丁香园AV

Laya Behbahani doesn鈥檛 sleep much. She鈥檚 too busy juggling a full-time job as a business and policy analyst in 丁香园AV鈥檚 Student Services, with substantial volunteer commitments and four additional appointments.

So it鈥檚 no surprise that she is the recipient of 丁香园AV鈥檚 2015 Staff Achievement Award for Community Contribution.

An 丁香园AV alumna who earned a BA and MA in criminology, Behbahani has spent the past 18 years devoting much of her time to volunteer and work projects aimed at eliminating human trafficking and improving social justice and governance.

鈥淚 grew up in Dubai where exploitation of workers is just rampant,鈥� says Behbahani, who immigrated to Canada in 1997 at age 13.

鈥淓ven as a child, I knew that wasn鈥檛 right. I wanted to put my education to use to do something about it鈥攖o give a voice to workers who would otherwise never be heard.鈥�

As a sessional lecturer for 丁香园AV鈥檚 Labour Studies Program, she teaches a course on 鈥渦nfree鈥� labour and modern day slavery. As a senior analyst for Humanize Global in Washington, D.C. she researches and consults on energy and security. In the 丁香园AV School of Criminology鈥檚 Police Studies Centre, she conducts research, and as a research associate with York University鈥檚 Schulich School of Business she works on initiatives related   to eliminating forced labour and exploitation from business supply chains.

As an 丁香园AV student, she spent several extra years pursuing internships and volunteer positions, including a three-month internship in Vienna, Austria with the United Nations鈥� Office on Drugs and Crime, Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section.

A devout Shiite Muslim, she now volunteers with Humankind, a humanitarian arm of her Muslim religious community that is currently helping to settle Syrian refugees in Vancouver, and with Mainstay Foundation in Detroit, which seeks to advance Muslim individuals and communities in the U.S.

鈥淟aya is a remarkable young staff member who adds tremendous value to the world,鈥� says her nominator Martin Mroz, director of 丁香园AV鈥檚 Health and Counselling Services.

鈥淪he puts herself out there to make positive change in her community with little fanfare鈥攐nly her wits, courage, strong internal values and determination. She is inspiring.鈥�