Meet Raha Afkari
Mastermind is a code-breaking game for two players and that was her favorite game as a child. The picture below is an indicator of her love for problem solving activities and how seriously she takes it both in her personal and professional life.
Raha Afkari graduated with an Honors Bachelor of Business Administration and Marketing from York University in 2008. She also received her Masters of Business Administration from the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management in 2014, and well as Machine Learning in 2021. She currently works as the Director of Advanced Analytics and AI at Scotiabank. In her spare time, Raha enjoys reading about Artificial Intelligence and Being Human in Future, and taking photographs and gardening. She also volunteers by mentoring university students in Analytics degrees and Women in Data & Analytic, and has co-launched various women mentorship and sponsorship programs over the last few years.
When did your love of STEM begin?
My love for STEM began when I was a little girl. I grow up in a family of Engineers who solved math problems for fun (in their head). My father was influential in my path, he taught me how to solve complicated math problems and see things in multi-dimensional. Although, I took a detour to get where I am now, it was my interest in math and solving problems that redirected me back. In my career, I always found myself to be the one building the financial models and reframing problems to find connection between the data and find a story and meaning in the data.
What is the best part about working in the field of STEM?
The best part of STEM is you are given a problem; you play a detective to understand the problem within an area which you may have limited exposure to build a solution. I get to work with very smart people to discuss the how and the why. I encourage challenging the status quo and continue finding ways to improve the way things work. I bring ideas to life by analyzing data and identifying patterns to solve complicated problems. .
What advice would you give young women interested in a career in STEM?
I would start by saying do not compare yourself with others, be the best you can be, and you will be the best. Be curious, be active listener and try to understand the fundamentals and ask WHY. Find a mentor or a manager who cares about your development, and they give you the opportunity to be courageous and curious. Great things do not usually come easily, so if something is too easy to achieve, re-evaluate your plans and goals.