental health. 

Join Amina as she interviews Ayesha Cheema who gives away vital insights on how to become an attorney while running your own side business, giving the example of her own photography business. You can check out her website here: https://www.ayeshacheemaphotos.com. 

Join Amina as she interviews Amy Dykstra, a Learning and Development Project Manager for the Motley Fool's organizational development team. Amy gives away valuable advice about how to push past fear to challenge yourself and grow within your career path, speaking from her own experiences as she shifted from wanting to be an Opera singer to finding the greatest fulfillment as a learning and development project manager for an organization she has grown within over time.