Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust: The Magic of Collective Success
"As a child, I believed in the magic of these words, certain that a sprinkle of pixie dust could make anything possible. As I grew, I traded wonder for realism and magic for logic. But somewhere along the way, I realized pixie dust is real, just not in the way I once imagined.
On March 7, an email arrived in my inbox, my paper had been accepted at the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC) 2025. A monumental milestone as a first-year PhD student. Yet, the real magic was not in that acceptance. It came later that evening.
At 8:49 PM, another email arrived. My supervisor, Shavin Malhotra, the guiding force behind the paper submission, had shared the news with the entire department. Almost instantly, my inbox came alive, messages of joy, encouragement, and celebration poured in. What had started as a personal milestone transformed into a collective success.
In that moment, I realized pixie dust does exist, just not as a shimmer in the air, but as something far more powerful. It’s the unseen force of people who uplift you, the ecosystem that nurtures you, the mentors who guide you, the staff who support you, and the colleagues who walk beside you, celebrating, encouraging, and making your victories their own".