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“I have always followed my own mind, and truth be told, I’ve changed my idea for a career more than the bones in my body. I am passionate about so many things, it has been hard for me to tie myself down to a single thing, which is why I have learnt the art of multitasking. I took a decision pretty early on that I won’t let people’s opinions and concerns stop me from following my own path. You have to be content with yourself, and when you are, you can decide what you truly want to do.

“I was raised in an upper-middle class household with all the privileges a family member of senior government officer could have had. My father worked for the government and so did his father before him. My uncles worked for the government and so did two of my aunts. Literally every adult I knew growing up worked for a pay cheque. Everyone thought I too was going to end up with a comfortable and secure job like them when I would grow up. I started my professional career back in 2014 with a modestly well-paying job and everything seemed to be going well.

My life revolves around 3Ds: Determination, Determination and Determination!

Every day is a new opportunity to better yourself but it depends, greatly, on how eager you are to progress. I have always been very passionate about exploring new things and firmly believe that one should never stop learning, because it’s like stopping the watch in order to save time.

“I opened my eyes in a middle class Pakistani family and growing up, I always saw my mother and sister tackle difficult situations with positivity and that had a huge impact on me. Whenever I am in a dire situation now, instead of getting depressed, I look for a way out.

My father worked tirelessly to provide me with the best possible education and despite his efforts, there was a time when I had to take up a sales job in a shop to bear the expenses of my schooling. It was, ultimately, my father’s constant support that I was able to start my own company.

The idea for Qayaam came to me purely by luck. In sophomore year at LUMS, I put an indefinite end on my extracurricular activities, opted for courses worth 20 credit hours, it was all going to be about study that semester. As luck would have it, Hamza (co-founder), reached out to me in the same semester. We had met once at an MUN, gotten along well, even became friends on Facebook but that was the extent of it. So when he pinged me on FB, quite randomly, I was skeptical about meeting him.

The part of the country I belong from, did not have access to the world until 2004. We had to walk for three days from Shimshal Valley – Hunza to reach the Karakorum Highway. With everything so out of reach, I could have ended up anywhere but thankfully, I was fortunate enough, to get good education though community schools.

My name is Mehreen but since I was a child I have been called by my nickname and what can I say, it stuck. Hardly anyone calls me by my actual name, it’s always Myne, so when I started my business, I knew what I wanted to name it. Though never a bookworm, I was a pretty gifted student all my life, topped B.Sc. and received a gold medal, before going on to get a Master’s Degree in Statistics.

I’m the third girl child born to a very typical middle class family of Pakistan. Having said that, it hasn’t been easy, neither for my parents nor for us, daughters. Time and again, I have had to break stereotypes and have accomplished many ‘firsts’ in my family, gender has been an interesting aspect of my life.

I hold an MPhil degree in Business Administration (Marketing & Brand Management) from Kinnaird College and currently, I am the Founder and Director of ‘SHE’, a non-profit women empowerment campaign that celebrates womanhood in Pakistan.

Eldest of 4 children, I was born in a household where major emphasis was put on acquiring good education. Both my parents are disciplinarians, so it was tough as a child but I feel that it gave my life a lot of structure.

Despite being strict, my parents never pressured me to focus on a single field; in fact, they were quite flexible about it and encouraged different aspirations I had at various stages in life. The only career requirement they had from me was to at least attempt a CSS exam once in my lifetime which I never did because of my improvised professional decisions.

My initial education was from Aitchison College, making me a part of the privileged class in this country. Growing up, I could have been considered arrogant and to some extent selfish but life has a way of teaching us the best lessons so through twists and turn of fate, I was able to develop, change and improve who I was.