Discover how a small decision led Dr Faiza Majid to realise her purpose – and empower high school girls across Western Sydney to find theirs.
Women in Australia still face countless systemic barriers to pursuing their career ambitions. Over a third say caring responsibilities is a main factor.
It’s a reality Dr Faiza Majid, Senior Lecturer at the School of Banking and Finance, UNSW Business School, knows intimately.
“Managing postgraduate studies along with caring responsibilities was challenging”. she shares.
“I had no family to support me apart from my partner, who was a postgraduate student himself. There were many moments when I questioned whether I could continue.”
But thanks to the support of her supervisor and partner, Dr Majid persevered. And now, she wants to be that person for as many people as possible.
“I want to support women who think they can't do it because “I'm a girl, because I’m not good enough, because I don't have money.” I want them to know that if they want to do it, they can."
Feeling a little uncertain about her career after maternity leave, Dr Majid decided to sign up for 2025 UNSW Business School’s Achieve Development Program.
UNSW knows how important it is to invest in helping young female academics continue to develop professionally – and to provide the best tools that will help them achieve their career goals faster.
As part of this commitment, the Achieve program covers topics like presenting with confidence, showing your value, and negotiation skills that focus on participants larger career goals and ambitions.
Dr Majid joined the program to gain the skills and the confidence to grow as an academic leader and learn what steps she needed to take to get to where she wanted to be.
“You see those inspirational talks and videos, but they just give you advice. Achieve gave us practical tools and clarity around how we should do things."
During one session, Dr Majid learned from a negotiation expert how to have difficult conversations and negotiate with senior management, students, and colleagues in a meaningful manner.
She also learned about personal physicality and digital visibility and being intentional about choices – from how you choose to show up in any given situation, to how you say “yes” to opportunities that will take you to where you want your career to go.
Dr Majid put her new skills and tools to work immediately.
“I included them in my teaching, in my peer-led conversations, and in my roles as Grievance Officer and Academic Integrity Officer for my school. I also started reaching out to seek opportunities in the domains that I was interested in, something that I'd never done before."
And it led to something unexpected: finding her professional purpose.
Dr Majid’s approach to her work is grounded in the belief that education carries a responsibility that extends far beyond curriculum design.
“I view my role as one that not only serves students in the classroom but actively shapes the broader ecosystem they move through.
This means engaging collaboratively with colleagues and designing initiatives that create pathways for students who may not see themselves represented in business education,” she explains.
This perspective led Dr Majid to reach out to Rhiannon Tout, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Project Officer at UNSW Business School, to get involved in the Business School’s pilot 2025 EmpowerHer program.
The program aims to inspire female students in Year 11 and 12 to explore careers in leadership, economics and politics. As a facilitator, Dr Majid helped participants understand the basic foundations of financial literacy and encouraged them to not limit their ambitions based on societal expectations.
"Seeing them feel so inspired and so energised made me realise how much I love doing this. Reading feedback that says, “I didn’t think I could do it, but now I'm going to consider finance” made me see my worth and my value as an educator."
With her newfound purpose, Dr Majid went on to co-design BizQuest – a bootcamp that allows year 10 and 11 high school students in Western Sydney to dive into a few core disciplines of business: Accounting, Finance, Marketing and Risk & Actuarial Studies.
The program includes interactive challenges, hands-on workshops, and real-world problem solving, and sees students work in teams to design a sustainable business brand, develop a marketable product, and create a five-year business plan, ending with Shark Tank-style pitching.
By allowing students to explore each discipline of business, the program helps them decide what career path to take – and lights a way to their future potential.
And for high school students, this could be the catalyst that sparks a generational change.
The Achieve program was more than a professional development opportunity for Dr Majid. It allowed her to find her purpose and the confidence to pursue it.
"My biggest takeaway from Achieve was to be more intentional and strategic about my development and about my career. And to be more proactive because things are not going to be given to you. You have to seek them out," she reflects.
Through a number of outreach programs across Western Sydney, she's working to make sure the next generation of women doesn’t face the same barriers she did.
“My goal is to reach these girls early, before perceptions solidify. Particularly those from low socioeconomic backgrounds who may not see themselves represented in these fields.”
Dr Majid wants to continue to embed values like equity, inclusion, and social responsibility into the way she teaches and designs learning experiences for her students.
Because she knows when women have the right tools, opportunities and support, their impact extends far beyond individual success.
“I found someone who believed in me when I didn't believe in myself,” she says. “Now I want to be that person for as many people as I can."
UNSW Business School offers a dynamic suite of faculty engagement programs that extend beyond traditional roles to inspire leadership, foster collaboration, and support meaningful career growth.
From immersive development workshops to inclusive networks and wellbeing initiatives, each activation is designed to meet staff where they are and empower them to go further.