(2009) On the Perspectives of Global Nomads: Azim Wazeer

Name: Azim Wazeer

Talk Title: “On the Perspectives of Global Nomads”

Notes: 4th year, Sauder School of Business.

Topic: The last five years of Azim’s life have seen him undertake undergraduate coursework in both Saudi Arabia and Canada, two vastly different spaces. What makes this story more complex is that he was also born in Sri Lankan and has been a citizen of that emerald island ever since. Having never lived (and only vacationed) in Sri Lanka, he has always been an international student in some form and he has been one in locations that are polar opposites.

It is this international student experience that Azim wishes to share with an audience. His hope is that the talk will be wrapped up by an illustration that the major differences in his experiences were by and large superficial. Global citizenship to Azim is about an understanding that we may seem bizarre to one another in our practices (and thats completely fine) but beyond that our core motivators, needs and wants are pretty much the same. Global citizenship is about a belief that we can succeed as collective group despite our varying patriotic and cultural beliefs. In fact, Azim believed that they should be celebrated as we search for our path to success.

Filmed by Craig Ross at TEDx Terry talks 2009 (October 3rd, 2009). Video edited by David Ng.