EP #67: Rathika Sitsabaiesan - From Politician (Canada's 1st Tamil MP) to Professor

Rathika Sitsabaiesan (@rathikasitsabaiesan) is a former politician (Canada's First Tamil Member of Parliament) and currently a professor at Centennial College (@centennialcollege).She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss growing up in a single income household, watching her parents help other Tamil immigrants get on their feet in Canada, introducing Tamil Heritage Month with the late Jack Layton’s full support, the impact of a Tamil being elected as an MP, taking 8 months off in 2015 due to extreme burnout, how somebody in the Vietnamese community encouraged her to become a teacher; her ensuing passion for education, working in a hospital for 5 years before realizing she didn’t want to be a doctor and so much more.Follow Rathika:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rathikasitsabaiesan/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Rathika Sitsabaiesan01:27 - Rathika speaks on her family upbringing and how it led her to a career in politics, and then education09:41 - Growing up at a faster pace as the child of an immigrant11:04 - How shifting from University of Toronto to Carleton led her into politics14:08 - The moment Rathika was officially elected and her immediate reaction17:00 - What it was like working with Jack Layton23:08 - Rathika reflects on her career in politics and assesses her performance29:19 - Why she didn’t resume her politics career; Jack Layton’s passing35:50 - What she would have done differently as an MP and when she considering running as an independent40:21 - Is Rathika done with politics?41:06 - Being involved in post secondary education and advocacy for the past 15 years44:17 - How Rathika sees the education space evolving amidst the pandemic recovery52:25 - What she would tell her 16-year-old self; her parents not understanding mental illness but still being supportive58:08 - How she wants to be remembered by her friends and family1:01:26 - How her political career is still useful in her everyday life today1:02:11 - Creator Confessions1:10:40 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan            Support the show