Maleeka is originally from Pakistan and immigrated to Canada with her family over 15 years ago. Her aspirations to build a supportive community for newcomers to Canada have propelled her to volunteer with Immigrant Services Calgary (ISC) by contributing her impressive graphic design and social media skills to the cause of empowering immigrants. She has volunteered for over 80 hours at ISC and we are truly grateful for all her hard work, creativity, and dedication.

This is her story:

“Currently, I’m in my last semester of obtaining a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences and a minor in psychology from the University of Calgary. I first heard about ISC through my mom many years ago, who used to work for the organization at the time. Although I was quite young, I used to voluntarily attend expos with her and help set up her booths. It was through these events that I learned about the many services provided by ISC and the positive impact they had on newcomers to Canada. I became inspired to give back to the community that had done so much to support immigrants like myself. I joined the ISC team in March of 2021 as a graphic designer and social media volunteer. Since then, I’ve worked with Core Connections in designing and branding the Anti-Bullying Initiative (ABI) program and promoting workshops and events across ISC social media platforms. Through volunteering with ISC, I’ve also had the opportunity to work with Calgary Local Immigration Partnership (CLIP) and design social media posters for civic engagement events and their #RefugessWelcomeHere campaign as well.

"My favourite thing about volunteering is the opportunity to meet new people from all kinds of backgrounds and the sense of fulfillment and gratitude that comes with giving back to my community. I’ll continue to volunteer my time as I aspire to contribute to building a supportive community for immigrants.”