Convocation

Born just over 10 months apart, Amaan and Jahaan Thawer share a bond that goes beyond proximity in age. The siblings became tight allies at ages seven and eight, when their mother, Farzana, was diagnosed with a rare stage IV cancer at the age of 33. “Our mom’s diagnosis changed our whole family dynamic. It made us closer,” said Jahaan, the eldest. “I remember feeling more like a mother figure in a way, taking care of Amaan while our dad was taking care of our mom.” Amaan recalls little rivalry throughout those formative years. “It didn’t make sense to work against each other,” he said. “It was a difficult and sad time, watching our mother go through immeasurable pain, but working together so closely is what made our family strong.” The children accompanied their mom to her appointments and scans, with Jahaan taking notes on her behalf. In 2014, Farzana underwent a life-saving liver transplant at University Hospital, located at the north end of Western’s campus, in London, Ont. This week their family returned to campus, marking two more exciting milestones: Amaan and Jahaan’s graduations from Western.  

Fueling a focus for health equity, advocacy

“My mom used to wonder, sitting in the hospital, if we’d ever go to Western,” Jahaan said. “It wasn’t something Amaan and I thought about until we walked by the hospital on our first day of classes, realizing, ‘this is where mom had her transplant.’” They originally enroled in Western’s medical science program, but early life lessons led the siblings to different paths. “Our mother never lost her hair with her cancer,” Jahaan said. “When people looked at her, she looked fine. They had no idea what she was facing. It taught us from an early age that you never know what someone is going through. They could be sick or experiencing hardship.” Mindful of the invisible weights others carry, Jahaan resonated with a first-year course on the social determinants of health. “It was right up my alley, reinforcing my desire to approach health care from a holistic perspective,” Jahaan said. She took other, similar courses, ultimately switching her major to health sciences. She also sought opportunities outside the classroom, including leading Women’s Health Network Western, raising awareness and advocating for women’s health issues on and off campus. She advocates for men’s health too, volunteering for The Walnut Foundation. The non-profit organization partners with health-care institutions offering accessible prostate cancer screenings for Black men, a population facing a 76 per cent higher incidence rate and mortality rate twice that of other groups. “At first, I was wondering why, as a woman, I would make a good advocate for men’s health. But I’ve come to see that men’s health – whether it is your father, brother or uncle – impacts women’s well-being and that we need to support their health too.” Helping to raise awareness and support Black men living with prostate cancer continues to be a meaningful experience, fueling her interest in social justice and health equity. “It’s helped me see the power of community and how that can change health outcomes.” She saw a different model of success travelling to Scandinavia to participate in Aging Globally, an international course that introduced her to a health-care system built, holistically, to serve older adults.  

Developing a passion for planetary health

Meanwhile, Amaan was broadening his view of health care through a different lens. A geology elective reignited a passion first sparked through childhood conversations with his grandfather, a former geologist from Karachi, Pakistan. One day as they walked the Don Valley ravine near his Toronto home, Amaan kicked a rock. “It turned out to be a crinoid fossil from 450 million years ago,” Amaan said. “Seeing it through his eyes fascinated me.” That fascination deepened through professor Elizabeth Webb’s course on the origin and geology of the solar system – so much so, Amaan too changed his major, choosing to pursue a bachelor of science. “Switching programs was scary because we worried we’d be so behind,” he said. “I wish I could just tap myself in first year, and say, ‘Relax, it all works out.’” In hindsight, he said the decision to “dive head-first into geology” didn’t diminish his interest in health – it heightened it. “I’m so thankful I pursued that degree. It helped me realize how interconnected the Earth is to human health.” In second year, he completed an internship on a mangrove restoration project in rural Gujarat, India. As part of a research team visiting local communities, Amaan learned first-hand how environmental degradation was reshaping community health. “Whenever they talked about the environment, they talked about health – how the monsoons and cyclones affected their crops and their family’s food,” he said. In 2023, he was introduced to the Surviving Memory in Post War El Salvador project, after taking the field course led by professor Amanda Grzyb in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies. Tracing the legacy of the Salvadoran Civil War on health and the environment, Amaan connected with communities contending with the effects of metallic mining and agricultural chemicals on their land and water. “It was in a different language, on a different continent, but it was the same message I heard in India,” he said. With a growing interest in how environmental degradation impacts human health, particularly in contexts of conflict and marginalization, he successfully applied to become Western’s campus ambassador for the Planetary Health Alliance (PHA). Last year he became youth director for the Planetary Health North America Regional Hub and earned a travel scholarship to a planetary health conference in the Netherlands, where he connected with scientists and researchers from around the globe. In an essay for the PHA, Amaan interviewed Goldman Environmental Prize winner Ricardo Navarro, and underscored the intersection of environmental change and human health, an interest he shares with his sister.  

Where paths meet

During her first class of health sciences professor Lesley Gittings’ Climate Change and Health course, Jahaan immediately thought of Amaan. With special permission, he enroled in the class. Soon the siblings were once again side by side, working toward a common goal, teaming up to complete a project focused on air quality in Ghana. Gittings, who also supervised Jahaan and Amaan on individual research projects, counts herself “lucky to have had them as students.” “I have rarely encountered two students as empathetic as Jahaan and Amaan,” Gittings said. “Their empathy extends beyond their schoolwork and classroom contributions. They are deeply thoughtful, always treating their fellow students, professors and research collaborators with kindness.” This fall, Jahaan will continue to look to Gittings as a mentor, while returning to Western to pursue her master of health sciences in health equity and sustainability. As Amaan considers his next steps, he’s certain of one thing. “No matter what career I’m in, I’ll be advocating for the people on the front lines of the planetary health crisis,” he said. While he and Jahaan pursued different paths at Western, he said their journeys were rooted in what they learned and lived at home.

“Our mom’s experience guides everything – how we treat people, our ethics, our morals, our individual goals. It comes from a place in our hearts that draws us back, every single time.” – Amaan Thawer, BSc’26

As their family celebrates Jahaan and Amaan’s individual achievements during convocation, the siblings reflect on the times they shared. “We did this together,” Jahaan said. “We were each other’s ‘day ones’, figuring out where the library was, how to change paths and ask for help, supporting each other through it all.” Jahaan and Amaan Thawer are among 8,900 Western students graduating during spring convocation, joining the global network of 382,000 alumni around the world. Read more of Western News’ convocation coverage. Learn more about how Western is preparing future leaders and global citizens.