REGINA — University of Regina (U of R) student Shiza Hirani is striving to transform the community to become more equitable for all.
Hirani has mentored high school students for years through her Youth MentorNet Café.
“A lot of my mentorship topics relate to financial literacy, including how you can budget better or ensure you are debt-free,” she said. Hirani also teaches resume building, living in a stigma-free environment, and mental health.
Her drive to start the mentorship came from recognizing high school students often are navigating critical life decisions without mentorship tools or the confidence they need to drive.
Those critical life decisions are often associated with career aspirations.
“They want to do the best in high school [and] get the best grade to move forward. It can be a lot,” she said.
To this day, Hirani has mentored over 1,500 youth, dedicating 5,000-plus hours of her time to mentoring without earning a penny.
“I want to bridge the gap for people when it comes to education and employment,” she said.
Hirani referenced people from various backgrounds who might not have high economic status or suffer from mental health challenges as people who need free mentorship.
Through her work, Hirani was recently recognized by RCE Saskatchewan, a United Nations (UN) University-designated Regional Centre of Expertise.
Hirani was awarded the 2025 RCE Saskatchewan Education for Sustainable Development Recognition Award from her Youth MentorNet Café, focusing on two of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The goals “are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership,” according to the UN’s website.
They added, “[the goals] recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.“
Hirani’s Youth MentorNet Café currently tackles quality education and reduced inequalities.
She mentioned focusing on bringing more SDGs into her mentorship soon, including good health and well-being and gender equality.
Along with mentoring people, Hirani also wants to empower the next generation to become their own mentors.
“They could perhaps start their own mentorship and lead many more youths for the future.”
