The Student of the Year Award, College and CEGEP WIL, has been awarded to Fiza Kaleem, an Honours BBA Finance student at Sheridan College who has carved out her own path into corporate finance as a Muslim woman, international student, and first-generation entrant to a highly competitive, male-dominated field. She turned a lack of traditional “target school” advantages and banking internships into motivation to upskill, build community, and prove there is space in finance for students who do not fit the usual mold.
After intentionally deferring her work term to better prepare, Fiza secured a WIL role as a Finance Consultant Intern at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts headquarters, working on the global OneStream migration across more than 800 programs and 130 properties. She quickly earned the trust of senior leadership, created a master year-end tracking file and a mapping table for 140+ property codes that significantly reduced processing time, and was invited to stay on part-time while completing her degree with a 3.85 GPA.
At Sheridan, Fiza transformed her own uncertainty into institutional impact by founding the Finance Club, which grew into an award-winning “Most Engaging Club” within months. She launched Sheridan’s first finance hackathon, coordinated an investing competition and MarketWatch simulation, organized a 60+ person speed networking event with major firms and CPA Ontario, and provided one-on-one resume and interview support to peers navigating co-op and WIL applications.
Fiza now serves as Sheridan’s first CFA Student Ambassador and is mentored through a leading women-in-finance network, using her experience to show that meaningful careers in finance extend far beyond traditional banking—and that students can succeed without compromising their values. Her journey illustrates how work-integrated learning can redefine confidence, open nontraditional pathways, and create lasting opportunities for the students who follow. Congratulations, Fiza Kaleem!