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“I don’t think I would be where I am today if it wasn’t for Windmill. Because of Windmill, I was able to obtain the funding to give my career a boost."
December 24, 2021
“I don’t think I would be where I am today if it wasn’t for Windmill. Because of Windmill, I was able to obtain the funding to give my career a boost. That's why I am happy to be a mentor and encourage newcomers to find one because they can get them to where they want to be in their career."
Zarkim moved to Canada in 2017 after working in his native country of St. Lucia as an operations officer at a bank. He had some exposure to the anti-money laundering (AML) field but hadn’t acquired the depth of experience to advance his career. Once in Toronto, he set a career goal to become an AML specialist.
With Windmill’s help, Zarkim passed the exam to get certified as a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS). Today, he works at a bank in the anti-money laundering team.
Windmill didn’t have a mentorship program when Zarkim applied for his loan so he had little guidance on how to get into the industry. “I didn’t have a mentor to guide me along the way in preparing for the regulatory exam and finding my place in the industry. It was trial and error for me.”
This experience inspired Zarkim to join Windmill’s Mentorship Program. It was an opportunity to share his knowledge and journey to help other skilled immigrants move forward. “You can always impart words of wisdom and share your story as it relates to your career and hopefully it can inspire someone,” says Zarkim.
When Zarkim was paired with a Windmill client, his mentee was already working in the AML field. So, his focus was to provide Akinyinka with the tools and techniques to pass the exam to get certified as a CAMS. Zarkim shared notes and study materials and planned touch-point meetings to determine progress based on set learning objectives.
Soon after the pair started working together, Akinyinka got a new job and didn’t have much time to study. To help him, Zarkim scheduled weekly study meetings and mock tests every other week.
“Zarkim is an active listener and a great communicator. He took time to understand my shortcomings and encouraged me until he was sure I was ready to take the ACAMS exam, which I passed in June. Zarkim always urged me to be the best I could be. He made me understand that passing the exam was easy as long as I understood and followed some basic concepts.”
Zarkim’s greatest satisfaction comes from helping others. Being an immigrant himself, he knows first-hand the challenges newcomers face. He wants to make it easier for other skilled immigrants so they find their passion.
For his contributions to the Mentorship Program, especially to his mentee, we want to recognize Zarkim as Windmill’s Mentor of the Month.