With an alum’s help, OJI Legal Services hired their first co-op student

Last year, OJI Legal Services (external link)  needed a legal assistant and administrator to support their team of paralegals for workplace injury. Joya Rui (Human Resources Management ‘21) was part of the Ted Rogers Co-op Program, so when her husband had difficulty filling an early-career, administrative role, she knew where to look. 

“Going through the program myself, I knew the requirements in co-op raised a high bar. The program builds Excel skills and your academic advisors are invested in your placement; it’s not just checking a box on your degree,” says Rui. 

Rui has been part of the Human Resources Alumni Association since 2024, helping with grad events that introduce students and alumni. She connected with HRAA Chair Joshua Go, to help fill the role with a co-op student. 

“TRSM advisors worked with us to match prospective candidates,” she says. “We were ready to train and help a student, as long as they fit the role and culture.”

Enter Suleman Bulbulia— a Law and Business student who joined OJI on an eight month, full-time contract that concluded in December. “Throughout the term, I was able to take on increasing responsibility, which allowed me to develop both professionally and personally,” he adds. “It was an incredibly rewarding learning experience.”

Bulbulia credits the co-op program with giving him perspective on how pursuing academic goals can simultaneously shape career trajectories. “I get the opportunity to explore a variety of industries and roles without being committed to one position. This experience has helped guide my decision to pursue a legal career and has given me greater clarity on the specific areas I may want to focus on.”

Studying Human Resource Management at TRSM, Rui has an edge over other HR peers because of her financial and business acumen. “It’s really about being a business partner, rather than someone who simply executes tasks—having a purview of the whole business,” she explains.

It’s how she knew she could count on the co-op program and Go’s recommendation to put forward a student candidate who could work independently and fit seamlessly into the business. 

“Volunteering with associations like HRAA really helps the community stay connected, whether that’s employees or employers. When it comes to opportunities like this one with Suleman and OJI, timing is everything,” adds Rui.

“In my experience, opportunities knock on your door when you’re least expecting it.”

“What do I want someone to notice when they speak to a Ted Rogers alum? Charisma and professionalism—we’re representatives of the brand,” says Manhar Brar (external link, opens in new window)  (Entrepreneurship and Strategy '21). “Being good stewards of the brand is how we pay it forward.”

Brar transferred from Wilfrid Laurier’s business school to TRSM in 2018, the year the DMZ was recognized (external link)  as the world’s top university-based incubator. “I wanted to study at a university that had an ecosystem for entrepreneurship, so that definitely grabbed my attention.” 

“In the beginning I had a finish class-go home mindset, but I quickly realized that you get out what you put in,” he adds. 

While a student as a Program Manager at Enactus (external link) , Brar oversaw StartMeUp, a program that helps entrepreneurs launch their ideas through workshops with the DMZ, and the New Venture Competition that gave out $25,000 each to two students after multiple rounds of pitching.

After graduating, Brar continued his community involvement by supporting Toronto Thrive (external link) , an Enactus project he co-founded to showcase TMU’s creative talent. “Our team was TRSM students, at one point we had 60 volunteers for Thrive and we threw a massive event at Stackt Market in 2022 with over 500 people attending.”

For the last two years, Brar’s been co-chairing the Ted Rogers Sales Alumni Association, which he identified as a gap among other associations. “When I think of older alumni who are not as engaged in the community, a lot of them work in sales-related roles.”

“We want to make sure there is still a stream for folks to keep connecting as they graduate and grow into bigger roles,” adds Brar. 

To further support the TRSM ecosystem, Brar regularly donates as part of the five-year Dean’s Circle membership; and he recently contributed a one-time gift to The Launchpad per the Boardroom Bound Fund. He also invests in future talent by hiring co-op students. 

Brar credits the supportive environment at TRSM for equipping him with the skills, connections, and experiences crucial to his success, and he’s committed to helping future students access those same opportunities.

For Shabnam Ahmad (external link)  (Law & Business ‘14), returning to the Ted Rogers School of Management in 2017 wasn’t just a career move, it was a return to purpose. “My parents are both doctors so education has been instilled in me as power,” she says. “Supporting others has always been a key interest of mine—helping people build confidence and community.”

As Manager of Student Engagement and Development in the Office of the Dean, Ahmad oversees Fit for Business (FFB), more than 30 student groups, and programming that shapes the experience of 12,000 undergraduate business students. 

“It’s a lot of internal and external community engagement,” says Ahmad. “Having face time with different community members helps me succeed at my job.”

More than a long-time employee or alum of the university, Ahmad embodies being an ambassador, especially when interacting with prospective TRSM students. “There are pockets of community here for every identity and interest—it uplifts students, faculty, staff and alumni.”

Her ambassadorship has not gone unnoticed. In 2022, she received the Salesforce Community Champion Award for her work managing Fit for Business, and was named among the Top 10 of the Last 10 at the TRSM Alumni Achievement Awards.

“Working on Fit for Business and growing into my current role, it really shows the importance of buy-in across stakeholders in the university,” says Ahmad. “Winning the Salesforce award was really a team win. We used data to demonstrate engagement and impact on our students.”

Last spring, Ahmad began teaching at the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, further deepening her ties with TMU. Chang’s Spanning the Gaps programs help mature students complete their degrees, something that resonates with her.

“I taught the Academic Foundations course virtually, but it was heartwarming to see the impact when we had one optional in-person session at the end and eleven of them showed up,” she says. “Many of those students started their undergrad this fall.”

Ahmad is optimistic she’ll be continuing with Chang this winter alongside her work in the Office of the Dean, where she’s planning workshops with partners like Wealthsimple  (external link) and MLSE (external link) .

Although she doesn’t consider herself a major donor, Ahmad has contributed through gifts to support student success at TRSM. For her, giving back, even in a small way, is a natural extension of her belief in building community.

“I thought I'd be back in industry, I never thought I’d be here for eight years,” says Ahmad. “But this feels special to me.”