Fares Abu Al Saoud

University of Toronto

Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Fares attended Collège Notre-Dame du Sacré-Coeur, prior to moving to the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, halfway through his third year. Throughout the five years spent there, his passion for law and politics only grew stronger, as he expanded he knowledge on many of the different cultures throughout the region. Having graduated from the American Academy, in Doha, he earned the valedictorian award on his final year. He would then go on to accept an entrance scholarship offer from the University of Toronto, in Mississauga, where he hopes to major in Political Science and Criminology, and minor in Psychology.

In the near future, he would like to study Law, in hopes of gaining necessary everyday knowledge on the Canadian legal system, and to someday practice it. Throughout his mandate with the Youth Council, he hopes to gain information on the intricacies of everyday democratic governance, as well as to pave a path into politics, and someday represent the people of Canada.

Dania Ahmed

Zohaib Ahmed

University of Western Ontario - Queen's University Alumni

Zohaib graduated from Queen's University with a degree in Political Studies and Philosophy. As an undergraduate, Zohaib championed youth engagement in politics and was heavily involved with the Queen's University Liberals Association (QULA). As Vice President, he volunteered with Liberal candidates throughout the province during election years. Zohaib is now pursuing a law degree at the University of Western Ontario. He will graduate in 2021 and hopes he can practice in international trade in the future.

Zohaib joined the Youth Council to continue to engage with like-minded individuals who want to better their community. He hopes to draw on both his political and legal background to advance the conversation.

Muhammad Ahsan

York University

Muhammad Ahsan came to Canada from the US back in 2002, he was born in Karachi, Pakistan. He is 20 years old, and a third-year Political Science student at York University. Muhammad is involved in many extracurriculars, his passion for mental health initiatives inspired him to become a Peer Mentor at York University, and his passion for relief work has led him to become the Community Outreach Coordinator for Islamic Relief at York University. One of his significant interests is human rights, this has inspired him to work hard and become an executive member at his local Amnesty International delegation.

He hopes to play an influential role in his riding's Youth Council, he hopes to network with people in government and learn more about the political process as well as power dynamics in our political system. He hopes to work with other council members to bring awareness in our riding to various pressing issues across Canada. Muhammad is definite that with a positive attitude, determination, and awareness, he and the rest of the youth council members can gain the support of numerous Canadians in the riding to assist them in working towards a better community.

Osama Ali

York University

Shadiya Ali

University of Toronto Alumni

Shadiya recently graduated from the University of Toronto with a specialization in Political Science. She is interested in International Development, specifically in the region of Africa.   

She joined the youth council in hopes of understanding the issues that effect my community here in Mississauga, and to gain new information and ideas. There is a lack of representation and inclusion among marginalized communities in the political sphere, and she hopes to build bridges between these communities, and facilitate conversations and discussions where their problems can be heard and resolved. Working with a large group of young people will allow for the incorporation of new ideas and methods in solving many of the dilemmas that have emerged in this rapidly growing city! 

Hana AlRifai

American University of Sharjah Alumni

Hana AlRifai graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in marketing from the American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. She is fluent in both English and Arabic and is currently improving her French.

Hana started her career as an account executive in a marketing agency during her last year in university and quickly got noticed and promoted 3 times within the first 18 months. She took on multiple roles working closely with several departments servicing government entities and Fortune 500 clients. She was greatly involved in the establishing and launching of a hospitality marketing platform which is the first of its kind in the Middle East.

As a newcomer to Mississauga, Hana eagerly joined the MCYC to learn more about the political process in Canada and be an involved and integrated member of the community. She looks forward to engaging in the continuity of women empowerment, awareness regarding indigenous women's rights, and the implementation of programs that assist in the successful settlement and integration of immigrants and refugees.

Ana Hinestroza Aragon

York University

Ana Maria Hinestroza is a student at York University in her last year of the Bachelor of Commerce, Specialized Honours in Accounting. She immigrated to Canada in 2012 and since then has been passionate to learn more about Canadian society and its laws. By working in different organizations and volunteering in the Newcomer Centre of Peel, Ana understands the value of multiculturalism in Canada and wants to promote a welcoming environment for newcomers and people from different backgrounds.

In the Mississauga-Centre Youth Council, Ana hopes to address the concerns of Mississauga’s population and learn from other people’s point of view. She also wants to be an advocate for mental health and its impact on various issues such as domestic and gender-based violence.

Ana is interested and wants to learn more about the role and jurisdiction of the federal government in taxation and criminal law.

Ola Awartini 

University of Toronto Mississauga

Ola is Palestinian-Jordanian and was born & raised in the UAE. She immigrated to Canada with her family in 2016. She is currently a 3rd-year student at the University of Toronto Mississauga and she specializes in Criminology & Socio-legal Studies. She hopes to look for a job in her field so she is currently pursuing a job in law enforcement. She also hopes to be more involved in government.

She is a drummer and really enjoys music. Ola is also very interested in crime-related shows. What she hopes to gain from her experience in the Youth Council is to learn more about Canadian government and politics, as well as to be more involved in her community.

Noorbir Bhatia

University of Toronto Mississauga

Noorbir Bhatia is a second-year undergraduate at the University of Toronto Mississauga, pursuing his studies in Life Sciences. He is doing a Biology specialist and a Sociology minor. As a volunteer, he is working in a genetics research lab (called the Levine lab) at UTM and also involved as a Science Outreach volunteer with Let's Talk Science (LTS). He is also working on a social innovation project with the Caledon-Dufferin  Victim Services (CDVS) ​​with the goal of researching marijuana victimization among Canadian youth.

Noorbir is consistently working hard to reach his life goals and become a successful physician in his future. He wants to pursue an MD / PHD degree so that he can also do stem cell and cancer research while treating patients.

He has joined MCYC to increase his engagement in the community and be part of a proud team. He is looking forward to working towards issues in our healthcare system, education system and also some other challenges faced by the community, especially youth.

Ronald Chan

Humber college

Ronald Chan is a 24 years old and a student at Humber College's Second-Entry Bachelor of Nursing Program. Before that, he graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in Sociology and minor in East Asian Studies.

In terms of what Ronald wishes to gain out of this youth council, he is looking to experience the ins and outs of day to day government affairs. Nursing is making a big push to get its students involved in the legislature to appeal for the rights and safety of patients across the province. This is his first step in making that happen.

Enis El-Hamed

McMaster University Alumni

Enis El-Hamed is 23 years old. He graduated from McMaster University from the Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behavior program with a specialization in mental health. Currently, he is working at St. Joseph's Health Center in the Emergency Department as an Administrative Clerk and is working on pursuing further education.

Enis joined the Mississauga Youth Council in order to enact change within the community in simple yet effective ways. He is most passionate about improving sexual and mental health education, as well as creating culture and space for LGBTQ + individuals in the community. Although this is his first time working within the government, he looks forward to making it a memorable learning experience.

Sami Habbal

Woodlands Secondary School

Sami is in ninth grade. He has a plan to go into software engineering and do visual effects for his masters. He has volunteered in many places such as the battlefield house museum and UCMAS math centre. In eighth grade, he was the recipient of the Academics award and was also chosen to be the valedictorian in 2019.

As a member of the 2020 youth council, he is hoping to just educate himself on how the government in Canada operates and to get a behind the scenes that he wouldn’t be able to see otherwise. It is important to look at everything at all points of view and understand the issues and priorities the government has to look at before going to conclusions. He also hopes to contribute to local problems that he believes lack attention.

Schekinah Israel

Schekina is a Marketing Manager at CPA Canada and the VP of Marketing & Communications for Young Women in Business. As a seasoned digital marketing professional and aspiring community leader, Schekina works to empower young women to take control of their businesses and careers, build leadership skills, and shatter glass ceilings.

An advocate for equity and social justice, Schekina leverages her extensive knowledge of the technology and business spaces and her background in psychology to deliver talks that inspire and drive action.

As a member of the Mississauga Center MP Youth council for 2020, Schekina hopes to utilize her combined experiences to tackle social issues such as housing and rent control, gender parity and equal pay, and data governance. She hopes to advise the MP on effective, thoughtful, and inclusive policies that will continue to improve the community and make Mississauga, the GTA, and Canada a better place, more equitable to live and work.

Ehab James

University of Toronto

Ehab James is a University of Toronto student, passionate about entrepreneurship, business, politics, and his community. He contributed over 1,000 volunteer hours to date in the community. Ehab is a hard-working and dedicated individual.

Ehab is a co-founder of Youth For Democratic Reform (YFDR), and founder of Watchou. Ehab ventured into entrepreneurship at the young age of 15. He is an ambassador for youth in politics, business, and entrepreneurship.

Ehab hopes to build on his knowledge of how government works behind the scenes, make important connections, and aid in resolving issues that matter to his community and the people around him through the council.

Ehab can be found online on Twitter @ehabjames https://twitter.com/EhabJames.

Rayhan Kadri

Mai Khalife 

University of Toronto Mississauga

Mai Khalife is currently a second-year student at the University of Toronto Mississauga. She is doing a political science specialist and a minor in ethics. She is very passionate about political and social issues, which is why she decided to join the youth council; she is hoping to learn more through this experience as well as use this platform to address political issues from her community.

She occasionally translates for the CBC and for the Toronto Legal Aid and volunteers often at different community centers in her area. Mai's interest lies in educating the youth about their government, and politics so that they be more involved in their community, government, and therefore their future. Mai is looking forward to an exciting year with her fellow youth council members.

Rafay Khan

Thomas Laird Kennedy Secondary School

Khizar Sardar

University of Toronto Alumni

Khizar recently graduated from UTM with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree and is looking forward to working with the Youth Council to make a change in society.

He has previously volunteered with Community Living Mississauga, Erindale College Special Response Team and various other organizations to help improve the life experiences of kids, youth, elderly, and individuals with disabilities. Throughout his life, he realized that you don’t have to be someone great to help those around you. If you truly want to make a difference you can volunteer your time, give from what you have, or even say a kind word to a stranger.

Khizar wants to be someone who gives back to the community and he truly believes working with the Youth Council is a step towards achieving that goal. The Youth council is a perfect opportunity to focus on issues of mental health, public policy, climate change and he plans to make the most of it.

Alexandra Li 

Thomas L. Kennedy

Poorvi Parikshya

Glenforest Secondary School

Poorvi is a driven grade 11 IB student at Glenforest Secondary School. She hopes to pursue engineering in the future to create something that will have a positive impact on society. She is passionate about advocating for mental health and human rights and constantly strives to get involved within her school and the local community.

Within her high school, she is the president of the yearbook committee, head of activities of the UNICEF charity's chapter. She is also the secretary of the Toastmasters club which is a public speaking organization that allows students to voice their opinions on important world issues. Along with being the leadership coordinator of BOSS (Building Our Safe Schools)

In terms of volunteer work, she is involved with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization of Peel as a teen mentor, she was the MiWay student ambassador from her school and she has volunteered at the Camilla Care nursing home.

As a part of the Youth Council this year, Poorvi hopes to educate people on the importance of mental health and advocate to erase the stigma around mental health that is prevalent in our society

Sana A. Rauf

St. Francis Xavier Secondary School

Sana is a grade 11 student in the International Baccalaureate and Transportation Specialist High Skills Major programs, at St. Francis Xavier Secondary School. When not studying, she enjoys volunteering, planning school-wide events, and painting. Her major roles at school include Director of External Affairs, for Model UN, and Event Coordinator, for STEM Council.

Sana has held a passion for politics from her youth and made a point to engage in her community. She saw this opportunity as a way to meet new people and exchange valuable experiences with them. While volunteering for elections, Sana met a community sharing one core dream: wishing to see Canada move forward. The experience taught her rewarding skills and made lasting connections.

Volunteering and engaging within your community is essential to attaining such experiences; to donate something more valuable than material objects, but time, passion, and effort. Those who willingly volunteer, enjoy what they do because they are not expecting payback or reward. Their presence is determined by the will to help others, in whatever way they can. With this belief comes a certainty that this year's council is filled with brilliant minds with whom she cannot wait to make a difference.

Taheera Sarker

York University

Rayan Ahmed Suhrwardy

Rick Hansen Secondary School

Rayan is a grade twelve student at Rick Hansen Secondary School and is interested in making a difference in the community. He is interested in biology and how our actions impact the environment.

He joined MCYC to be more involved in the community and to get a chance to share his voice with others

Noor Syed

Noor Syed is a sixteen-year-old high school student, who is enrolled in Private school. She is an active member of her community and does her part by volunteering at various different local organizations. She is a part of several clubs and committees in her school and enjoys participating in all kinds of extracurricular activities. She is currently a part of her school's Art Club, Public Speaking Club, Writers Club, Yearbook Committee, and Sports Committee.

Noor strives to do the best she can in school and to become an even more helpful member of her community. She hopes to learn more about how the government is run and how to be a better citizen through the Mississauga Youth Council!

Hasan Syed

Seneca College

Syed Hasan is a hardworking, compassionate and ambitious young individual who aspires to use his resources and skills to make changes for the best interest of the community. A journalism student at Seneca College, who stands for justice and equality, Syed has continued to spread his positive vision and mindset across the globe. Alongside of being a student in journalism, Syed is currently working for a media studio called Z9 Digital TV, where he has his own talk show that goes by the name of Sy’s Friday Segment. He is also a part of a humanitarian organization that works to provide support and raise awareness for injustices around the world.

Syed is a leader and role model in his community, who has done numerous volunteer works across the GTA. Someone who has significant concern about our home and all forms of life; Syed’s vision is to initiate awareness amongst the youth for issues concerning our citizens and the community, knowledge about the government and how to get involved with them and benefit from them. As a member of the MCYC, Syed is striving to accomplish this goal and other future goals, alongside of expanding his own growth and knowledge within the government.

Dania Tawfeeq

Mosul Medical University Alumni

Navita Verma

Ryerson University Alumni

Navita is an alumnus from Ryerson University from the Business Management program, with a major in Business Law. During her time at Ryerson University, she led and supported over 12 student groups and committees. After graduation, she completed her Project Management Certificate at the University of Toronto and completed her SCM and CAPM professional certifications. Navita has held various professional roles in education, advertising, construction, and defense, security, & aerospace. As a member of the 2020 MCYC, she is looking forward to learning more about public policy in Canadian politics and aims to work on and address issues that concern Canadian youth.

Ahsan Zafeer

University of Ontario Institute of Technology Alumni

Passionate and driven, Ahsan is committed to making his community a better place. He's volunteered with various organizations such as Islamic Relief, Orphan Sponsorship Program and other volunteer events within the community. As a member of the youth Council, Ahsan hopes to translate his skills and knowledge to become an active member in the and promote initiatives and policies that will have a positive impact on the community. His focus is on infrastructure, public transportation, homelessness, and indigenous people.

Currently, Ahsan is working as a Quality Engineer for Baylis Medical. He holds a Bachelor's In Electrical Engineering from University of Ontario Institute of Technology. In his spare time, you can either catch him shooting hoops at a court, biking around the city or binge-watching tv shows in his room.