Anika Amritanand is an Ophthalmologist practicing in a teaching hospital in India. Presently she is on sabbatical leave while pursuing a Master’s in Community Health (Health Practitioner Teacher Education) at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto. Her area of interest is c ommunity ophthalmology, which involves the application of public health principles to the practice of ophthalmology in the screening and prevention of eye diseases within the community, especially among those with poor access to eye care. Anika also has an interest in medical education as related to training of residents, medical and other allied health sciences students, and community- based eye health workers. As an extension of her interest in preventable blindness she has had an interest in childhood malnutrition in India and looks forward to a very meaningful experience with the GII.

Camille Beaudoin is a second-year undergraduate student doing a double major in international relations and history and a minor in Spanish. She is very interested in the development of Asia and the Middle East, and the future of democracy. Camille was born in small mining town in Northwestern Quebec but has moved a lot around since she was 8. She is very lucky to have travelled a lot and seen many different and beautiful countries, including China, Australia, Singapore, Greece, Italy, and Ecuador. Camille is almost trilingual and is a bit obsessed with yoga – she attends classes as often as she can. She considers herself to be very talkative and energetic, and is excited about this year’s GII challenge.

Nicole Betel. After completing a specialization in political science at Western University in 2009, Nicole went on to pursue graduate studies at the University of Toronto where she completed a Master of Arts in political science in 2010. Her graduate work focused on conflict management and transitional justice. After graduate school, Nicole was hired by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, where she developed social justice curriculum and taught interactive, multimedia workshops to more than 10,000 elementary and high school students representing more than 12 boards of e ducation each year. In her capacity as educator at FSWC, Nicole also facilitated diversity and sensitivity training for law enforcement personnel of all levels from across Ontario. Nicole is currently a teacher candidate at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She is very excited to be participating in the GII initiative and looks forward to the creativity and insight that the student participants will surely offer.

Dionne Boahene is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, currently pursuing a double major in economics and international relations. She was born and spent her childhood in London, England, and having moved around in Canada as well, Dionne developed an interest in visiting new places, meeting new people, and learning about different cultures and ways of living. Her academic interests include international and macro economics, international and comparative law, and contemporary history. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in law, economic analysis/policy, journalism, or creative writing (or some combination thereof). Outside of her school work she enjoys reading, writing, acting, and pretending that she can sing!

Linda Chu is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Education at OISE. She completed an Honours Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and integrative biology at the University of Toronto in 2012. Linda grew up Pakistan until she was 7 years old and has been living in Toronto ever since. She hopes to eventually become a teacher in Ontario, and would like to be able to coach high school teams. Linda has spent time volunteering with students, working with them on reading and study skills, and has done some course-specific tutoring. She also works with organizations such as Footprints4Autism and Frontier College. Her passions include education, working with youth, science, and art. Linda enjoys hot yoga, painting, and pottery as often as she can.

Alexandra Fitzgerald. A few short months ago, Alex left her job in retail wealth management to pursue an MBA at the Rotman School of Management. At school, she has a keen interest in problem solving and how it informs corporate strategy. Having lived for many years in Germany, Alex enjoys learning about new countries and meeting fresh faces from different backgrounds than hers. When she’s not overwhelmed with school work, you’ll find Alex trying new restaurants with her husband Michael. As a lover of all things active, Alex plays soccer in the summer, skis in the winter, and practices yoga all year long. To learn more, check out her blog on the Financial Times: http://blogs.ft.com/mba-blog/author/alexandrafitzgerald/

Gordon Grisé is a graduate of the consecutive education BA program at OISE. He completed the global citizenship and sustainable development cohort and has teachables in history and political science. Gordon graduated with an HBA in political science and peace and conflict studies from the University of Waterloo in 2006. After spending a year as a ski instructor in Vancouver, he taught English to Japanese students for five years at the elementary and junior high school levels in Miyako, Hiroshima, and Tokyo, Japan. While teaching overseas he spent a considerable amount of time travelling in East and Southeast Asia, involving himself in OXFAM Japan and volunteer activities in Cambodia for children who were victims of landmines.

Stephanie Lau is a fourth-year student doing a specialist in psychology. She is an avid learner and regards the accumulation of knowledge as a crucial cause in her life. While her academic degree is hugely concentrated in psychology, she has a diverse spectrum of interests ranging from science and technology to social justice and sustainability. Her passion for global health protection is demonstrated in her involvement with Project Little Dream, a registered charity in Hong Kong that designs, builds, and runs rural village schools in Takeo, Cambodia. Stephanie joined the education field trip in December 2012 to develop a new curriculum for village schools at Thnouh. Along with the team, she maximized the potential impact of the schools by improving the quality of teaching.  In the past summer, she also worked as a seminar leader representing University of Toronto Canada-China Exchange of Leadership to participate in a conference held in Beijing, China. She is also currently working as a digital marketing intern at the Rotman School of Management.

Natasha Leclerc is a third-year student at the University of Toronto studying archaeology and Aboriginal studies. Having had opportunities to work with Aboriginal youth in British Columbia, she has become very interested in bridging the gap between archaeologists and Aboriginal peoples in Canada by progressively moving towards collaborative archaeological projects with Aboriginal communities. Her interest in Aboriginal studies has encouraged her to explore different issues concerning Indigenous communities, including malnutrition within reserves. Her interest in these issues has brought her to explore different arenas around the world where malnutrition is problematic. It is with this perspective that she enters the GII program as a mentor, with passion, curiosity, and open ears.

Jennifer Lee is currently pursuing a part-time MBA at the Rotman School of Management while concurrently working as a management consultant for Accenture’ s Sustainability Services practice. She completed an undergraduate degree in international development studies at McGill University and obtained a post-graduate degree from the Institute without Boundaries, a design program created in partnership between Bruce Mau Design and George Brown College, in Toronto. Jen is also a graduate of the Bishop Strachan School, where she currently serves on the executive alumni committee.

Recently, she relocated to Toronto from Singapore where she lived for 2.5 years. Prior to joining Accenture, Jen also worked with the Canadian Foreign Service in Trade Development; the Toronto International Film Festival in government sponsorship; and Work Worth Doing, a design studio focused on sustainability and social entrepreneurship. Through her work and studies, Jen has lived in Copenhagen, Chennai, Montreal, Atlanta, and Washington, DC.

Lauren Leedale is in her final year at U of T, completing a specialist in international relations and a major in economics. She has a particular interest in foreign aid and development. Lauren is concentrating much of her research on the evolution of Canadian and American foreign aid regimes and at the same time looking at aid effectiveness and critically examining how the West thinks about aid and development. She also loves to travel and enjoys studying languages. Lauren spent her third year of university in Madrid, where she took classes in Spanish and travelled throughout Europe. While abroad Lauren took several politics and gender courses that changed the way she looks at challenges in public policy and development projects. She believes this shapes her perspective coming into this year’s GII challenge. She is looking forward to working with the students as they develop their own perspectives and grapple with such a complex issue.

Celine Liu is a first-year undergraduate student at University of Toronto, planning to double major in economics and international relations. She was a high school participant in the GII program last year and the rewarding and unique experience she had has attracted her to apply again. Celine is an international student from China who is interested in issues related to international development. She loves music and has started volunteering at a charity to teach underprivileged children to play violin. She is also involved in debate club and Model UN at U of T since she enjoys discussing contemporary issues and crises that have arisen all over the world. In her spare time, Celine likes cooking, reading, and swimming. She hopes that the students who participate in the GII this year will have an enjoyable experience, which she had last year, by developing skills and absorbing and applying knowledge. 

Iain McCauley is presently completing a Master of Global Affairs at the Munk School. While at Munk, Iain is interested in studying educational policy and programs with an emphasis on their role within marginalized communities. From this he hopes to work towards developing policy mechanisms to promote social equality. Apart from this Iain is beginning work as a supply teacher with the Toronto District School Board. He will be working in elementary classrooms primarily from grades four to eight. On a personal note Iain enjoys travelling and sports. He has been fortunate to have done a fair amount of travelling thus far in his life. His favourite cities that he has visited are Berlin, Germany, and Edinburgh.

Richard Park is currently pursuing a Master of Education at OISE in curriculum, teaching and learning, with academic interests in science teaching, multicultural education, and critical pedagogy. His international experiences include leisure trips to Asia and Europe, and a year-long English teaching experience in South Korea. He participated as a mentor with the GII for the 2011– 2012 challenge, and is excited to see what this year’ s challenge has in store.

Alesha Porisky is a PhD student in political science at the University of Toronto. Her research interests include social protection and the intersection between state and non-state actors in developing countries. She is the director of Conversations for Change, a Canada-wide youth engagement campaign, which includes a documentary, a book, and a high school curriculum. Alesha has worked in Serbia and Egypt with the United Nations Development Programme, filming short documentaries on everything from community development to autism. She holds in a BA in economics and political science from the University of British Columbia, and is a passionate writer, photographer, and filmmaker.

Kapil Prasannaa is a second-year MBA student at the Rotman School of Management. Before joining Rotman he worked as a technology consultant with Citibank and Barclays for over four years. Having lived and worked in seven cities across the world, he considers himself to be a truly global citizen. Kapil is keenly interested in not-for-profit organizations that work to empower children and as a business student he strives to find more profitable and sustainable solutions to address pressing social problems. His hobbies are jogging, running marathons, hiking, and playing chess. He is also a yoga and meditation enthusiast and has been trained to be an Ashtanga yoga instructor.

Nazima Qureshi is a graduate from the Nutrition and Food program at Ryerson University. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health in Community Nutrition at the University of Toronto. Nazima has volunteered with multiple community health centres, hospitals, and professional organizations to enhance her scope in dietetics. As a future dietitian, Nazima has a passion for public health and hopes to develop inclusive nutrition programming for various communities. In her spare time, Nazima likes to express her creativity by baking delectable desserts. She has also had two recipes published in The Vegetarian’s Complete Quinoa Cookbook by the Ontario Home Economics Association.

Aditya Rau is a second-year undergraduate student at Trinity College in the University of Toronto, pursuing an Honours BA in political science. His academic interests include political and constitutional theory and foreign policy. Aditya’s interest in political science and public policy stems from living out his school years as a global nomad. His experiences, which include working on development projects in India and Ecuador, have kindled his interest in the relationship between institutions and policy, which he believes is key in addressing complex societal problems. On campus, Aditya is a member of the Hart House Debates Committee, which facilitates discussions on issues of public importance. He is involved outside of the classroom at Trinity College, where he serves on the Executive of the Volunteer Society and is a member of the Chapel Choir. Aditya’s passion for drama has led to his involvement as the s tage m anager for the Trinity College Dramatic Society’s production of Murder in the Cathedral.  In his spare time, Aditya enjoys participating in a variety of sports, playing piano, exploring Toronto’s gastronomic scene, and staying caught up with the latest movies. 

Sarah Regli is a teacher-candidate at OISE training to be a chemistry and physics teacher. Her background includes a one-year teaching internship at Pearson College United World College in Victoria, BC, teaching IB chemistry. Prior to that, Sarah completed her MSc in chemistry at the University of Alberta studying photoluminescent nanoparticles and their use in drug delivery. Sarah is originally from Ontario and completed her BSc in chemical physics at the University of Guelph. She loves the outdoors and biking, hiking, camping, and skiing. 

Brittany Scarfo is a teacher candidate at OISE in the intermediate/senior division, with a focus on global citizenship and sustainability. She has an HBA from Wilfrid Laurier University in English and global studies with a minor in geography. During her university career Brittany worked as a TA for the Global Studies Department and Learning Services, while also volunteering for literacy organizations such as Frontier College. Brittany is at OISE to work towards merging her two passions – teaching and travelling – in order to teach abroad after graduation. Other interests include reading, writing, fitness, and photography.

Krista Singh is a second year Master of Applied Science student in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry. Krista’s research is focused on improving the dewaterability of waste-activated sludge, a byproduct of the activated sludge wastewater treatment process, so that its energy content may be better recovered. To complement her studies, Krista is a member of the University of Toronto’s Water Environment Association of Ontario (WEAO) student chapter, which aims to increase students’ knowledge and understanding of the water environment, as well as the Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association (CEGSA), which aims to bring fellow students together.

Krista holds a Bachelor of Engineering in engineering chemistry from Queen’s University, where she graduated with first class honours. Similar to chemical engineering, engineering chemistry is a unique and intensive program that certifies its graduates as both chemical engineers and chemists.

Joshua Tan is enrolled in the Master of Public Policy Program and the Collaborative Master’s Program in Asia-Pacific Studies. Having completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto in international relations and Asia-Pacific studies, Joshua has had the opportunity to delve into many topics concerning Asia and its growing prominence in the international system. He took part in an undergraduate research trip to Taiwan and China and the student-led INDePth (Integrating Notions of Development and Progress) Conference, and both experiences demonstrated to him that myriad approaches and considerations have to be taken into account when any policy development is concerned. Through studying public policy, Joshua hopes that he will be able to attain the necessary skills in order to better understand the multitude of problems that plague policy development and be able to come up with innovative solutions.

Dorina Verli is a graduate student of political theory and is interested in republican thought, both ancient and modern. Her focus is modern French political thought, especially that of Montesquieu and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Dorina was born and lived for fourteen years in post-communist Albania, so she  is also interested and closely acquainted with questions of democratic transition and consolidation, as wells as identity politics and multiculturalism. As an undergraduate student, Dorina was a member of the G8 Research Group at the University of Toronto, where she contributed to a report on Russia’s (then) recent integration into the G8 forum. She was also on the organizing committee of a conference on Global Citizenship held at the University of Toronto in 2007. 

Andrew Wells is working towards completing a Master of Arts in political science with a focus on economics and development. His thesis analyzes the role of neo-liberal industrial states in acting as a barrier to development in the global south. Andrew also completed his BA at U of T, with a specialist in political science and a major in history. In his professional life, Andrew has concentrated his time in the financial and legal sectors, seeking practical experience. He has interned for an American federal bankruptcy judge and a bankruptcy law firm, and has spent the last four years working in accounts receivable at RBC. In his spare time Andrew enjoys playing sports, including volleyball, hockey, and soccer.

Juliana Yi is a second year PhD student in health services research at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. Her thesis, which is being completed under the supervision of Dr. Fiona Miller, is focused on how organizational, political, and institutional context influence priority-setting decisions for health technology assessments. Juliana’s interests are in the areas of health technology, health policy and economics, science and technology studies, and organizational decision-making theory. She holds a Bachelor of Economics and Business (York University), a Master’s Degree in Biomedicine, Bioscience and Society (London School of Economics), and a Master of Public Policy (University of Toronto). Juliana attended The Country Day School in King City, Ontario, for high school and is excited to work with her mentees this year and encourage critical thinking about nutrition policies and programs in India and the issue of child malnutrition.