• ISOW celebrates the arrival of its first scholar in collaboration with Women Leaders of Tomorrow.

• Launching the inaugural Hawk Hunt, a three-day scavenger hunt advocating for refugee access to education.

• Strengthening its mission, ISOW establishes a strategic partnership with For the Refugees, expanding its network and impact.

• Continuing its advocacy efforts, ISOW makes its fourth visit to Ottawa, presenting a comprehensive proposal to the Canadian government for an ISOW Education Complementary Pathway.

 • ISOW welcomes the first Afghan male scholar through the Newcomers Scholarship Program.

• Strengthening international collaboration, ISOW partnered with Women Leaders of Tomorrow (WLOT) to support Afghan women's education at Wilfrid Laurier University.

• Expanding opportunities, ISOW collaborated with Duolingo English Test to offer additional scholarships.

• ISOW successfully passed the Graduate Referendum (GSA) to renew and increase the ISOW levy from $4 per semester to $8 per semester.

• Embracing cultural acknowledgment, ISOW formulated a written Land Acknowledgement.

• Facilitating global dialogue, ISOW hosted the impactful 3-Day Students as Partners conference with UNHCR, uniting 200 delegates from over 20 nations, including students, faculty, staff, and NGOs.

• ISOW welcomed its first female Afghan scholar through Women Leaders of Tomorrow.

• Advocating on the global stage, ISOW participated in and pledged support at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF).

• ISOW welcomed its first Rohingya scholar in partnership with Duolingo English Test.

• ISOW hosted its first-ever ISOW week, culminating in a competition for undergraduate and graduate students to propose policies supporting the UNHCR's goal of increasing refugee access to higher education to 15% by 2030.

• Welcomed two scholars through the Newcomer Scholarship Program.

• Successfully passed the undergraduate referendum, doubling student contributions from $4 to $8 per semester, thus increasing the number of available scholarships.

• ISOW made its third trip to Ottawa, presenting a proposal to the Canadian government for Canada's Rapid Response Mechanism for Education in Emergencies (RRMEE).

• ISOW established the Sub-Saharan African Scholarship, leading to the welcoming of the first scholar from Somalia.

• Formed a strategic partnership with Islamic Relief Canada.

• Actively participated in the 2022 National Students as Partners Roundtable hosted by the University of Sunshine Coast (Australia).

• Finalized an agreement with COMPASS Refugee Centre to offer the Newcomer Scholarship Program to refugee claimant students in the Kitchener-Waterloo community.

• ISOW welcomed three scholars from Myanmar in partnership with Prospect Burma.

• Participated in the RewirEd Global Education Summit during the rescheduled 2020 World Expo, highlighting ISOW's commitment to global education initiatives. 

• ISOW hosted the Educators in Emergencies conference at Laurier in March 2020, showcasing ISOW's commitment to education in challenging times.

• Adapted together with ISOW student leaders and scholars when COVID-19 emerged in Canada, ensuring the continuation of studies and operations.

• Initiated a partnership with Prospect Burma and worked towards welcoming a scholar from Myanmar in January 2021.

• Began its first partnership with Prospect Burma, expanding global collaboration and opportunities.

• ISOW celebrated the graduation of 8 scholars in June, recognizing their achievements and contributions.

• ISOW hosted the Educators in Emergencies: University Responses to Humanitarian Crises conference at Wilfrid Laurier University, fostering dialogue and action in humanitarian education.

• ISOW welcomed three additional students in Fall 2019: one from Jusoor, one from Daughter's For Life, and one from ISOW's one-time partnership with the Iraqi Syrian Student Project (ISSP), marking ISOW's first male scholar.

• Launched two certificates in collaboration with Laurier's Faculty of Arts to recognize the experiential learning of ISOW student leaders and scholars.

• ISOW held a successful Graduate Student Referendum to continue the $4 per semester contribution to the student levy into 2024.

• Embarked on the second trip to Ottawa, where ISOW scholars and the student executive team met with politicians and discussed the club's initiatives on Parliament Hill.

• Started a one-time partnership with the Iraqi and Syrian Student Project, welcoming its first male scholar.

• ISOW and Jusoor supported three additional students who arrived in the fall, strengthening their commitment to sponsoring students from conflict-affected regions worldwide.

• Continued the partnership with Jusoor, welcoming three Jusoor scholars.

• Organized a Conference: Discovering the Human Realities of Conflict, where ISOW's management team and scholars engaged in active learning about the impact of conflict on individual civilian lives and resilience.

• Led a workshop on community leadership based on the ISOW Scholarship Initiative at the Canadian Conference on Student Leadership (CCSL) at the University of Toronto, showcasing ISOW's commitment to developing leaders among its student body.

• Following U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban, Jusoor approached ISOW with six additional students they hoped to place at a university outside the U.S. These students arrived in the Fall of 2017, highlighting ISOW's commitment to supporting students affected by global events.

• In April 2017, the first ISOW Scholar graduated with a Master of Arts in Cultural Analysis and Social Theory (CAST).

• Following the success of the agreement with the Daughters for Life Foundation in January 2015, ISOW management team members pursued a partnership agreement with Jusoor Syria, a Non-Governmental Organization that works to provide education to Syrian youth. 

• In April 2016, a partnership between Wilfrid Laurier University and Jusoor was established to sponsor four additional Syrian students to come to Laurier on full scholarships, all of whom began their studies in September 2016.

• In September, ISOW welcomed its second group of scholars in partnership with Jusoor Syria.

• Through countless meetings, student campaigning, and recruitment efforts, ISOW realized its vision with two key developments in early 2015: an agreement with Daughters for Life to sponsor two young women starting in September 2015, and the establishment of undergraduate and graduate student levies to provide financial support for incoming Scholars and future students.

• In September 2015, ISOW welcomed its first two undergraduate scholars in partnership with Daughters for Life through Wilfrid Laurier University.

• Held its first student referendum, successfully passing to contribute $4 per semester to a student levy, forming the core of the ISOW Scholarship.

• ISOW organized its first conference as part of the 2015 Global Engagement Week in collaboration with Laurier International, showcasing ISOW's commitment to global engagement and education.

• Formed its first partnership with Daughters for Life, committing to sponsor two young women from the Middle East.

• Welcomed its first scholars in September, with two Daughters for Life scholars arriving at the start of the fall term.

• Within a few months, several students who had been part of the original seminar came together with others to develop the project into a student club that could facilitate the proposed partnership.

• ISOW formed its student club. Born out of a classroom seminar, Laurier students wanted a way to make a meaningful difference. Through countless meetings, student campaigning, and recruitment of members, the club was founded.

• ISOW’s story began in the winter months of 2013 in a small first-year seminar at Wilfrid Laurier University, where students were finishing up their final projects that were designed to engage students in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

• One of these proposals included having Laurier partner with the Daughters for Life Foundation, an organization that works to give young women affected by conflict in the Middle East a university education abroad.