What Happened at OWN’s Biggest Event of the Year?
On Tuesday February, 25, 2020, the Osgoode Women’s Network (“OWN”) held its seventh annual “OWN Your Career,” event, the Network’s culminating event of the school year, at the Gladstone Hotel. This evening was designed for two main purposes: to provide a chance for Osgoode’s women-identifying students to network and make new connections with women professionals in the local legal field and to have a relaxed chat with a designated speaker.
This year’s guest speaker—although I hesitate to use the term speaker when what took place was a conversation and not a speech—was Muneeza Sheikh. Sheikh, an Osgoode alumna, is a Partner at Levitt LLP who practices in the area of labour and employment law. She has a significant media presence in Toronto and across Canada, and appears regularly on CBC, Global, City TV, CTV and CP24 as one of Canada’s leading experts on labour law, employment law, and human rights issues. She also sits on the panel for the Global Morning show and was featured in CBC’s documentary titled, “Muneeza in the Middle,” which aired in 2015 and followed Sheikh’s journey in trying to reconcile her identity as a Muslim woman with her identity as second generation Canadian.
While her resume is nothing to scoff at, it is when you hear Sheikh speak that you gain a real appreciation for her approach to life, work, and self. She is truly a phenomenal woman, someone so fun and engaging that it is impossible to do anything but focus on every word she says.
After roughly an hour of delicious hors d’oeuvres (mac and cheese croquettes!), photo booth photos and mingling, the event transitioned to the Ballroom of the Gladstone Hotel for a Welcome Address from OWN’s President, Rebecca Rossi. Every year, following the President’s Address to the audience, it is customary for OWN’s President to present a donation to its partner charity for the night. This year, OWN partnered with the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (“LEAF”), a national, charitable, non-profit organization which seeks to advance the substantive equality rights of women and girls in Canada. Due to the sold-out nature of the event and a historic number of firm sponsors, OWN was able to make its largest donation to-date to a partner charity at OWN Your Career in the amount of $2900.00. LEAF’s Project Director, Kat Owens, and Staff Lawyer, Rosel Kim, accepted the cheque on behalf of LEAF and with thanks, remarked on how the organization relies on donations to fund its efforts to achieve substantive equality through litigation, law reform and public education.
Following the President’s Address, Sheikh sat down with Susan Mansuri, one of OWN’s Directors of Special Events, and answered five questions during the “fire-side chat” segment of the event. Among the numerous brilliant pieces of wisdom Sheikh shared; the one that stuck the most included that, “there is enough room at the top for all of us.” Law school stirs the spot sometimes and creates competitiveness. However, Sheikh reminded the audience of the fact that as women-identifying law students, we need not be in competition with one another. If we are to truly achieve a gender inclusive, supportive profession, achieving that goal begins with each and every one of us! Raising each other up and channeling the power of collaboration is how we will change the equation.
Sheikh also advised the audience that in this profession, it is important to be your own advocate and to set your own boundaries. In doing so, Sheikh emphasized that it is important to be savvy and to pick battles that are worth fighting for.
Following the fire-side chat, students and professionals concluded the night with a second networking session, combined with delicious cupcakes. Put simply, the event succeeded on every front AND achieved its goal of creating a comfortable environment where women-identifying students could learn and make new connections.