UCalgary honours Fairooz Shafin’s legacy with computer science award

Sept. 14 marks the one-year anniversary of the tragic loss of Fairooz Shafin, a third-year Computer Science student at the University of Calgary who passed away after being struck by a vehicle near the university’s campus. 

Those who knew Shafin described her as someone who was generous, bright and hard-working. She was a talented writer who loved reading, football, music, movies and travelling.

Originally from Bangladesh, she was an advanced-level program student before coming to Canada to pursue a post-secondary education. At UCalgary, she was known as a dedicated student who was passionate about learning and developing as a young professional. 

“I could see the person she was becoming and the relationships she was starting to form with her friends and peers — she had so much potential,” says Dr. Leanne Wu, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science, who also taught Shafin. 

In her second year of university, Shafin had already secured an enterprise applications internship at NorthRiver Midstream Inc. working as a summer student. Before she passed, she was getting ready to attend her first conference, the annual Canadian Celebration of Women in Computing Conference (CAN-CWiC) in Toronto. 

Shafin was also well-known by her peers for her eagerness to help others succeed, for her friendly disposition and for her remarkable kindness. Always supporting her fellow classmates, she was a community outreach and peer support team helper with the Women’s Resource Centre. Shafin was also heavily involved in other UCalgary clubs, including the Competitive Programming Club and the Women in Computer Science Club. 

“I saw first-hand how her passing affected her peers and close friends,” says Wu. “She was very involved in volunteering and participating in different clubs and activities around campus.”

To honour her legacy, Wu, along with Shafin’s family and friends, created the Fairooz Shafin Memorial Award with the Faculty of Science and UCalgary. The continuing education scholarship is meant to support a female international student, like Shafin, studying computer science at UCalgary. 

“This is the first award at our university that is dedicated to international women taking computer science,” says Wu. “We know that enrolment in computer science programs over time has been decreasing for women, and we want to help remove some of those barriers that are preventing women from pursuing a career in computer science.”

With the goal of making UCalgary’s Computer Science program as equitable as possible, this award has the potential to foster the next generation of the field's female international students. 

You can learn more about the Fairooz Shafin Memorial Award or donate here.