A very unique presentation on the assigned topic given to the class was what caught my attention. Sundas led her group with confidence and presented her team’s idea with clarity of purpose; focused articulation and creativity that made her stand out amongst all her class fellows. She continued to produce work of high quality throughout the term she took with me. Her written assignments reflected her yearn to question life’s challenges and seek innovative solutions; and keenness to take initiative to make a difference. As a fashion design student in my Language Proficiency class, she presented research assignments that explored the world of fashion from a different perspective, relating it to a multi-dimensional framework that constituted the human psychology, business and social perspectives.
It was her integrated multi-sectoral approach which led to my offering her an assistantship with me for running my newly established Placement Center in Iqra University. Sundas was not only engaged with my strategic networking activities aimed at creating industrial linkages, but also – facilitated for students and simultaneously participated in – trainings on entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership skills. She helped me create an alumni network for establishing a platform for mentoring and counseling, which she also took maximum benefit from as she would coordinate such sessions for students but would keenly participate in them herself. As she gained momentum in the world of industrialists, corporate leaders, development practitioners, information technology experts and educationists, she took on the role of counselor for college and university students. When I left Iqra University to head a Bengali International Non-Government Organization (INGO), Dhaka Ahsania Mission Pakistan (DAMP) I promoted her from my assistant to the Manager of the Placement Cell. She basically took over my role. She kept in touch with me and continued to invite me to various industrial events she led, organized and managed with success. Her achievements were lauded and recognized by the university management, faculty and partners.
Sundas’ ability to interact with people from various backgrounds, understand their needs, and link her skills and knowledge to find a connection that could lead to a win-win collaborative strategy is what made me offer to her the opportunity to travel with me to Bangladesh where I could expose her to real models of integrating the world of fashion with the development sector. Sundas traveled with me to the poor urban areas of Dhaka where she witnessed underprivileged women, who acquired market oriented skills through our NGO, and were now working as part of production units, earning regular income through sales of their products in the NGO’s retail outlets. Sundas’ immediate reflex action was to voluntarily design apparel relevant to the local market in Bangladesh. Her design was approved by the local management of Dhaka Ahsania Mission Bangladesh. The product was made by their livelihood program beneficiaries and it sold very well in the market. This was her contribution during a ten day trip to Bangladesh in February 2009.
I told Sundas I had selected her amongst all the other remarkable fashion design students I knew because I was confident she could contribute to the development sector with her unique set of personality characteristics, mainly her leadership skills I observed in class, keenness to connect to the underprivileged and determination to make a difference in their lives through application of her knowledge and skills. Upon returning to Pakistan, she immediately volunteered to work with DAMP and was a part of our attempted replication of the Bangladeshi model. One year later, DAMP was able to similarly present a model that involved training poor village women with market oriented skills and eventually linking them to a five star hotel in Pakistan. The poor women continue to earn today. Sundas was part of the training component. She skillfully designed her module according to the literacy level of the poor women and yet brought them on board with the understanding of market level skills through her versatile communication skills.
Sundas’ ability to learn and apply knowledge gained from books, faculty experience, networking, lessons learned and best practices’ exposure cannot be doubted. Her ability to pursue her vision was again exemplified through her choice of pursuing a business degree. She could already foresee the result of merging her technical fashion design skills, business management knowledge and understanding of the development sector through her GEW activities. One of the latter also includes her continued assistance to Dhaka Ahsania Mission Pakistan with her latest contribution as presenter of a documentary on the Dhaka Ahsania Mission Pakistan community learning center model which comprises of a sustainable livelihood program and early childhood education development activities. Her fashion retail business is another reflection of her active pursuance of her vision.
Sundas Liaqat will be an asset for any organization she works with. I highly recommend her.
Mehnaz Ansar Khan
Director Planning and Development
Iqra University Islamabad Campus
Sundas Liaqat 