Adil Ladha, BISC’11
For Adil, the Castle experience brought a group of friends even closer together and those friendships are still tight-knit to this day
Originally from St Catharine’s Ontario, Adil attended the Castle’s Summer program as a post-grad in 2011.
“I had an interest in learning more about international trade relations at the time,” Adil recalls, “and doing so a short distance away from London with a great group of friends, made attending the Castle all-the-more appealing.”
Adil’s original plan was to study law, a notion encouraged by his time at the Castle.
“I no longer practice as a lawyer, but I wouldn't say that's a result of me having attended the Castle.” says Adil. “If anything, my time at the Castle furthered my interests in the areas of law we studied - an area I still have a great deal of interest in to this day and brush up on when I can.”
Adil started Law School having already earned a Degree in Pharmacy from University of Toronto. When his time at the Castle was up, he returned to Queen’s to complete his Juris Doctor (JD).
“My career path has not been a traditional one for someone having graduated with a JD from Queens.” says Adil. “I was not asked back as a first-year associate at the firm I articled at, so I spent the next year splitting my time between working as a legal consultant, dispensing in a pharmacy, and networking.”
Those networking skills got Adil in the door at the corporate office of Shoppers Drug Mart, working in their Pharmacy Department. A few years later he moved into an operations role at Loblaw Pharmacy, followed by a transition to Express Scripts Canada, where Adil now leads the Pharmacy National Procurement & Operations Team.
Adil believes his decision to attend the Castle and his experience here has had a great impact on his life and career.
“My friends and I travelled a lot during that summer, using the Castle as a jumping off point into Europe.” he says. “We saw and did a lot, and I have often found myself referencing those adventures as a means of connecting with people that have similar experiences to share.”
Adil’s time at the Castle, and the opportunities to travel throughout Europe brought the group of friends that joined him even closer together and they are still tight-knit to this day.
“Attending the Castle gives you the chance to learn, further develop friendships, and see an historical part of the world all at once.” says Adil. “I developed a great network during my time at the Castle, and many of us are still friends today and have supported each other on a number of initiatives throughout the years. We'd have been foolish to let that go!”
Akash Pharasi, BISC’19
Akash thought the opportunity to study internationally had been lost altogether, and then he found the Castle!
Ottawa native Akash attended the Castle in Winter 2019 as an upper year. As part of the Queen's Commerce program, it is common for students to go on exchange in their third year. Unfortunately, Akash was not able to go on exchange in his third year due to clashes with his summer internship.
“Going on an international exchange had in fact been one of the primary reasons which had persuaded me to attend Queen's and after missing out in third year, I thought I would miss out on that opportunity altogether.” says Akash, “That was until I found the Castle!”
Akash ended up completing all of his business-related courses in the term before he attended the Castle. This left him with a blank slate in terms of selecting courses not out of necessity to meet his degree, but purely out of interest.
“I ended up taking a variety of courses I never would have thought about taking had I not attended the Castle.” says Akash. “My academic interests did remain business oriented, however I was still very appreciative of the opportunity to explore courses outside of the norm.”
Akash was a leading member of a local Queen's club which focussed on promoting and helping students find volunteer and internship experience abroad.
“The Castle for me is what brought everything together. From being fascinated by the idea of cultural differences in High School, to vouching for other students to get an international experience, the opportunity to study at the Castle not only paved the way for me to have an experience grounded in British culture, but also allowed me to travel and experience numerous different countries and cultures throughout Europe.” he says.
Akash is now a Senior Consultant at Deloitte within the Cyber Strategy Service – a role that allows him to be actively involved in global initiatives.
“My experience at the Castle did further broaden my global mindset and my desire to be a global ambassador.” says Akash. “It has allowed me to better connect with individuals from different countries and cultures and is even a major factor in why I'm looking to work internationally through Deloitte, and even pursue further education abroad.”
Akash recalls that some of his happiest memories of university were created at the Castle.
“For me, university is a time to explore new avenues and challenge yourself.” he says, “The Castle ended up offering me some of the most memorable, yet challenging experiences of my life. The opportunity to study abroad is immense and the facilities that the Castle offers is a fantastic way to do so.”
Akash believes it is important to support the current attendees at the Castle as well as prospective attendees.
“We can build relationships based on our shared experiences, support each other throughout our careers, showcase the impacts of life after the Castle and support Castle initiatives.” he says.
Elizabeth Harris, BISC’97
For Elizabeth, a hands-on experience at the Castle really changed her perspective and planted a seed that perhaps a career in the field of art was a possibility.
Originally from Nanaimo, BC, Elizabeth attended the BISC in the Spring/Summer Term of 1997.
“Although it was relatively new at the time, I had heard of "The Castle" through my faculty,” says Elizabeth, “and upon further investigation I discovered that I actually had a family connection to both the Castle and the village of Herstmonceux.”
Elizabeth immediately found herself daydreaming of ways to attend a term at this newly formed international study centre and started to recruit her friends to join her! And when she arrived, Elizabeth’s academic focus changed dramatically while she was at the Castle.
“At Queen’s, I was flipping around within different faculties and really trying to find my place and decide where my interests and passions lied.” she recalls, “At the Castle, I studied an Art History course where we learned in a variety of art institutions both in England and France and were immersed in the extraordinary art exhibits.”
It was this hands-on experience that changed Elizabeth’s perspective and planted a seed in her mind that perhaps a career in the field of art was a possibility.
“In my final year at Queen's, I focused more on Art History and started to feel passionate about a possible path forward after graduation.” says Elizabeth.
Elizabeth moved to Whistler, BC after graduation. After deciding to spend "Just one winter" in the ski town, she found herself completely and utterly hooked on the lifestyle and community.
“I'm still here, almost 25 years later!” says Elizabeth. “While living and working in Whistler, I also took my pilot's license in Vancouver, BC, driving back and forth and challenging my mind through flight. After that, the additional studies of life, work and family prevailed.”
Elizabeth admits her career path has perhaps not been a conventional journey, but feels like her desire to blend business and a budding passion for art, was in part fuelled by her experiences at the Castle. After a very serendipitous meeting of a gallery curator on a chairlift ride one snowy Whistler winter shortly after graduation, Elizabeth found herself embarking on a new career path. At that time, she started working at an art gallery specializing in Indigenous Art; particularly Northwest Coast Kwakuitl, Haida and Coast Salish carvings and printmaking. Working in a commercial art gallery in the international ski town of Whistler opened Elizabeth eyes to new possibilities and a possible niche market in Whistler's Art Scene.
“After completing an archiving project with the Whistler Museum & Archives and the Virtual Museum of Canada, all the while taking my pilot's license, I took a job with Adele Campbell Fine Art, and the rest is history.” says Elizabeth. “Specializing in contemporary Canadian paintings and sculpture, this gallery really fine-tuned my desire to share Canadian art with the world and showcase how extraordinary our artists in this country are.”
Elizabeth’s love and enthusiasm for art is obvious. “While studying at the Castle exposed me to the world's great Masters, I realized quickly that I had a passion for scenes from home; from the vast landscapes of our diverse country, the west coast moods of BC, and the bold brushstrokes that highlight Canada's natural and powerful beauty.” she says.
After working at the gallery for several years, the opportunity to purchase the business presented itself, and Elizabeth has now owned, operated and curated Adele Campbell Fine Art for almost ten years.
“In that time, my husband and I have welcomed three amazing boys into our family and I find myself wearing many different capes.” says Elizabeth. “Being immersed in community life, volunteering, fundraising and blending business, family and community is a juggle and a joy in this mountain town.”
The bonds and friendships that were forged during that short term in 1997 have been life-long lasting friendships and cemented Elizabeth’s connection with both BISC and Queen's.
“It was an extraordinary experience, and it still makes my heart flutter thinking of my time spent there.” says Elizabeth “On a professional level, the Art History course at the BISC catapulted me forward and truly shaped my path.”
Ty Greene, BISC’13
Ty attended the Castle in the first year the Interdisciplinary Studies in Global Health and Disability program was offered, and he has never looked back.
Ottawa native Ty attended the Castle in the summer of 2013. Seeing the Castle as the perfect way to get the extra credits he needed to graduate, it was a decision he would certainly never regret!
“Luckily it just happened to be the first year the Interdisciplinary Studies in Global Health and Disability program was offered, and it was the best end to my Kinesiology degree I could have possibly imagined.” says Ty.
“I quickly learned during my time at Queen's that I was more interested in the social and community side of sport than the science side!” Ty recalls. “The Castle’s ISGHD program was the perfect way to bring that academic journey to an end.”
After the Castle, Ty worked at the Canadian Olympic Committee for two years running education, community impact and diversity & inclusion initiatives. He then went to Right To Play, an international NGO specializing in sport for development, where he led a national school engagement program and managed relationships with athlete ambassadors.
“After three years there, I became interested in the role of business in addressing societal problems and decided to pursue an MBA, moving to Singapore and then France to study at INSEAD Business school in Fontainebleau, France.” says Ty.
For the last two years since graduating from INSEAD, Ty has worked at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, managing high-level relationships between business and civil society organizations, and running a council on business and human rights.
“The ISGHD program's disability specialization inspired me to go into the diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice space early in my career, which has remained a common thread through my MBA and my current role.” says Ty. “The program's focus on international policy has also helped shape my current role at the World Economic Forum, providing me with an important community-based framing for tackling a multitude of global issues.”
For Ty, studying at the Castle also kicked off a lifelong love for travel - especially for making the most of any windows of opportunity to hop on a plane or train and see a new place, even for just 24 hours.
“I was also lucky to meet some incredible people at the Castle, many of whom remain good friends and a few who, like me, couldn't resist returning to Europe and now call the region home.” says Ty.
“I will always hold the memories, lessons and friends I gained from my time at the Castle near, and I feel lucky to be part of the incredibly diverse and successful community of Castle alumni.” says Ty. “As I've learned through the numerous job searches in my career, nothing is more helpful in finding the right job or getting the right career advice than a supportive alumni network, and we all benefit from keeping that network strong by volunteering, mentoring and donating.”