Mehr Toor is a rare gem. With many sparkling achievements to her name she is an immensely hardworking individual striving for new heights. Getting nine As in O levels and being at the top of her class at Bay View High School was only the beginning of a long drawn out journey.

Toor later proved her merit in innumerable ways by being a recipient of the Dean’s Honour List Award for graduating with academic distinction at LUMS and being nominated by the university to attend a Conference on Youth Initiative for Peace and Progress between India and Pakistan for winning an essay competition in January, 2008.

She was also chosen by the university to go on an exchange programme to attend the Global Business Programme at FH Joanneum, University of Liberal Studies in Austria.

Along with this she was a responsible hostel fellow whose duties entailed peer mentoring and peer counselling for students who living on campus. Toor is currently studying at Cornell University, US, and is pursuing a master’s degree in applied economics and management.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

I am very grateful for being awarded the USAID Women Leaders Programme Scholarship to pursue a master’s degree. My concentration area is development economics and for my thesis I plan to conduct research on poverty in rural Pakistan.

Who supported you most in your life? My parents have always encouraged and supported me. My professors, teachers and mentors have also provided me with valuable guidance and inspiration.

What is success to you? It is utilising one’s knowledge and experience to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

You were nominated by LUMS to attend the global business programme in Austria. How was the experience?

The exchange programme was one of the best experiences of my life! It was an honour to represent Pakistan at an international platform and share information about my country and culture with students from across the world. I was particularly surprised to see how people have so many misconceptions about our nation. It was a challenge to clarify these mistaken beliefs but I thoroughly enjoyed the debate and discussion. I made many new friends there and also travelled quite a bit. I also worked as a research assistant for my professor and that was a wonderful learning experience as well.

Could you please elaborate upon your recent internship with the Pakistan Mission in United Nations?

I interned with the mission to the United Nations in New York this summer. As part of my internship, I represented Islamabad at various meetings, assisted in preparation of reports and statements for high-level events, attended meetings at the UN General Assembly regarding the Millennium Development Goals, conducted background research and so on.

Through the internship I developed a solid understanding of the UN and of Pakistan’s foreign policy. It was an awesome experience to observe personally the working of the organisation and to interact with diplomats from across the world.

How did you manage to balance you academics and extracurricular activities?

I learnt that I did best when I prioritised and allocated my time between the most important things instead of spreading myself thin over too many goals and tasks. It’s important to set realistic goals and to make a plan of action for achieving them.

What are your plans for the future?

After completing my master’s, I plan to return to Pakistan and preferably pursue a career in development management. However, I have my options open and am considering a number of things that I can do. Whatever I do, I hope that I will be able to put my education to good use and eventually give something back to my country.