Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
In Memoriam: Nehdia Sameen, Psychology
Nehdia Sameen, a PhD student in psychology, was born in Pakistan and completed her bachelor's degree (Honours) in computer science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences.
She received a Fulbright award to pursue a master's degree in psychology at New York University. When she applied to SFU's PhD program, one of her NYU supervisors called her "the single most talented student I have worked with in my career thus far."
She began her studies at SFU in Fall 2011, and displayed an exceptional passion for her work and its potential to make the world a better place. In her own words, she hoped "not merely to fully comprehend the human animal from a scientific perspective, but also to guide the development of balanced, civilized societies with sustainable institutions around the world."
We're deeply sorry to report that Nehdia passed away suddenly on Friday, June 15, of a brain haemorrhage.
Dr. Tim Racine, her graduate supervisor, says:
Nehdia Sameen embodied the sort of balance between head and heart that is critical in any person of excellence. She was also a consummate scholar who was not confined to one narrow research area or particular way of looking at things. What struck me the most about her was how much she had interwoven her personal and professional life.
I became fond of Nehdia quite quickly; her passion for her work and the world around us is a rare and beautiful thing. Nehdia leaves behind a variety of finished and unfinished work of very high quality. The people in my Department who knew and worked closely with Nehdia in the last year will miss her sorely. The people who had not yet become acquainted with Nehdia have lost the opportunity to know an exceptional human being.
Update on the Memorial Services
Nehdia's family will be in Vancouver this week, and a local memorial service will be held at Surrey Jamia Masjid at 12407 72nd Avenue, Surrey on Friday June 22nd. The brief ceremony will begin at 2:15 pm after regular Friday Islamic prayers which take place at 1:30 pm.
After the ceremony, there will be a procession to the cemetery, Vedder View Gardens Cemetery located at 44675 Watson Road, Chilliwack. The procession should arrive at the cemetery between 3:30 and 4:00 pm.
A larger service will be held in Montreal on Sunday.
Please note: Health and Counselling services are available to all members of the SFU community.
An Award for Nehdia
Friends and family of Nehdia Sameen have established a memorial fund in her name. The fund will support an award for international students at SFU. To donate, visit www.sfu.ca/advancement/how_to_give.html and note that your gift is designated for 'The Nehdia Sameen Memorial Fund'.
Links
- Academia.edu: Nehdia Sameen
- A friend's words: "For Ned"
- Memorial page at LUMS (her alma mater)
RIP!!! Our prayers are with you.
We will miss you dearly my dear. I pray that you are there, where your soul always longed to be, in the Divine Presence, embraced by the Most Tender. I was so blessed to know you and then for the first and last time when I met you in New York. The memory of gently hugging you before we left, strangely, after so many years have passed in between, still stays with me.
I bear witness to the truth that you were such a luminous soul, may Allah reward you in the highest station. As Salamualikum my friend!
I bet you are busy in the Heavens counseling the angels, and coming up with some great fiber tips for those folks there just like a true geek I have known. Your "intellectual arrogance" as you would joke on and off has been one your best qualities and has really helped in hardening my stance on "no compromises". You are a warrior in your own right. You would reach out when no one really cared.
Rest in peace, soul sister, may the wings of freedom embrace you and relieve you. Aameen.
Hence, though Nehdia's death was extremely shocking and saddening, she probably passed away so soon because she had achieved what she was sent to achieve, so soon.
You have every reason to be proud of your daughter. She impacted people with her sweetness. Her achievements and brilliance was nothing ordinary. Hence, as the saying goes "bad things happen to good people", probably death was a bad thing that happened to Nehdia too.
But let's not think that way. Let's think of Nehdia as being in a better place than this world. Let's pray that Nehdia is happy, she is blessed and her soul is content and at peace. Let's pray her journey to heaven is as sweet as she was.
Also, it is life afterall. It has to end, ultimately. No one lives forever. Let's appreciate the fact that Nehdia did not see a lot of pain before dying, she died a peaceful death, she died healthy, beautiful and young. Probably, that is the kind of death that she wanted for herself.
Let's just lovingly remember her always. Let's remember her in our prayers and do not forsake her ever. Let her be alive in our memories and hearts."
A student of Nehdia.
P.S. I just adored her. May God bless her soul and shower her with His love. Amen.
I liked you the second I met you. You were so quirky, I loved it. And incredibly inspiring. Though you were impossible to pin down - so consumed by your work, your research, and all the other things you loved - I'm happy I got the few lunches at PDC and the chit chats in your room about all the secret things you wanted to research. The things that would have pushed the boundaries of thought and practice, and the things closest to your heart.
The world has lost someone incredibly beautiful. Rest in peace Ned... There's no one here who hasn't been touched by you...
Love,
M
Last time when we met near LUMS library, you were all excited and happy about your PhD. Though you always complained about my sleeping in your class, it was because I would have three consecutive classes before that. But I was up whenever you would show some movie. I was also up in the lecture when you talked about the biological events that trigger upon drug intake. And of course when it was your birthday that was celebrated in one of the classes.
The admin closed down Tia Maria where you would often prowl waiting for your food when you would not like PDC. I am reminded of our sporadic meetings and little discussions. I hope SFU was nice and you would not be hitting the gym like crazy when you would be mad at something. And you would not be mostly preoccupied by your long deep streams of thought and then mull over them for hours.
I have yet to find a Social Scientist who talks very objectively like you and does not digress in random philosophies and terminologies while teaching. I remember how mindful you were while grading and defining objective criteria because you would not like to, even inadvertently, be unfair to anyone.
I am devastated to hear that you left so abruptly. RIP
May she find peace..!!!
Nehdia's death is a loss for humanity. She was a gem, one who I feel no shame weeping so profusely for.
Love you Nehdia. May you forever rest in peace.
I am going to use this passage in an E-book that I and some friends are planning to make on Ned.
-Kanita
I pray for her and her family and hope that God grants them patience: your daughter was an exceptional person and you should be nothing but proud of her!
My deepest Sympathies to the Sameen Family.
"Nehdia Sameen." she smiled back.
"Okay, what do you want to major in, Nehdia?" One of them asked.
"Oh, I'm not at student. I'm an instructor."
"You're joking, right?" they asked in panic.
"No, seriously. Here, see. " she pulled out her faculty card. "It says so right here."
My condolences to any and everyone who was close to Ms. Nehdia. They have lost a wonderful individual.
Ned brought a smile to your face no matter how low you were feeling...very few people have the capability to do that!
I pray to god that he grants Nehdia a place in heaven and makes tjis difficult time easier on her family and friends! Ameen!
Our friendship had a profound influence on shaping who I am today. For that I am forever grateful. I was never able to express that to her so let me say it to you. Thank you for Ned. Thank you for raising the most incredible human being I have ever met. She was a credit to all of you who loved her most.
No one can comprehend your loss. No words can justly describe the brilliance, compassion, love, genius, kindness and generosity that was Nehdia Sameen. That she will be sorely missed is an understatement. This sudden loss is so deeply felt by us all. None of us who knew her will ever be the same again. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you during this unbelievably difficult time. Much love
My childhood memories feature Neds goofy smile, Ned eating plain bread with great relish ( much to everyones shock), Neds endless hours hacking away at her computer, Ned showing us the Internet ! Playing a guitar, in a hijab then a wifebeater ! Ned the elder sister teaching Hiba and me so that we would scrape through whatever test we were positioned to fail !. She was the kid that all our parents told us to emulate ! Yes sometimes we hated her for being so perfect ! But that is what Ned personified in every way- perfection.
Ned put her heart and soul into everything she did. She was not afraid to challenge the world and live her life on her own terms. She was the most intelligent and brave person i have ever met.
Her parents must be so very proud that they brought such an exceptional person into this world and nurtured her to be able to achieve so much in such a short life. Her passing is a devastating loss to everyone who knew her. But she has left us all with so much to remember her by , through her work and through the memories of the person she was , Nehdia will forever live in our hearts and inspire us to be better human beings.
I have literally tried to type several times but I cant come up with anything that will be as inspiring as you were. So, I am not even going to try because then I will always regret that I wasn't able to do justice with how awesome you were. You were just so incredibly talented, passionate, hardworking and humble. (and if I may add-- the coolest person ever). I miss seeing you walking on campus so immersed in your thoughts, talking to you, taking your advice on petty issues, your caring personality, listening to Abida Parveen... :)
Its terrible to know that you are not around anymore. I still cant come to terms with it and I wish I was able to see you one last time.
I just hope you are in a better place now and I pray that God bless you. May your soul rest in peace. And I am not just saying it but I mean it when I say that I owe you a lot and I am going to miss you so so much.
I Loved her hair.
Rest in Peace Nehdia. <3
I have kind of known her since childhood...as i spent the first few years of my life in Islamabad and all we had there was these guys. And even after that we would visit Islamabad quite a lot and always stay with them :)
What a wonderful family they are! Even though i havent met Nehdia or her sisters in many years now, all the memories i have of them are very dear to me.
She came across to me as an absolute sweetheart and a very intellectually strong person.
I am deeply saddened that she is no more...but am very sure that she is in a much better place currently.
My parents just got back from Islamabad after spending a few days with her parents and I cannot explain how sad they are after seeing her wonderful parents trying to cope with this tragedy.
I am praying for Nehdia and also praying for her entire family...hoping Allah gives them the strength needed to face this difficult time.
Perhaps this wretched world did not deserve such a pure-hearted and benevolent individual. Heaven would be a more fitting abode for Nehdia. She has gone home.
Once, right after the mid-term exam of her course, she came up to me and asked me how it went, since she thought that I seemed quite distraught. I told her that I thought that I had flunked it and then quipped about losing my sleep and sanity for a couple of weeks till the results were announced. About an hour later, I was shocked to find an e-mail from Nehdia in my inbox – she had checked my exam and wrote “Here are your marks and the tentative grade. As you can see, the result is nothing to lose sleep over! ; )”
In our last correspondence about a month ago, she said she hoped that we would be able to collaborate on research in the future. I was extremely excited at the prospect and very honored that such an intellectually gifted individual had agreed to work with me. But alas, that was not to be. I am still shocked and just cannot accept that I will no longer be seeing or hearing from her or reading her astounding, cutting-edge research in a prestigious academic journal.
In the end, I would like to say that no matter how many words are penned or spoken about Nehdia, they will not be able to do justice to her extraordinary talent and brilliance.
Rest in peace Nedia Sameen – you will live on in the memory of anyone who had the pleasure of crossing paths with you.
Mariyah
R.I.P.great loss for parents and family as well for Pakistan and Canada .
i am speechless but overflowing with emotion. wish so deeply that we had met.
I had always heard about her through family – where she was and what she was up to.
Before meeting her, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Once I met her, we hit it off within five minutes. We were talking about anything and everything – her interesting background of computer science and psychology, travelling, how she wanted to finally get her driver’s license in Canada, trying to convince her to move to Montreal after her Ph.D. was completed. I couldn’t believe how humble and composed she was for a person of that great of a caliber. At this point I had forgotten that I had just met her a few minutes ago. It felt like I had known her forever. I can still remember her laugh, her smile and her beautiful eyes!
At the end of the evening, before parting, we had decided to stay in touch. I was thinking that when I would go to Vancouver I would meet up with her….
Unfortunately, this is not what Allah swt had planned for her. When I heard about her passing away, I was in complete shock. I couldn’t believe that the person I was just speaking to the other day was no longer alive. I still feel like she has not gone. The conversations we had re run through my head several times a day. She will always be in our hearts and her footprint will always be felt by the people whose lives have been touched by her presence.
My deepest condolences go out to her family. I am so sorry for your great loss. No words or actions can express this sorrow nor can any words lessen your pain. I hope her family can take comfort in knowing that Nehdia touched people in every corner of the globe - Not many of us have accomplished this at the same age or will accomplish at the same age. Her work will be a reminder of a great scholar. Her parents should be proud of having raised such an accomplished, humble and great individual. Her sisters should be proud of being there for her.
May Allah swt grant Nehdia the highest level of paradise. Ameen
We met only once but I saw then what an extraordinary human being you were and subsequently in your writing.
We will all miss you very much.
Rest in peace.
Wat an exceptionally warm and down to earth person you were.
The memories of our school days bring tears into my eyes.you shall be missd! I muss saay you were a genius,you we're gifted with so much wisdom yet you we're so humble bout it.one of the greatest person iv eva met in my life.
It’s beyond our understanding why God decided to take one so young with such a promising future. We all pray for Nehdia and ask God Almighty to give the family the strength to bear this unbearable loss. Nehdia’s sudden departure showed us how strong the bond is among the childhood friends and all of us grief for the family’s loss. We are all so very proud of our friend’s brilliant daughter and her achievements during her short stay. She was certainly an angel who walked among humans. May her memories always stay alive and inspire other to carry on her mission on this earth. God Bless her Soul.
Aftab (on behalf of Parwaiz, Qayyum, Afroze, Shahbaz and Nasir)
I feel so sad for those who loved her; for them her passing is a great heartbreak. We belong to God, and to God we are returning, and Ned herself is in a good place, I know, continuing a new phase of her adventures and exploring her new surroundings. I'm sure she is very happy in that world. Allah ta'ala us ko aakhirat men sa'adatmandi 'ataa farmaa'e.
Condolences to your family and loved ones.
Condolences to your family and loved ones.
Words fail to express the sense of grief and pain that your leaving has left me in.
Months have now gone by since you left us but I still haven't come to terms with this and I don't know if I can.
Prior to knowing you, I didn't know that someone could affect one so deeply and change one's life.
Whenever the ugliness of this world got too much for me, I used to console myself thinking that someone like you existed and a faint smile would appear on my face. I don't know what to do any longer.
Your passing has made my cry with such grief that I didn't know I was capable of.
Please let me live in peace with unanswered questions.
-S.
I AM TRULY A FOLLOWER AND WILL PASS THIS DOWN TO ALL WHO LISTEN AND TRY TO ANNOINT THEMSELVES WITH GUIDING THEIR LIVES WITH THIS TRUTH OF THESE GREAT SOULS ON EARTH!!
DD N FAMILY