This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Waterloo chapter.

Are you an English nerd? Interested in robotics? Love to read – and possibly even study – the Harry Potter series? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then you need to meet the person behind this week’s profile: Rameesha Qazi.

Name: Rameesha Qazi

Program and Year: Honours English Literature, Digital Media Specialization, International Studies Minor

Hometown: Mississauga

Preferred Pronouns: She/Her

As the current president of the English Student Society, can you elaborate on what exactly the organization aims to do? Do you have any personal goals that you aim to achieve?

The English Student Society (ESS) is for all English majors and minors to participate in. We try and host different kinds of events for students to mingle and relax. During this term, we hosted a graduate school panel where students could ask the chairs of the department, undergraduate studies, and graduate studies questions about applying and the programs offered by the department. Last term, we had our inaugural Harry Potter night where we screened the first Harry Potter movie and then discussed it. After the great turnout, we decided that this was going to be an event run every term. While we have the council and group made up of English students, we do open all our events to anyone on campus who would like to come out!

Want to learn more about the ESS? Check out this link: https://uwaterloo.ca/english/about/people/english-society

You are also the Arts & Life Editor for Imprint – what do you enjoy most about your position?

My favourite part is all the people I have had the chance to meet and connect with. I have met the Governor General of Canada, authors, musicians, and different makers of art. My favourite moment was meeting a UW alumna, Komal Minhas. She has, at the age of just 27, started her own production company and produced and starred in a documentary called Dream, Girl, which aims to inspire women. Dream, Girl premiered at The White House earlier this year, and when I got to sit down and talk to her I realized I had met my first role model, which was an amazing experience.

Interested in Imprint? Read more here: http://uwimprint.ca/

What is your advice for those who are looking to get involved with the English Student Society and/or Imprint?

One thing I would tell everyone is definitely to get involved early! If you are thinking about maybe joining ESS or Imprint, there are always ways to get involved, however, even partway through the term. ESS has biweekly meetings and there is no required time commitment. Come out and say hi or send the society an email at uwenglishsoc@gmail.com. For Imprint, there is also no required time commitment and there are a lot of different sections that always need help (reporting, graphics, layout, photography, proofreading). Imprint also has a new arts publication called Quetzal, which allows anyone who is part of the UW community to submit creative work to be published on the site uwquetzal.ca. I was on the team that helped found the magazine and am currently the managing editor. We’re always encouraging people to submit and reach out with collaboration ideas!

I hear you’re currently writing your thesis on Harry Potter, so I take it you’re a J.K. Rowling fan! What drew you to the series? What do you think of the new Harry Potter course that was introduced to Waterloo last spring?

I am a huge J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter fan! I think, for me, the hook was that when I started reading the series, I was 11 and so were Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I grew up with the kids and it became an escape from my mundane muggle life. I also relate to Hermione in many ways, and looking back, I think she was the first strong female lead that I had come across in the literature directed to my age group at the time. I took the Harry Potter course in spring term actually and I thought it was great. We read all the books and had in-depth discussions about things the class was drawn to. It was a group of “Potterheads” getting together twice a week to talk about the series and get graded. I would recommend the course to everyone, even if you’re not a hardcore fan.

Read more about the “Popular Potter” course (ENGL 108P): http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/harry-potter-class-debuts-at-university-of-waterloo-1.3559205

I also hear that you are passionate about robotics and believe in STEAM, which is the integration of Arts and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Can you tell us more about your experiences in this area?

When I was in high school, I participated in the FIRST Robotics program. This program combines STEM and Arts – teams of high-school students have a six-week window to design, prototype, manufacture, and program a robot to complete a task set out by the organization. After that, the competition season takes place and teams strive to earn a spot at the World Championships. There are roles on the team that make it function like an engineering firm would – sponsorship, finance, branding, media, outreach, and award submissions. The competition brags about the most prestigious award being one that focuses on community outreach, charity work, and creative ways to increase the opportunities for younger students to be involved in STEM – all tasks which fall under the Arts category.

When I was in grade 11, I joined the team at my high school and helped them gain a spot at championships. In grade 12, I became team captain and won an award for my work with the team and helping advance the competitions ideals. In my first year as an undergraduate student, I founded a club on school for alumni from the program and helped run the competition that happens on campus every year. This was my first-year mentoring, and my team won world championships. In my second year, I ran this club and competition while starting a local team that also got to go to world championships. However, I was later informed that Arts students were no longer allowed to run the club because it was part of the Engineering faculty. While I was asked to leave, I did not let this stop me from mentoring teams in this program and am now going onto my 7th year in the competition. My resume includes 26 major awards, 12 of which allowed teams from across Ontario to compete in the World Championships. The Arts power STEM, as the faculty recognizes that in order to be successful in technology fields, people must be able to think critically and creatively – skills that are best developed through exposure to the Arts.

It must feel overwhelming at times to be involved in so many campus organizations. What do you do to destress yourself when you feel overwhelmed?

I like to spend time with my friends; they are all amazing people who empower, support, and inspire me. Sometimes we will get together with the intent of relaxing and it will turn into a homework party. Yes, you read that correctly: homework party – it’s fun because it forces everyone to do work but makes taking breaks a lot more fun, and we are all able to help each other with issues or ideas (it’s actually very helpful when you feel stuck or confused). Spending time with my mom always helps center and refocus me as well – I don’t know what I would do without her support. I’m also in a very serious relationship with Netflix, so that is a great way to escape sometimes.

Looking back at your university experience, if you could do one thing differently, what would it be?

I like to live my life with no regrets, but I spent a lot of my time and energy trying to make people happy all through my first three years of undergrad. Then I took an 8-month internship and realized that not only did those people not care about me, but made every day with them toxic and draining. Now, I’ve got an amazing group of friends who keep me grounded and are honestly the most supportive and caring people I have ever met. So, I would go back and meet these people earlier in my undergrad career, as I would have been a much happier person if I could do that!

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I have the travel bug for sure. The next two places on my list are Harry Potter World and Italy. I think the first is kind of self-explanatory, and the second – I’ve always wanted to go to Italy because I’m fascinated by the art, culture, and history of the country. Not to mention the food – just thinking about it gets me excited!

harry potter

You’re a Wizard, Rameesha Qazi

We wanna slide into your DMs