Name: Ana Savic
Insta: @burdenofdrms
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-savic-aa130ba9/
Year: 4th Year
Program: Global Studies
Hometown: Kitchener
High School: Grand River Collegiate Institute
Favourite kind of sandwich: Sun-dried tomato turkey from Vincenzo’s, no questions asked!
Extra curriculars: Co-founder of Because I am a Girl WLU, Coordinator of Corporate Relations for Women in Leadership Laurier, Co-Organizer of Lend Your Leg Day Laurier 2018
How did you get involved with Because I Am a Girl?
My friend Nikita Kumar and I were sitting in a policy course one day in second year, and I turned to her and I said, “Nikki, have you ever heard of Because I Am a Girl?” I think during this time it was announced or widely discussed that Sophie Trudeau was an ambassador for the initiative, which really got Nikki and myself talking. From that point forward, we both talked about our shared passion for gender equality and how dope women are, and we decided to start a chapter here at Laurier.
What inspires you most about this organization?
What inspires me about this organization, and this initiative specifically, is that it’s youth advocating for youth. The organization is really amazing at helping young girls find their own agency, and Laurier actually participated in BIAAG’s campaign called Girls Belong Here, where a female high school student took on the position of the President of Laurier for a day.
Who brought this organization to Laurier?
Nikki and I co-founded it in 2016, but I believe a previous chapter of the campaign was started years ago. It fizzled out and wasn’t active when we started university and a few years before that even. Nikki and I have tried to build the club to the best of our abilities over these past two years, and we’re leaving it with a strong foundation, and motivated students to carry it on in the years to come. We hope that our revitalization/re-creation of the club was strong enough to leave it as a club that Laurier will one day be known for.
What do you, and BIAGG as a whole, do around campus and in the community?
We host various events on campus that fundraise for the international Because I Am A Girl campaign, but we also give back to our local community. One of our larger fundraisers for the global community was our Henna for Change event, during which we had a henna artist do henna designs for $2. Before the holiday season, we hosted a pink lemonade and popcorn fundraiser to raise money to create care packages for the YWCA, a local women’s shelter. We then put the care packages together as a club and delivered them. Around campus we also try to inspire open dialogue about gender equality, and we try to inspire women to break barriers and follow their passion. We’re hosting a huge networking and speaker series event this upcoming week to motivate women to be their strong, independent, and intelligent selves.
What has getting involved with Because I Am a Girl done for you throughout your university career?
Honestly, it’s given me a few gray hairs. But sad stress jokes aside, the club has given me the opportunity to explore my own strengths and weaknesses, and it’s also given me the opportunity to meet amazing people like the President of Laurier and various people that work with Plan. This definitely built my leadership and professional skills, but it also made my university career feel like more than just school work and exams, which I’m super grateful for.
What’s up with the Women’s Day event you gals have coming up?
International Women’s Day is Thursday, March 8th and BIAAG WLU is hosting a major networking and speaker series event called Empower the Girl, Empower the World to celebrate how freaking AWESOME it is to be a woman! We have amazing speakers and networkers coming from various organizations like Plan International Canada, Diva Cup, a representative from Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (which is one of Canada’s largest business law firms), and other amazing women who have started their own businesses and organizations that promote female empowerment. The event is being held in the Hawk’s Nest from 1pm-4pm and half of the event will be various speakers talking about how to be a bad-ass woman, and the other half will be round-table networking where students can meet these amazing professionals and gain valuable insight and advice about how to crush it in the real world #GIRLPOWER.
What is one goal you hope to accomplish in the next 5 years?
I think this is every fourth-year student’s worst nightmare to be asked. I could sit here and give you this really well-thought out, meticulous goal like finishing law school and practicing law at a huge firm in downtown Toronto, or I could sit here and give you this really vague answer about how I hope to finish some sort of post-grad, or leave the world a better place. But if I hold to my own truth, the only goal I have in the next five years is to make sure I don’t look back on those five years wishing I had done something differently. In the next five years, I want to be proud of the decisions I make and the way I handle what odd-balls life throws my way, and whether that means pursuing further education, or accepting a random opportunity that falls on my so-called path, I’m not too sure. I just want to make sure that I live these next 5 years, and life in general, holding to my own truth, doing what is right, and doing things that I’m proud of– but what that will actually manifest into, I have no idea.
Do you have any plans for the summer or post-graduation?
I’m not too sure what I’m going to be doing this summer, but I envision a lot of wine and cheese and relaxation after finishing these past four years.
What does your ideal career path look like right now?
The notion of justice is something that has always defined my actions and my world-views, so law has always seemed like a natural path–but I’ve also come to realize that there are ways I can pursue justice that don’t just involve law. But right now, I’d say ideal career path is a lawyer.
I would like to send out a HUGE thank you to Ana for working with me on this article. Her contributions to Wilfrid Laurier, Because I am a Girl, and gender equality will continue to inspire me to never allow someone to tell me no Because I Am a Girl.
Be sure to check out the Because I Am a Girl Facebook page HERE and their Women’s Day event coming up on March 8 HERE.
Xoxo,
EmB