![\"Navera](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/alumni-news-media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_20200725_092028-225x300.jpg\")
Navera Burki \u201921S (MS)<\/p><\/div>\n
In September 2021, fresh out of the Simon Business School<\/a>, Navera Burki \u201921S (MS), moved to New York City for a job as a data analyst at Barnes & Noble\u2019s headquarters. It\u2019s a perfect role for her, a self-described data storyteller. The Pakistani native thrives looking at data and making sense out of it.<\/p>\n The Barnes & Noble job opportunity came–indirectly–through Simon alumnus, Elmer Salmo \u201918S (MBA) who works at the bookseller. Salmo spotted Burki\u2019s resume in Simon\u2019s \u201cresume book,\u201d which the school invites all graduating students to join. He told a hiring manager about her and, after a few interviews, Burki joined the company. Today, she works on many of the company\u2019s e-commerce initiatives, including bn.com and Nook. Ironically, she now shares office space with Salmo.<\/p>\n Burki is grateful for the immersive learning experience at Simon. The top 25 business school\u2014as recently ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek\u2014offers a 10-month master\u2019s program in business analytics that allowed her to take a deep dive into her areas of interest: economics and data science. She also loved Rochester and its small collegiate environment.<\/p>\n While at Simon, Burki signed up for The Meliora Collective\u2019s mentorship match program<\/a>. A few months later, in January 2021, she was matched with Jonathan Aaron Cohen \u201990, a finance systems consultant from Boston.<\/p>\n \u201cJonathan has helped me so much,\u201d she says. \u201cEven though the mentorship match program has officially ended, we still keep in touch and even met in person recently. He worked with me on my resume and prepped me for my interviews. He also helped me understand and negotiate my compensation package. Everyone should have mentors in their lives who have experience in their fields, networks they can tap into, and great advice and insight to share.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDuring our formal mentorship, we talked every week,\u201d says Cohen. \u201cAt first, we listened and learned a lot about each other. Then, I introduced her to a number of organizations, helped her formulate messaging about herself, and guided her through the job search and negotiation process.\u201d<\/p>\n Cohen adds, \u201cWhile I\u2019ve given her support and advice, Navera\u2019s done the hard work of finding a job in the U.S. that makes great use of her skills. She also spends her free time helping to run a school in Pakistan\u2014her drive is inspiring.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Burki with a Pakistani student<\/p><\/div>\n Ever since middle school, Burki dreamt of starting school for underserved Pakistani youth. That dream grew out of an experience she had volunteering at an elementary school. \u201cI saw that the kids weren\u2019t being taught some of the basics,\u201d says Burki. \u201cI realized that although many of the private schools in Pakistan are exceptional, they just aren\u2019t available to everyone. The government schools are open to all, but they often lack standardization and emphasize memorization instead of comprehension. All of this means that too many young people just don\u2019t have access to a quality education.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2018, as a college senior at the prestigious Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan, Burki seized an opportunity to address this. That\u2019s when she met Maryam Khawaja, a first-year student who was looking for a partner to launch a grade school. Burki and Maryam spent a year planning what would become the Al-Bayan School.<\/p>\n They rallied donor support, found teachers, got their school certified, and decided on a location\u2014a two-bedroom apartment with a large lounge\u2014within a low-income neighborhood. They then went door to door looking for families to send their kids\u2014from kindergarten to grade 2\u2014to their school. In 2019, they launched a one-year pilot program with 25 kids, a week after Burki\u2019s undergraduate commencement.<\/p>\n Within the same year, Burki also made a decision to pursue her master\u2019s at Simon. She appreciates how Simon gave her the skills, confidence, and training to master topics quickly and solve problems adeptly. She adds, \u201cThese skills serve me well at Barnes & Noble and at the Al-Bayan School, which will always be a passion project of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n For instance, early in the pandemic, Pakistan shut down early. Schools had to find ways to adapt, which proved to be quite a challenge for the Al-Bayan School. \u201cOur kids and their families didn\u2019t have Zoom, Microsoft Teams, smart phones, or data plans so they couldn\u2019t lean on technology to learn,\u201d she adds. \u201cWe had to come up with creative ways to keep students engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n And that\u2019s what they did. School leaders created educational workbooks, which included activities and assignments that they put in the students\u2019 backpacks. After completing one month\u2019s worth of work, the students returned their assignments to the school and picked up a new pack’s worth of materials. Teachers also started using WhatsApp to send pictures and voice recordings with information and guidelines about assignments.<\/p>\n Now in its third year, the Al-Bayan School is thriving and serves more than 100 students up to grade 4. Even though she\u2019s in New York City, Burki is still actively engaged in the school\u2019s day-to-day operations\u2014just as she was as a Simon student.<\/p>\n \u201cPakistan is 10 hours ahead of us, so I often come home from Barnes & Noble and then start my day with Al-Bayan\u201d she says, noting that everyone involved in the school volunteers their time, including the five women who run it. \u201cI love what I do professionally and what I do in Pakistan\u2014I can\u2019t imagine doing anything differently.\u201d<\/p>\n Burki adds, \u201cThe Al-Bayan parents and the community are very happy with what their children are learning. We focus on core classwork Monday through Friday. Then, on Saturdays, the school hosts volunteers who bring their areas of expertise to the students who then get to learn about everything from public speaking to women empowerment to climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n Burki notes that about 60 percent of the Pakistani population is under 30 years old. Just a small percentage of them come from wealthy households\u2014and, as a result, they have opportunities that others don\u2019t. \u201cThere\u2019s a huge income inequality issue in Pakistan,\u201d says Burki. \u201cThe wealthy kids end up taking over their family businesses or going abroad to study or to start their careers. Those who didn\u2019t go to the best schools or have their parent\u2019s money to fall back on, end up dropping out of school to support their families. Or, they barely pass one of the government-run high schools and can only find a low paying job.<\/p>\n According to Burki, prior generations left Pakistan and never came back. \u201cMy generation wants to change this\u2014to make Pakistan strong and well-educated. We want our country to thrive, and we want to take action to help it improve. That\u2019s why we have this school. It\u2019s also why we offer our Saturday program. It gives our volunteers\u2014those in my generation\u2014an opportunity to help the next one. Together, we are making a difference.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Look for the Al-Bayan School on Instagram @albayanschoolpk.<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” use_row_as_full_screen_section_slide=”no” text_align=”left” background_color=”#e6f3fa” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Burki listens to a lot of audiobooks on her commute, while washing dishes, cleaning her apartment, and anytime she has a free moment. Here are two recent favorites:<\/p>\n Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men<\/a> <\/em>by Caroline Criado Perez: \u201cI care a lot about women\u2019s issues and about data authenticity, so this book really resonated with me. It prompts important discussions about ethics, bias, and inclusivity.\u201d<\/p>\n Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind<\/a><\/em> by Yuval Noah Harari: \u201cThis New York Times<\/em> bestseller explores how biology and history define us and what it means to be human. This is part of a series and I recommend them all.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_gallery interval=”3″ images=”42952,42962,42942,42932,42922,42912,42902,42892,42882,42872″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Join and explore The Meliora Collective<\/a>\u2014an online platform for alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and undergraduate and graduate students that fosters professional exploration. Learn more about The Meliora Collective Mentorship Program<\/a>, too, which runs twice each year, and matches individuals based on academic and career interests, affinities, and life experiences. The next mentorship cycle will begin accepting new mentee and mentor sign-ups in January with matching to take place in early February.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1638975425423{border-top-width: 1px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;border-top-color: #999999 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;}”]<\/p>\n \u2014 Kristine Kappel Thompson, December 2021<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In September 2021, fresh out of the Simon Business School, Navera Burki \u201921S (MS), moved to New York City for a job as a data analyst at Barnes & Noble\u2019s headquarters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":43522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[232,652],"class_list":["post-42492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-recent-alumni","tag-women-who-roc"],"yoast_head":"\nLearning and mentorship<\/h3>\n
![\"Burki](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/alumni-news-media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/IMG_20210904_081205-137x300.jpg\")
Realizing a dream<\/h3>\n
Getting creative<\/h3>\n
Doing it all<\/h3>\n
What\u2019s on my bookshelf<\/h3>\n
Get involved<\/h3>\n