Meet Aaleen Anjum
Aaleen Anjum graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Biology and Psychology, from the University of New Brunswick in 2015. She also earned earned her MBA from Schulich School of Business in 2021. She is currently a Venture Captial Analyst at Two Small Fish Ventures. In her spare time, Aaleen enjoys hiking, biking, baking, reading, writing, and running after her hyperactive siamese mix kitten!
When did your love of STEM begin?
My love for Science started at an early age. Both my parents were physicians and my grandfather was a Zoologist and Entomologist, so I was constantly surrounded by scientific/academic discourse and was naturally inclined towards the subject in school as a result. My real interest in Biology, and Microbiology in particular, arose during my undergraduate studies. I fell in love with the world of bacteria and viruses and how intricate and complex it was.
My plan was to enter the field of medicine, like everyone else in my family, but during the last two years of my undergrad, something happened that changed my trajectory completely.
I noticed there was a severe lack of mental health resources for the youth in my community (Saint John, NB). Mental illness was plaguing schools. Saint John had some of the highest incidences of depression, anxiety, and suicide amongst teens and young adults in the country. No one talked about the reality that students were suffering in silence because the stigma attached to mental illness was so profound and paralyzing. I ended up working with some friends to establish what would be Atlantic Canada's first, multi-faceted mental health youth centre in Rothesay, NB. The goal was to have a place where students could hang out after school, receive support, get tutoring, attend workshops and mentorship sessions, all whilst having access to mental health nurses, psychologists, and psychiatrists. This experience really made me fall in love with the idea of entrepreneurship.
After running the centre for a few years, I moved to Toronto in the hopes of pursuing a path that would help me continue catalyzing positive change in communities through innovation. That's where I began learning about the world of Venture Capital and Impact Investments and that's where I am today.
What is the best part about working in the field of STEM?
My favourite part about working in STEM is how vast this ecosystem is. My love for Biology and Psychology led me to establish a facility my community was in dire need of. That same passion for Biology and Psychology led me to venture capital where I get to help technology companies, biomedical companies, and social enterprises, scale and grow to solve some of the world's most pressing problems. I think there's a misconception with STEM that you can only go into fields of research or medicine, engineering, and so on. That kind of thinking really restricts your potential to explore so many other, new and exciting worlds where you can really leverage your STEM background to do things you never imagined were possible.
What advice would you give young women interested in a career in STEM?
Do not limit your thinking. If pursuing the traditional paths of medicine and engineering is what you want to do - then give it your all and do your best to come out on top. But know that a career in STEM can be so much more if you want it to be. The worlds of venture capital, actuarial science, impact investing, private equity, capital markets, consulting, and entrepreneurship, just to name a few alternatives, are extensive, exciting, and full of complex challenges that you will love wrangling with. As someone who identifies as a woman, you may feel like you're outnumbered in these fields. This kind of gender inequity is something we're all trying to dismantle on a daily basis, it will take time but the work is being done. Be confident in your abilities and ambitions and never feel like you don't deserve your seat at the table with all the other men and boys. If there's no room at the table, find a new one and make your own room. The world of STEM is lucky to have you! Dream big and know that there are endless possibilities out there for you!