Anil Wasif
Current Position
I am currently a Sr. Consultant & Advisor for the Ontario Government. With a little bit of luck and lots of determination, I landed a summer student position 12 days after I submitted my last ever assignment at UofT. I grew on to become a Project Analyst, working for the Ontario150 Secretariat, a celebratory community program for Ontario's 150th birthday in 2017.
Once the program wrapped up, I took a chance on myself once again and applied for a Senior position at the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, under ServiceOntario's Partnerships and Business Development Branch. And here I am three years later, advancing citizen services delivery to ensure citizens have simpler, faster and better access to government services in Ontario.
Currently, I am building a policy portfolio that includes op-eds, reports and visual content on issues of interest. My medium-term goal involves informing Canadian immigration and integration policy to ensure a smooth transition for new immigrants into our societies and our economy. In the long run, I hope to ensure Canadians of ethnicities, feel equally represented when someone says "Canadian".
Field of Study
Currently, I am an Ontario public servant on a leave of absence to finish my Masters in Public Policy at McGill University's Max Bell School of Public Policy.
Favourite Memories at UTM
When I moved to Canada in 2013, it was really hard for me to adjust to the culture and ethos of my new world. It wasn't until the end of my first year that I realized that things were different and I had to unlearn quite a few things to learn new ways of doing them. It was then that I decided to get acquainted with every Professor I ever took a lecture with. The results were mind-boggling, as it kick-started my passion to understand the world and myself better. I decided that I wasn't content with the Bay Street dream, and I enjoyed political science and sociology way more. It was a pivotal shift that I couldn't tell my parents about until I was certain that I'd do well. It's a good thing it all worked out! Beyond the special moments, I shared with my friends and family at UTM, my most memorable experiences would be getting my first ever job in Canada at the school cafeteria; running for Governing Council and being part of Miss. Lee Ann Fuji's (R.I.P) lectures. Among some fun activities to recall would be winning a cooking competition (yes!) and representing UofT at the 2017 UN Youth Assembly in UNHQ New York.
Message from Anil
Last summer in an effort to do something against COVID19, I teamed up with fellow UofT alumnus to co-create a social innovation platform called #BacharLorai. It means "Fight-for-survival" in Bengali. The platform was launched as a social movement to bring together Bangladeshi expatriates, citizens and grassroots initiatives to help fight COVID19 in Bangladesh. Almost a year later we have inspired $150,000 CAD in aid efforts to support rural medical equipment supply chains, mitigate the economic impacts of COVID19 on vulnerable populations and disseminate public health information in engaging and accessible formats.