Fariha Abedin is a Senior Analyst with the Department of Energy, Government of Alberta. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Sustainable Energy Development from University of Calgary and a Bachelors of Environmental Study degree from York University, Toronto. In addition to being a Board Member of Inspire Her, Fariha is involved in annual Caring for Our Watersheds competition through Battle River Watershed Alliance as an honorary Judge. She also is a teacher at the University of Alberta in the Environmental Resource Management Program.

She enjoys reading, traveling, cooking and occasional yoga. She is a mother of a four year old daughter and an eight year old cat. Through Inspire Her Society, she wants to make a difference by helping emerging women leaders achieving their goals. She understands and practices the power of relationships, connection, and engaging with the world openly. Her three leadership values are integrity, collaboration and innovation.

“You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?”- Rumi.

Tamreen Arif works at the City of Edmonton and has worked on a wide range of issues from economic development in rural Alberta to mining in South America. She currently holds a Master in Public Administration, Bachelors in Political Science and Economics

She has been involved in women in leadership activities for several years. Her interest in creating InspireHer stems from a desire to see more opportunities for women to build each other up and create a supportive environment. 

Why InspireHer? Because she wants to create spaces to have meaningful conversations about women in the workplace

Interesting fact: Tamreen speaks nearly 5 languages

A quote she lives by: "all knowledge is worth having"

A life event worth highlighting: Originally from Montreal, she could have never predicted that she would be living and working in Edmonton

Three leadership values: excellence, resilience, perspective

Shoshi Soni currently works as a Manager of Emerging Resources for Alberta Energy. She had spent her early career in the banking industry as an Investment Consultant and worked her way up to management. After completing her Master of Science Degree in Sustainable Energy Development from the University of Calgary, she switched careers to the energy & environment field and has been in the industry over the past decade. She enjoys her role as a public servant, providing the best advice she can to help protect and promote Alberta’s natural resources. Shoshi also owns her own beauty business as a freelance make-up and hair artist.

Shoshi has held many volunteer roles both locally and internationally. She has been involved in women in leadership activities for numerous years. Her passion for helping people and willingness to make a significant difference has motivated her to co-founder The InspireHer Society.

Why InspireHer?

Born in a developing country (Bangladesh), Shoshi has seen how difficult it can be for women to achieve their dreams. Being raised in Canada, she feels a great amount of gratitude to be given the many opportunities she had thus far. This is why she wants to be able to break the barriers for anyone who is willing to take that next step through a non-profit group that is close to her heart.

Quote she lives by:

“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger” -Unknown

Interesting facts:

On her free time, Shoshi enjoys spending time with her husband and two beautiful boys. She also enjoys travelling, gardening, DIY crafting and home renovations.

Three leadership values: Achievement, Excellence, Resilience

Melody Guo is a Financial Assistant with the Department of Real Property, Government of Canada. She holds a Master of Accounting degree with the University of Alberta and Chartered Professional Accounting Designation.

Besides being a Board Member of Inspire Hear, Melody is a English tutor with Cultural Connection institute - The Learning Exchange (CCI-LEX) due to her passion for teaching. In her spare time, she loves reading, baking, traveling and running.

Why Inspire Her?

Through Inspire Her Society, she would like to help women who desire to take leadership of their own lives and enable them to do so through skill development, coaching/mentoring and peer support. Let's make more female leaders for the 21st Century!

Quotas she lives by: Constant effort brings success.

Her values: Integrity, creativity, perseverance.

Danica Erickson is a communications professional working at the University of Alberta, where she gets to learn and grow every day while she does work that she loves.

Danica has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta, a Diploma in Public Relations from MacEwan University, and a Citation in Digital Marketing and Communications from the U of A Faculty of Extension.

She believes in taking every opportunity to try and learn new things, and in always being open to new ideas and concepts. She also firmly believes that just because you might not be great at something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it.

Danica’s three leadership values are contribution, fairness, and reliability.