The Meeting Place Podcast

Sauliha is a first-year student at the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and Co-Founder of Yayra-Si Youth Foundation (YSYF), an NGO working to amplify the rights of women and youth in Ghana for economic, educational and health development. YSYF operates under a critical and anti-oppressive lens by striving to implement sustainable solutions, allowing Indigenous voices to lead, and building the capacity of its partners. As part of its Retelling Health Campaign, funded by the UofT COVID-19 Student Engagement Award, YSYF installed hands-free hand washing stations for 2,300 rural dwellers in Ghana, supported local businesses in sewing and distributing 500 non-medical masks, and trained 40 women in the production of liquid soap. They also launched the Doryumu Diaries, a series of short stories of hope told by community members to foster an empathetic, global community. You can find the Yayara-Si Youth Foundation here.This interview is part of our Covid-19 Speaker Series, which highlights the work of University of Toronto students who were recipients of the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award. The COVID-19 Student Engagement Award provided financial support to University of Toronto students developing innovative projects that have contributed to the response to the COVID-19 crisis. This series was envisioned by and carried out by Iram Iram, Ajla Behri, Feroza Tareen, and Ebube Umeano, student staff in our Leadership and Co-Curricular Record team, with some editing assistance from Jonathan Collaton, the regular host of The Meeting Place.

Rajpreet (she/her) is currently based in Tkaronto & Kitchener-Waterloo and is finishing her studies in International Development Studies Co-op and Human Geography at the University of Toronto Scarborough. She is a School of Cities Undergraduate Fellow and will be organizing alternative mapping workshops with the Scarborough Studies Collective.As a recipient of the Covid-19 Student Engagement Award, Rajpreet and a team of University of Toronto students made a cookbook with each recipe coming from a community member sharing what they were cooking during the pandemic. The goal of the cookbook is to create a global platform for individuals who are struggling with cooking and/or are in need of new ideas for mealsYou can access the cookbook here.This interview is part of our Covid-19 Speaker Series, which highlights the work of University of Toronto students who were recipients of the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award. The COVID-19 Student Engagement Award provided financial support to University of Toronto students developing innovative projects that have contributed to the response to the COVID-19 crisis. This series was envisioned by and carried out by Iram Iram, Ajla Behri, Feroza Tareen, and Ebube Umeano, student staff in our Leadership and Co-Curricular Record team, with some editing assistance from Jonathan Collaton, the regular host of The Meeting Place. 

Valerie Marshall and Yana Kaiser are recent Master of Architecture graduates of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. Over the summer of 2020 they edited and published Interiors of Isolation; a book that features creative work by designers and students contemplating the spaces they were confined to during the pandemic. The publication continues to accept and feature drawings from around the world.Their project can be found here.This interview is part of our Covid-19 Speaker Series, which highlights the work of University of Toronto students who were recipients of the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award. The COVID-19 Student Engagement Award provided financial support to University of Toronto students developing innovative projects that have contributed to the response to the COVID-19 crisis. This series was envisioned by and carried out by Iram Iram, Ajla Behri, Feroza Tareen, and Ebube Umeano, student staff in our Leadership and Co-Curricular Record team, with some editing assistance from Jonathan Collaton, the regular host of The Meeting Place. 

Shreyes Dugar is a 3rd-year student studying finance and economics alongside a minor in environmental economics in the Rotman Commerce program at the University of Toronto St George Campus. He started a project called HandAssure that aims to revolutionize one's hygiene game by reminding the user to wash their hands at regular time intervals. HandAssure further ensures constant motivation by allowing you to track your handwash progress. With good handwashing practices waiting for you just at a tap of your fingers, HandAssure is ready to bring about a significant lifestyle change. So, let the handwashing begin!You can find HandAssure on the Google Play and iOS App Store.This interview is part of our Covid-19 Speaker Series, which highlights the work of University of Toronto students who were recipients of the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award. The COVID-19 Student Engagement Award provided financial support to University of Toronto students developing innovative projects that have contributed to the response to the COVID-19 crisis. This series was envisioned by and carried out by Iram Iram, Ajla Behri, Feroza Tareen, and Ebube Umeano, student staff in our Leadership and Co-Curricular Record team, with some editing assistance from Jonathan Collaton, the regular host of The Meeting Place. 

Kiran Nabi is a third-year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough, pursuing a double major in Human Biology and Health Studies. Along with her peers, Omer, Ranie, and Waleed, they were granted the UofT COVID-19 Student Engagement Award to conduct a COVID-19 research study. The project titled Racial Equity in the Fight Against COVID-19 was a qualitative study that examined racial inequities in the Canadian context. The goal of the project was to demonstrate the importance of collecting race-based data to ensure an equitable response to the current pandemic.Their research can be found here.This interview is part of our Covid-19 Speaker Series, which highlights the work of University of Toronto students who were recipients of the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award. The COVID-19 Student Engagement Award provided financial support to University of Toronto students developing innovative projects that have contributed to the response to the COVID-19 crisis. This series was envisioned by and carried out by Iram Iram, Ajla Behri, Feroza Tareen, and Ebube Umeano, student staff in our Leadership and Co-Curricular Record team, with some editing assistance from Jonathan Collaton, the regular host of The Meeting Place. 

Shenwei Hu is a second-year student at UTSC, studying biology and psychology. In the summer of 2020, she worked with Thea Vu-Nguyen to create Renewed Perspectives, a collection of art pieces that aim to capture the things we have begun to appreciate as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown. Our goal with this exhibit was to inspire others to reflect and focus on the good within each day, searching for the beauty and hope amidst the mundane and take to heart that happiness doesn't necessitate something extraordinary.You can find Renewed Perspectives here.This interview is part of our Covid-19 Speaker Series, which highlights the work of University of Toronto students who were recipients of the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award. The COVID-19 Student Engagement Award provided financial support to University of Toronto students developing innovative projects that have contributed to the response to the COVID-19 crisis. This series was envisioned by and carried out by Iram Iram, Ajla Behri, Feroza Tareen, and Ebube Umeano, student staff in our Leadership and Co-Curricular Record team, with some editing assistance from Jonathan Collaton, the regular host of The Meeting Place. 

Megan Liu is a fourth-year Rotman Commerce student, passionate about environmental sustainability and social justice, and hopes to create a positive impact through business. Mary Ngo is a fourth-year global health and environmental studies student, interested in sustainable development, the intersections of colonialism and health, and information accessibility. Together, they founded Initio, a University of Toronto COVID-19 Student Engagement Award winner, to help share global business innovation. Initio has since evolved into a platform to spotlight local businesses and connect small businesses with conscious consumers. Listen to learn about their journey with Initio.You can find Initio here.This interview is part of our Covid-19 Speaker Series, which highlights the work of University of Toronto students who were recipients of the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award. The COVID-19 Student Engagement Award provided financial support to University of Toronto students developing innovative projects that have contributed to the response to the COVID-19 crisis. This series was envisioned by and carried out by Iram Iram, Ajla Behri, Feroza Tareen, and Ebube Umeano, student staff in our Leadership and Co-Curricular Record team, with some editing assistance from Jonathan Collaton, the regular host of The Meeting Place. 

Brandon is a second-year student and a Laidlaw Scholar at the University of Toronto at Scarborough studying human biology, with a special interest in immunology. Despite COVID-19 shifting his research plans this past summer, Brandon made the most out of this opportunity to give back to the community, starting his very own international education startup, iAscend. Now almost 9 months later, iAscend has impacted several tens of thousands of students across the world. Tune in to listen to how this came about, and how you too can end up creating your own initiatives.You can find iAscend here.This interview is part of our Covid-19 Speaker Series, which highlights the work of University of Toronto students who were recipients of the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award. The COVID-19 Student Engagement Award provided financial support to University of Toronto students developing innovative projects that have contributed to the response to the COVID-19 crisis. This series was envisioned by and carried out by Iram Iram, Ajla Behri, Feroza Tareen, and Ebube Umeano, student staff in our Leadership and Co-Curricular Record team, with some editing assistance from Jonathan Collaton, the regular host of The Meeting Place. 

Karishma Shah and Nimit Vediya are two second-year students at the University of Toronto. Karishma is studying electrical and computer engineering while Nimit is majoring in neuroscience and psychology. In May 2020, they started a website called flattenthenegativity.ca where they aim to spread positivity by displaying “good news” stories and things like COVID-19 recovery statistics.You can find FLatten The Negativity here.This interview is part of our Covid-19 Speaker Series, which highlights the work of University of Toronto students who were recipients of the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award. The COVID-19 Student Engagement Award provided financial support to University of Toronto students developing innovative projects that have contributed to the response to the COVID-19 crisis. This series was envisioned by and carried out by Iram Iram, Ajla Behri, Feroza Tareen, and Ebube Umeano, student staff in our Leadership and Co-Curricular Record team, with some editing assistance from Jonathan Collaton, the regular host of The Meeting Place. 

Known as The STEAM Sisters, Sandhya Mylabathula and Swapna Mylabathula are passionate science communicators and PhD and MD/PhD candidates at the University of Toronto.  They love engaging with the public on important science concepts and research in an easy-to-understand and accessible way, to share their passion and to promote a more science-literate community.  Their project, The STEAM League, provides high school students with an educational and engaging look into the lives of STEAMSuperheroes – all from the safety of their own homes while engaging their audiences through various media including television, print, YouTube, and podcasts. Guest superheroes on the show include Canada's first MasterChef, a record-holding Canadian astronaut, and a former Canadian Olympian and current sport & exercise medicine physician. Season 1 was funded by the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award and Season 2 is currently in the works.You can find the STEAM Sisters here, or on Instagram and Twitter at @steam.sisters.This interview is part of our Covid-19 Speaker Series, which highlights the work of University of Toronto students who were recipients of the COVID-19 Student Engagement Award. The COVID-19 Student Engagement Award provided financial support to University of Toronto students developing innovative projects that have contributed to the response to the COVID-19 crisis. This series was envisioned by and carried out by Iram Iram, Ajla Behri, Feroza Tareen, and Ebube Umeano, student staff in our Leadership and Co-Curricular Record team, with some editing assistance from Jonathan Collaton, the regular host of The Meeting Place. 

Shile Adeyoyin is a Nigerian-Canadian student, studying International Developments and Media Studies at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Having migrated from Nigeria 9 years ago, her earnest desire has been to actively engage in the pursuit of improved socio-economic conditions for Africa. UTSC has given her many avenues to pursue this desire. In 2019, she became the co-president of the African Impact Initiative, an organization that executes initiatives centered around youth development, community impact, and increasing conversations on African history. Similarly, she was awarded a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship where she was able to complete an internship as a communications officer in Lilongwe Malawi; whilst interning, she launched a successful speech competition platform in Lilongwe Malawi to give voice to Malawian Youth. 

 Divya, is a student leader who grew up spreading awareness about global issues, engaging in environmental activities and took half her subjects in French. She took her experiences and is now in her third year specializing in International Development Studies with Co-Op, majoring in Environmental Sciences and minoring in French. Her passions in her programs have led her to be last year's VP Administration for the International Development Studies Students Association and current Director of the Board for the Centre of Critical Development Studies for the Scarborough Campus Student Union. Outside her program involvements, she stays in touch with her culture as previous External, Outreach Director and current Co-President for the Indian's Student's Association. She participated in Frosh as a group leader last year and this year as the Master of Ceremonies. She also is a work-study student working as a Program Monitor for the Athletics and Recreation Department. She hopes to continue her involvement on campus (even virtually) and connecting with more students. 

Aidan is a 4th year Political Science student and one of the Co-Presidents of DECA UTSC for the current year. He's been doing DECA since high school, and sees DECA as an amazing learning opportunity for students.  He grew up in London, ON, and is one day hoping to attend law school after university. Aidan thinks that UofT is one of the best schools/pathways to achieving that goal and is always happy to answer any questions from aspiring or current UofT students about school, work/life balance, etc. In his spare time, loves gaming on PS4, and staying caught up with the latest political drama. Follow DECA on Instagram or Facebook @decautsc

Rohan Chadha is a rising sophomore at the University of Toronto Scarborough, currently pursuing a Double Degree in Management, Quantitative Finance and Statistics. Being an international student, Rohan is 1 of 37 Lester B. Pearson Scholars at the University of Toronto and has been avidly involved in the UTSC community over his 1st year. He is the Vice President at LIVE Competition, a Student Ambassador, a Teaching Assistant, and has previously been involved with the Management and Economics Student Association (MESA) as well. Having founded his 1st Non-Profit organization at the age of 16 to support the underfunded Indian Public healthcare system, he has launched his next venture, named 'Something Central' which takes a millennial focus to popularize the importance of community service amongst the youth. His vision is to create a collaborative platform for individuals and social entrepreneurs from all around the world to grow their community initiatives and create meaningful social change. Learn more about his project here: https://www.somethingcentral.org/. Also look for the clubs he's been involved in on Instagram: @livecompetition, @mesaatutsc, @decautsc  

Nimit Vediya is a second-year student at UTSC majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology with a dream of pursuing medicine. Additionally, he is experimenting with fields such as technology and entrepreneurship to find the idea that will help millions of people. After hearing about a man passing away in a bus stand because of the harsh temperatures, he started Blankets for T.O with Naman Sharma and Rushil Dave. In an effort to bring positive change to our community, they distribute blankets in the winter, and now hand sanitizer to the homeless in Toronto.  Their goal is to get to a place where they can help people out of homelessness.

Brandon is a rising sophomore at the University of Toronto Scarborough studying neuroscience and immunology. In addition to his involvement with the Molecular Biology and Immunology Students' Association, he is 1 of 22 undergraduate Laidlaw Scholars at the University of Toronto, and the project leader of 1 of 65 University of Toronto COVID-19 Student Engagement Awards. He is a lifelong learner, currently a YouTuber, and a student researcher – with aspirations to become a medical professional, venture philanthropist, and a serial entrepreneur. During this pandemic, he took the initiative to help out in any way possible, getting involved with NPOs such as 5-ing COVID-19 and the MakeSense Foundation, and founded iAscend to combat the challenges that students face when transitioning into post-secondary education.Visit https://www.i-ascend.com/.

Zaira is going into her final year of the Management and International Business co-op program at UTSC. With co-op terms as a Project Administrator at SwissVBS in Toronto as well as an international work term as an HR Analytics intern at TomTom in Amsterdam, she has had a unique blend of education and work experience.  After founding the Law and Business Association in 2019, she went on exchange to the University of Edinburgh when disaster struck in the form of COVID-19 and she had to find her way back to Canada.While she waits to start her last year at UTSC, she is spending her free time this summer studying for the LSAT.

Rabia Mahmood is a fourth-year student, double-majoring in Human Biology and Psychology at UTSC. She is passionate about health promotion and the visual arts. In an effort to reduce the gap in the need and supply of blood, she helped create new initiatives such as blood typing events and campus blood drives as Vice-President and President of UTSC Blood Team. She also created UTSC Visual Arts Club to give students from all disciplines a chance to explore arts and develop new interests. She is the recipient of UTSC Letter Award which recognizes the positive impact she made through these initiatives. In her free time, she likes to play sports such as archery as a member of UTSC Archery Club, and practice traditional and digital art. Rabia hopes that the initiatives she created would allow students to be more involved on campus and provide them with a wholesome university experience.

Kevin Turingan is a fifth-year accessibility student majoring in Sociology and double minoring in Applied Statistics and Psychology. From being a shy and introverted person, Kevin has grown as a student leader through his involvement on campus. He started as a Group Leader for SCSU's Frosh and worked his way up to Group Leader Supervisor last summer. Kevin has also worked as the Street Team Coordinator for SCSU and held the position of Vice President Events Operations for the DSA, Students of Sociology and is now the acting Co-President. Currently, Kevin is working as the Campus Groups Intern for the Office of Student Experience and Wellbeing and is continuously working on making campus a fun and safe space for students. Throughout his undergrad, Kevin has had to face a lot of challenges because of his medical condition but continues to push through in hopes of encouraging others to believe in themselves. A quote he lives by is, “Treat life like a marathon, focus on the journey not the destination.”

With a passion for change making, Eesha has grown as a student leader through getting involved in various campus groups, such as her journey through HOSA UTSC, going from a general member to current President, and winning third place in the HOSA International Leadership Conference for Biomedical Debate in 2019. She has also worked as the Multi-Faith Engagement Coordinator for the Office of Student Experience and Wellbeing, and has held past positions in campus groups such as TEDxUTSC, the International Development Studies Students' Association, and as a Logistics Director for this year's annual International Development Conference. More recently, Eesha is currently serving her term as Vice President External of the Scarborough Campus Students' Union (SCSU), where she has been tackling issues amid the pandemic such as mental health resources, on/off-campus housing support, and challenging university and government policies to be an active voice for the students of UTSC.

Sauliha Alli is a collaborative leader, strategist and social advocate who completed an HBSc. in Neuroscience, Psychology and French citation at UTSC in June 2020. As a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship in 2019, she interned in Ghana for WUSC, where she developed and managed a training program in occupational health and safety that collectively impacted over 220 artisans. Upon returning, she co-founded Yayra-Si Youth Foundation (YSYF), an international NGO which continues to serve this community by empowering women and youth with health and vocational education. 

Devyani is a recent graduate from UTSC where she studied Human Bio and Mental Health. A big part of her undergraduate journey included the Scarborough Pre-Med Society (SPS) where she started as a Junior Associate and transitioned into the Co-President in her last two years. Devy helped develop SPS into a non-competitive platform that offers resources for prospective students in healthcare, a high-school mentorship program and promotes health advocacy! In addition, Devy is a competitive dancer, performing with UTSC's South Asian Alliance at the North American Culture Show (NACS) in 2018. Devyani is a big believer in finding a balance in your life in order to make the best out of your experiences. She is grateful for her peers, friends, faculty and staff for making her undergraduate experience an unforgettable one. For more information about SPS, please check out their instagram! @scarborough.premed  

Vithushaan is entering his fifth year in the life science program with a double major in Human Biology and Psychology. His primary role with EMRG (Emergency Medical Response Group) is as a general responder, which allows him to respond to medical situations that occur on campus. Vithushaan is also the Executive Director of the group and has previously held the roles of Training Coordinator and Operation Director. As the Executive director, besides helping the other directors run the team, his role is to be a liaison between EMRG and Health and Wellness, Campus Police, and the Advisory board. 

Originally an International Student hailing from Oman, Aaheli is a recent graduate from the University of Toronto Scarborough – June 2020, very recent!  While she chose to be engaged in a diverse range of activities, many of her greatest memories and experiences come from her time at the LLBT Theatre (its right on campus!). During her undergraduate career she worked for many departments on campus, with a notable 3-year stint with Student Housing and Residence Life, where she was involved in various roles supporting students. Now Aaheli is working at the Academic Advising and Career Centre as the Get Started Program Coordinator, supporting the first year academic orientation for all incoming students

Senping is a fourth-year environmental geoscience specialist student at UTSC and has served as the Program Assistant for the First Year Experience Program for 2019-2020 Academic Year. In his role, he connected first-year students with different opportunities on campus and worked closely with the communications team to market different programs to all students on campus. He also served as the President for the Scarborough Campus Residence Council during the past academic year to help students who lived on residence to get involved on campus.

Nayaab is a fourth year student, who is graduating in June 2020.  She has also enjoyed trying to be active on campus and trying to help others with her first role working as a summer lead mentor and peer academic coach as part of the Department of Student Life First Year Experience.  More recently she has been involved in different campus clubs and Departmental Student Associations that highlight her personal and academic interests.  She has also had the fortunate chance to be involved with research through her co-op and was recently awarded the first place prize at the UTSC Undergraduate Research Poster Forum!  During quarantine she is taking this time to learn additional skills such as programming and Spanish through Coursera and LinkedIn Learning, while also taking time to de-stress - catching up on some TV series and building on her visual art skills.  

Aaila is a going into her fifth and final year of studies at UTSC studying Psychology.  Over the years she has founded the UTSC Mindfulness Association and been the co-president of a fundraising club called Hope for Humanity.  These clubs have allowed Aaila to spread the influence of the arts within campus life. Along with this, I've been a member of the Council for Student Services on campus this past year, and have participated in making positive decisions for students on campus. During quarantine I've been trying to focus on my health and practicing self-care such as yoga and meditation!If anyone is interested in being a part of UTSC Mindfulness Association or our fundraising club, Hope for Humanity, find them on Instagram! Their weekly virtual events focus on promoting self care and artistic expression throughout student life. Links: www.instagram.com/uoft.mindfulnesswww.instagram.com/hopeforhumanityutsc

In this episode I talk with Joey and Olga, Co-Presidents of MESA - a Departmental Student Association (DSA) that oversees all 16 management clubs. They are both 3rd year students specializing in Accounting and Marketing in the management program that have known each other since 7th grade. They have both been involved in management clubs in previous years and find MESA to be a club they can make the most impact in. During quarantine they are spending their time wisely, revisiting their hobbies like working out, cooking and singing. Feel free to find more about MESA on all social media platforms.Instagram: @mesaatutscWebsite: www.mesa.caFacebook: MESAatUTSCLinkedIn: Management and Economics Student Association (MESA)

Original Posting Date: April 24th, 2020Today's guest is Shonagh Crawford.  Shonagh works at UTSC in the Academic Advising and Career Centre interacting with students who enter the centre. She has been a big part of transferring their student interactions from in person to online and phone based. While she really misses being able to see students in person, she is happy that we are able to serve them over the phone and connect them with virtual appointments and other resources that they need.

Original Posting Date: April 21st, 2020Today's interview is with Shagun Kanwar, a soon to graduate student from UTSC.Shagun has worked with several non-profit organizations at UTSC in lead roles such as the UTSC Women's and Trans Centre, Minds Matter Magazine and student-run chapters of UNICEF and the Canadian Red Cross. In the past years, she has gotten involved as a student representative in student committees such as the Council of Student Services and the Advisory Council on Campus Safety and Security. Most recently, she was the recipient of the University of Toronto Student Leadership Award.

Original Posting Date: April 17th, 2020As the ‘Student Crisis Response & Academic Progress Case Coordinator' at UTSC, Kashfia's goal is to engage with students who are in need of higher level support and advocacy to address complex needs related to mental health, wellbeing, personal safety, and academic progress. Kashfia thrives when working collaboratively with Staff and Faculty, and strives to provide a tailored intervention to students presenting with unique circumstances.Outside of work, Kashfia enjoys exploring nature trails with her two active boys and her husband, and her de-stressors include cooking, concerts, theatre, Yoga, and entertaining family & friends.

Original Posting Date: April 14th, 2020Maryam Fatima is a double majoring in Population Health and Political Science. As an emerging youth leader, her passion for organizations that foster a campus community and identity amongst students is what lead her pursuit to be a part of several clubs on campus in various capacities. From writing for MSA's magazine, The Message, training HOSA members on debate skills as a training coordinator and being involved in the program development of the annual TEDxUTSC conference among other experiences, she truly believes her involvement in campus groups has made her university life whole. She had also been a worked at the International Student Centre as a Global Learning Ambassador serving as the liaison for exchange students and also helping UTSC students travel abroad. Her current work study position as a campus groups intern allows her to use her club related experiences to assist other groups on campus. 

Original Posting Date: April 7th, 2020As the Coordinator for the Co-Curricular Record Program and Leadership Program, Norm's goal at work is to help students get involved on campus, challenge students to build confidence, and help with building community within our environment.Outside of work, he's an avid cyclist, a snowboard coach, a rock climber, and when enjoys building things like furniture from scratch.

Original Posting Date: April 3rd, 2020In this episode I talk to Mohamed Moustafa, a 4th year student studying Computer Science.  Mo has worked with the Department of Student Life as a work-study student for parts of the last three years and is heavily involved on campus.  He has been involved groups such as the Association of Mathematical and Computer Science Students and the Drama Society and has also worked as a TA for over 2 years. Mo tells me he has been spending my quarantine cooking, eating, sewing, and "trying to make myself hireable".

Original Posting Date: March 30th, 2020As Coordinator, First Year Programs, Rebekkah is passionate about student access, transition and inclusion. Rebekkah's goal is to help students navigate the hidden curriculum of university and to help students feel a sense of community at UTSC. When she's not running the First Year Learning Communities Program or supervising the First Year Advising Team, she loves playing with her puppy, practicing yoga, travelling, and watching standup comedy.