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What is the Ignition Program:
The Ignition Program offers post-secondary students a 10-week program that gives access to training, mentorship, resources, ecosystem connections; and honorariums to support personal and business development. Students will be awarded $10 for each session they engage with!
What’s in this session:
I’d focus on how to tell your story authentically—especially in a world where so many diverse voices are finally finding spaces to be heard. I want to explore how we can amplify others’ experiences even as we share our own. As a minority and a South Asian woman, it’s been easy for others to try to place me into a box they’ve drawn for me. But my work has always emphasized nuance, context, and using education as a tool for deeper understanding and authentic storytelling.
In this session, I’ll talk about how to advocate for yourself and your community, and the responsibility that comes with using social media intentionally. Students will walk away with a clearer understanding of how to approach digital platforms with purpose—seeing them not as performance stages, but as extensions of their own personalities, values, and passions. They should attend because this conversation is increasingly essential. In the coming decades, social media will be one of the most powerful tools for opportunity, connection, and influence. You either learn to navigate it with intention, or risk missing out on the benefits it can unlock.
Speaker's Bio:
Rida Ali studied South Asian Studies and Global Affairs and currently works in journalism and media, with experience at outlets such as BuzzFeed, Instagram, and NowThis. Alongside her professional work, she creates content about Pakistan and South Asian history on her platforms Rozana with Rida and Free Spirit Rida, where she aims to make cultural and historical narratives accessible to wider audiences.
She has received multiple travel grants to conduct research abroad, including fieldwork in Pakistan, and remains deeply engaged in the South Asian diaspora space. In 2022, she helped fundraise for relief efforts during Pakistan’s devastating floods, strengthening her commitment to using her skills and platforms for meaningful impact.
Rida is passionate about engaging student communities, mobilizing digital audiences, and creating campaigns that encourage people to think critically about global movements, the issues shaping our world today, and the role each of us plays in driving change.
Zoom link will be provided after registration to the Ignition Program
