meet the team

Henry Gura, Research Team Lead, Student Success Toolkit
I’m a second year psychology student at the University of Toronto with an interest in burnout and mental health. Through this project I’m seeking a better understanding of the role student support services have in preventing burnout and improving student mental health. My goal is to help make resources accessible for all students and research the obstacles that prevent accessing support.

Wania Qamar, Research Team Lead, Student Success Toolkit
I am pursuing a double major in Human Biology and Molecular Biology, Immunology, and Disease, with a minor in Psychology at the University of Toronto. I have actively participated in opportunities to contribute to initiatives that empower and support fellow students and I am very happy to contribute to this project! I am very excited to have the opportunity to make a positive impact for the student body!

Emma Beserman, Research Team Lead, Ontario Financial Aid Resource Initiative
In my final year at the University of Toronto, I am completing an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Bioethics. My passion for contributing to the Persistence Project is fuelled by my first-hand understanding of the profound impact student support, particularly financial aid, can have on someone’s university journey.

Mason (Zhixin) Li, Research Team Lead, Researcher, Campus Connect
I am a second-year psychology student at the University of Toronto with a keen interest in advancing mental health research. My primary objective is to enhance the learning environment for post-secondary students and to gain deeper research experience.

Erin (Yiran) Ding, Researcher, Student Success Toolkit
I am an international student majoring in human biology at the University of Toronto. The pursuit of freshness has given me a rich interest beyond mandatory in-class studies and motivation to keep exploring my potential. For this reason, I am familiar with online resources that help students gain knowledge and skills that contribute to future development.

Munisa Hussein, Researcher, Student Success Toolkit & Ontario Financial Aid Resource Initiative
I’m in my 3rd year at york studying humanities. I am hoping to expand on the Student Success Toolkit by expanding the digital literacy section as I am very passionate about digital literacy. I’m driven to work at the Persistence Project by its remarkable focus on delivering streamlined content that empowers students to optimize their transition to post-secondary education and reach their fullest potential in academic, financial, emotional, and mental well-being.

Chaeha (Ina) Kim, Researcher, Ontario Financial Aid Resource Initiative
I am a student at the University of Toronto, pursuing economics and statistics. As an undergraduate student, I am passionate in supporting the current and future undergraduate students to get along with the university environment. My goal in this project is researching and building easy accessibility of financial, academic resources for students.

Wateen Mohammed, Researcher, Campus Connect
I am currently in my second year, pursuing a double major in Neuroscience and Human Biology at the University of Toronto. As a post-secondary student, I am dedicated to understanding and addressing the unique challenges that students encounter throughout their academic journey. My passion for neuroscience extends beyond the classroom, motivating me towards exploring innovative approaches for enhancing student success and persistence.

Mary Addo, Researcher, Ontario Financial Aid Resource Initiative
I am in my final year of undergrad at the University of Toronto majoring in Genome Biology with a minor in immunology and physiology. I hope to help motivate students and provide my peers with resources for success. As I am a graduating student, I aim to help enrich the post-secondary student experience by giving my insight and advice based on my four years at UofT!

Rachelle Fuentes, Researcher, Student Success Toolkit & Campus Connect
I’m in my final year pursuing a double major in Communication, Culture, Information, and Technology (CCIT) and Professional Writing and Communication (PWC) at the University of Toronto Mississauga. I’m a strong advocate for giving students the proper support and guidance in navigating their post-secondary journey, and by working on the Persistence Project, I hope to help students achieve academic success and personal fulfillment in their university life.

Student Success Toolkit
Oliver Cao, Researcher
Ameerah Atif, Researcher

Ontario Financial Aid Resource Initiative
Hamzah Danial, Researcher
Ali Hassan Shaikh, Researcher

Campus Connect
Ankita Anam, Researcher
Ameerah Atif, Researcher