STEM Focus: Mohammad Asadi Lari, STEMFellowship
Determination
What are some challenges you faced when developing your presence?
One of my major challenges has been identifying a focal point between my many passions, strengths and weaknesses and the needs within the educational ecosystem. This got more and more difficult, because I have a wide range of interests: scientific research, education, politics, public policy and global health are the main ones. So, as much as I’ve found it difficult to enrich my experiences in these areas, it’s also forced me to be creative in bringing these passions and skill sets together to help me establish my niche. Hence, sometimes the challenge ends up being the asset. Another major hurdle I faced was literally having to build my networks from scratch when I immigrated to Canada from my native Iran! This was incredibly difficult in the first two years, but I was determined to expand my networks and the efforts have really started to pay off. We started STEM Fellowship at a time when both of these personal challenges were at their peak. Fast forward two and a half years, we have a presence on 22 campuses, in every province with more than 300 volunteer executives working for us across Canada and from the US, Pakistan and Iran. I’ve found my niche (or I’m more comfortable with it than I was a couple of months ago!) within the context of what we have built as an organizational philosophy, and my networks have grown exponentially even outside Canada and the US. I’ve gotten myself involved in advising a number of national inanities on youth outreach, in large part due to my networks. That also ties into the work I’m doing with a Silicon-Valley based start-up called PeerBuds, which is building a block-chain based educational platform. It’s fascinating how things come together in an unexpected ways!
Was there any point when you thought it was over?
Not in the “I was almost bankrupt and my business was on the edge of a cliff” sort of way. But of course, there have been way too many times where I’ve hit big barriers in life, where things with STEM Fellowship: strategic partnership hitting a wall, or sponsorship and funding request getting nowhere. This can pile up with dozens of other personal factors, leading to a lot of mental strain. Those time, despite being incredibly difficult emotionally, end up being the most reflective periods. I can’t recall a time where I thought everything was over. The question has mostly been whether I needed a 30o, 90o or 180o shift, or whether the whole plain needed to be flipped over.
Through it all, I’m grateful for the journey I’ve had, humbled by the incredible people that I’ve met and hyped about the possibilities that lie ahead.
Flexibility
How important has flexibility been in developing your presence/voice?
Flexibility is everything, we’re living in ecosystems that are constantly evolving, and so it’s impossible to stay ahead of the curve without being flexible on every level-well except for core values of course! I used to myself as a clinician/scientist/(perhaps)policy maker, seldom an entrepreneur. Seeing the pace of innovation and the prerequisites of becoming impactful in any field, my attitude started to shift. It’s incredibly important to be flexible with the experiences you pursue, how you pursue them, and what you are willing to give up to make the best out of those experiences. There will be sleepless nights, empty pockets and people around you complaining all the time…but that’s part of the package!
Imagination
What was your spark, where did it come from?
I can’t recall a single eureka moment, but I’ve been through “eureka experiences”. My passion for science and innovation kick started from my high school days in Iran, where my chemistry project led to a patent (after two years of work;). I soon realized that being a science enthusiast (aka geek) wasn’t enough to inspire others, and I was searching for ways to help spark the same passion in others. It was through a LinkedIn message from a visionary computer science teacher in Toronto and the ensuing exchange if idea that laid the foundation for the ongoing project that we call STEM Fellowship today. I draw a lot of motivation from the incredible work our teams are doing across the country, whether it be in hosting campus events, our Big Data Challenges or even our STEMpowerment mentoring program. Seeing the enthusiasm of my colleagues in STEM Fellowship is really the “continuing spark” that essentially paves the way.
4. What are your non-work habits that help you with your work-life balance?
Daily work-outs, cooking, YouTube, grabbing coffee with friends to talk about life and long daily phone calls with my family back in Iran.
On the spiritual end, it’s really my daily prayers that help balance the intense emotions arising from a hectic schedule and help provide that moment of mental silence that I desperately need.
5. What is your best tip for people looking to get into this space?
Try to see beyond the pretty cover wraps, see the mechanics at work instead of the image being portrayed, or you would miss the bigger picture. STEM Fellowship may seem a discipline-specific initiative, but the philosophy is built on the concepts of cohesive communities, collective effort and inter-disciplinary collaboration. That’s something I hope to see discussed more. It’s also important to find mentors. Reach out to people: listen, listen, listen and then share your insight. Hopefully you will find people who will see and appreciate your inner flame and will give you a helping hand.
Beware of silo-ing! It ends up hampering our efforts to solve some of the biggest problems that the world faces. So as much as it’s important to find your niche and become “the expert” in that area, it’s important to step outside the cave and see the bigger picture. Ask yourself about where your field of interest is moving towards in the next 5, 10 and 20 years, and how that plays into the bigger global picture.
