Tasnima Fahmin: From urban planning in Dhaka to economic development in York Region
When Tasnima Fahmin (Class of 2025) began her career as an urban planner in Bangladesh, she spent five years working in a consultancy firm on large-scale infrastructure projects. At the time, Dhaka was experiencing a noticeable shift. Major investments were being directed toward roads, highways, and rapid transit, reflecting a broader change in economic development priorities across the country.
For Fahmin, this experience sparked a bigger question that went beyond physical infrastructure. She wanted to understand the “other side” of city-building: how economic development decisions are made, and how policy planning decisions shape the direction of growth. That curiosity is what led her to pursue graduate studies and ultimately brought her to the Master of Urban Innovation (MUI) program at the University of Toronto Mississauga.
Fahmin graduated from MUI in June 2025. Looking back, she describes the program as practical, career-focused, and deeply supportive, especially for international students adapting to a new professional and policy landscape.
A program that supported her professional transition
For Fahmin, one of the most impactful elements of MUI was its professional development support. She credits the workshops and seminars with helping her build her confidence and strategy on how to navigate the Canadian job market. She remembers the guidance as hands-on and specific, from strengthening resumes and cover letters to preparing for internship interviews and learning how to network intentionally.
Beyond job-search fundamentals, Fahmin appreciated learning how to ask thoughtful questions during interviews, coffee chats, conferences, and networking settings—small but important shifts that helped her stand out and build meaningful professional relationships.
Courses that made the Canadian context accessible
As an international student, Fahmin remembers feeling nervous about stepping into a context where political structures, geography, and governance systems were new to her. MUI’s course design eased that transition by grounding students in how Canadian institutions operate.
Core courses like MUI1060: Local and Regional Government and MUI1080: Economic Development and Planning helped her understand the interplay between governance and city-building. She also enjoyed MUI2080: Smart Cities and Intelligent Communities as an elective, which introduced her to innovation, technology, and systems thinking in urban environments.
What made the learning especially effective, she explained, was the program’s emphasis on applied projects, guest speakers, and real-world partners. One highlight for her was participating in a case study competition connected to an industry partner, which gave students an opportunity to practice professional thinking in a setting close to the real world.
An internship that opened doors
Fahmin undertook an internship with the Town of Caledon’s Economic Development team, where she gained exposure to a wide range of municipal work, including research, community engagement, and data analysis. For her, the internship was particularly meaningful because it provided her with the Canadian experience many international students seek as they build their careers.
The experience became a turning point. After her internship ended, Fahmin was hired part-time and continued working during her second year in the program. By the time she graduated, she had gained a full year of municipal experience, boosting her confidence and competitiveness in the job market.
During her internship, Fahmin was also nominated by the University of Toronto for the EWO Co-op Student of the Year Award, a provincial accolade recognizing Ontario co-op students for exceptional job accomplishment, extracurricular involvement, and strong contributions to co-op education. For Fahmin, the nomination was not only a recognition of her work but also a valuable addition for future opportunities.
Capstone: consulting experience with a real client
Another element of MUI that stood out to Fahmin was the capstone project, which runs through the second year and pairs student teams with external partners to address real-world challenges, blending research and applied problem-solving.
Fahmin’s capstone client was the City of Mississauga’s Heritage Planning team. While heritage planning was outside her original focus, she found it engaging and inspiring. Through research, jurisdictional scans, and policy review, her team developed a final report to support the client’s professional decision-making.
For her, the value of the capstone was clear: it gives students a taste of realistic consulting work while producing something genuinely useful for the partner organization.
Electives across U of T and space to explore
Another highlight of the program for Fahmin was the flexibility to choose electives in her second year. The flexibility allowed her to explore beyond MUI and take courses offered by the Master of Planning program at the St. George campus. Many of her classmates also explored electives through schools such as the Munk and Rotman, using this opportunity to expand their interests across different disciplines and communities. For Fahmin, it offered a fuller experience of the university and its broader academic ecosystem.
A smooth transition into a full-time municipal role
After graduating, Fahmin spent several months job searching before starting her current role as an Economic Business Analyst with the Regional Municipality of York’s Economic Development team.
She credits her internship experience, applied coursework, and training in data analysis for helping her land the position. Today, she still sees MUI’s impact in her life, in the way she approaches projects, writes reports, and connects policy and economic development to real-world municipal challenges.
Advice to current students: network and speak up
Today, Fahmin offers two key pieces of advice to current MUI students:
Firstly, she encourages students to network meaningfully, even when coursework feels demanding. Building relationships and having professional conversations make a real difference over time.
Secondly, she urges students to speak up in class, especially during seminars. Fahmin remembers feeling shy at first, but now she sees these classroom conversations as excellent practice for workplace meetings where confidence and clarity matter.
For Fahmin, MUI was more than an academic program. It was a full professional transition that blended learning, applied experiences, and real-world exposure. From infrastructure work in Dhaka to municipal development in Ontario, her path reflects what can happen when a strong foundation meets the right opportunities, and when a program is designed to help students step confidently into the real world with skills and momentum.
