During his Masters, he was involved in research projects that aimed to identify factors influencing student well-being, specifically for international students. Ali initially worked as a counsellor at Morneau Shepell, and later joined the counselling team at GBC in 2015. He has worked with a wide range of student concerns since starting at the college, but he continues to develop his focus on supporting international students with the unique challenges to their mental health and access to services. Ali is acutely aware of the adjustment challenges this population faces as a result of his own experience as an international student in New Zealand in 2006.