Candidate Profiles MCaasntedr oidf Pautbelic PPorloicyfiles MClasste orf o2f0 P2u1blic Policy Class of 2019 Candidate List Student Profiles Master of Public Policy Class of 2021 Page 3 Wahaj Alam Page 40 Kenza Mirza Page 4 Omar Ali Page 41 Jordan Morello Page 5 Mitchell Anderson Page 42 Sarah Mungal Page 6 Nicholas Baccala Page 43 Emma Murray Page 7 Stephanie Bertolo Page 44 Anandu Nair Page 8 Pam Bialik Page 45 Jennifer Oduro Page 9 Hannah Bourret Page 46 Maegan Ong Page 10 Julianna Campo Page 47 John Mark Padillo Page 11 Haobo Chen Page 48 Joanna Irene Patsakos Page 12 Suelan Chong Kit Page 49 Rhoda Akuol Philip Page 13 Erin Christensen Page 50 Erika Porco Page 14 An-Noura Compaoré Page 51 Aateka Rajab Page 15 Matt Condie Page 52 Jessica Kristen Rapson Page 16 John David Connolly Page 53 Haley Roberts Page 17 Duncan Cooper Page 54 Harshita Sandhu Page 18 Kayla Daneal Page 55 Nerissa Sarawan Page 19 Emilie De Monte Page 56 Iris Seo Page 20 Fatemah Ebrahim Page 57 Irene Shan Page 21 Pavlina Faltynek Page 58 Reem Sheikh-Khalil Page 22 Salman Faruqi Page 59 Melissa Slauenwhite Page 23 Karishma Firdausi Page 60 Joanne Soares Page 24 Danielle Foppiano Page 61 Emma Syron Page 25 Katie Gongjun Gao Page 62 Sara Szot Page 26 Steven Giallelis Page 63 Nicholas Thompson Page 27 Manny Gill Page 64 Andrew Train Page 28 Julia Gonsalves Page 65 Shannon Vocino Page 29 Szymon Grabowski Page 66 Anastasia Volkov Page 30 Alison Kessler Page 67 Andrea Vovk Page 31 Mahnoor Khan Page 68 Rishika Wadehra Page 32 Thea Koper Page 69 Helen Walsh Page 33 Jeanne Lee Page 70 Rebecca Warrian Page 34 Madison Leisk Page 71 Carly Wigdor Page 35 Brody Longmuir Page 72 Sarah Wilkinson Page 36 Diana Lu Page 73 Hongyu Xiao Page 37 Nathalia Marques Page 74 Frank Ye Page 38 Haley Maziarski Page 75 Jenny Zhang Page 39 Amber Jijun Meng Interested in hiring a Master of Public Policy graduate? Contact: [email protected] Learn more: www.publicpolicy.utoronto.ca/employers Wahaj Alam EDUCATION Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Master of Public Policy, 2021 • Recipient of Entrance Scholarship & Master of Public Policy Award Ryerson University, Toronto, ON Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Public Health and Safety, 2019 • Graduated with Distinction, Dean’s Honour List (2017, 2018, 2019) • Recipient of Nancy Sprott award for volunteerism (2019) & People’s Choice Award in Research Poster Competition (2018) McMaster University, Toronto, ON Honours Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences, 2016 • Minor in Biology EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Toronto, ON Researcher and Policy Analyst, 2020 Project: Worked to develop Canada's first faculty-based Climate Action Plan (CAP) • Conducted jurisdiction scan to develop a policy role in the CAP and align it with the broader university plans • Conducted stakeholder engagement through briefing notes and regular video conferences via Zoom • Conducted literature reviews to gather baseline information and establish benchmarks • Developed course and research inventories based on UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Beyond the Headlines, Toronto, ON Senior Producer, 2019-Present • Recruited guests and conducted interviews to produce radio shows relevant to Public Policy • Conducted background research on the topics and guest to facilitate dialogue and discussion • Applied technical skills include audio editing (Audacity), using the broadcasting studio and recording devices Equity Diversity and Public Policy (EDPP), Toronto, ON Equity Analyst, 2020-Present EDPP aims to bring policy practitioners, researchers and non-profit groups together to encourage discussions on inequities • Explored principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in designing and evaluating public policies • Organized events such as case study workshops, conferences and networking events Policy Innovation Initiative (PII), Toronto, ON Team Lead, 2020-Present PII explores how policymaking is impacted by social, technological, political and environmental developments Project: Focused on racism as a public health crisis • Managed two teams of analysts in exploring and developing policy documents • Monitored the progress of projects and provided updates to the directors Research Assistant (2016-19), School of Occupational and Public Health (SOPHe) at Ryerson University, Toronto, ON Senate Appeals Committee (2017-19), Served on the jury to hear appeal cases, at Ryerson University, Toronto, ON Pillar Security (2016-2020), Security Guard and Concierge, Toronto ON ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES & ACHIEVEMENTS • Native proficiency in English, Urdu and Hindi • Volunteer Notetaker, Accessibility Services at the University of Toronto, 2019-2020 • Volunteer Peer Mentor, at MPP Compass Mentorship Program (2020) and SOPHe’s Peer Mentorship Program (2017-18) • Avid Hiker, scuba diver, and outdoor adventure enthusiast (received WSC Survival School training) • Interested in Life Sciences, Public Health, Healthcare, Future of Work, Defence and International Relations MASTER OF PUBLIC POLICY PROGRAM – CLASS OF 2021 publicpolicy.utoronto.ca Omar Ali EDUCATION Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Master of Public Policy, 2021 • Recipient of Entrance Scholarship, 2019 University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON Honors Bachelor of Arts, 2019 • Specialization in Political Science • Graduated with Distinction EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE Global Ideas Institute, Toronto, ON Mentor Program Manager, May 2020 – Present • Engaged with a team of graduate students to develop a program in which high school students create an initiative to tackle the issue of digital safety in the age of COVID-19 • Interviewed and hired 60 graduate and undergrad students for mentor roles. Mentor, October 2018 – April 2019 • Trained and mentored a group of five high school students to apply research skills practically, to tackle the issue of plastic waste in cities and oceans from both a policy and a market perspective. The Reach Alliance, Toronto, ON Researcher, January 2020 – Present • Piloted the first program evaluation for an organization that works in the field of women economic empowerment in Guadalajara, Mexico, called ProSociedad. This is the for purposes of increased female economic mobility, decreasing dependance on welfare, and furthering social cohesion. • Conducted 19 interviews with multiple stakeholders such as: UN Women, Government of Jalisco, and HP. • Utilized thematic analysis software called NVivo 12, for the purpose of providing policy recommendations for ProSociedad. The goal was to expand the alliance network, recruitment of underprivileged women, and professionalization of programs. Public Good Initiative, Toronto, ON Policy Consultant, September 2019 – March 2020 • Engaged with a team of Policy Consultants to develop competency tools to increase employment of highly qualified immigrants in labor fields with skill shortages. • Performed case studies, jurisdictional scans, literature reviews and stakeholder engagement to ensure the appropriate implementation of final deliverables. Incisive Strategy, Oakville, ON Research Consultant, April-August 2018 • Conducted research on strategic political campaigns, media relations, crisis communications, and government affairs. • Compiled in-depth research required for client projects and published policy papers for dissemination. • Provided literature reviews on current events taking place in Egypt and compiled several reports and status updates on the country. • Compiled extensive information on innocent individuals wrongly convicted in Egypt with the explicit purpose of freeing them. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES & ACHIEVEMENTS • Languages: English (fluent); Arabic (fluent) • Publications on the Middle East Policy Platform on the Egyptian 2018 elections, human rights, and economy. • Interests: Phenomena of electoral discrimination and reform, as well as the role of the private sector in tackling global issues such as environmental degradation in the era of globalization. I love watching Munk debates, Veep and Netflix originals. Currently the captain of my outdoor men’s soccer league team. • Professional Development Includes: Public Policy Briefing Notes, STATA, NVivo 12, SPSS, and Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). MASTER OF PUBLIC POLICY - CLASS OF 2021 publicpolicy.utoronto.ca Mitchell Anderson EDUCATION Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Master of Public Policy, 2021 • Recipient of Entrance Scholarship, 2019 University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario Honours Bachelor of Arts, 2019 • Specialization in Political Science • Graduated with Distinction EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE Department of Economics at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario Teaching Assistant, September 2020 – present • Communicated the intricacies of economic thinking, theory, and practice to first-year students through discussion posts • Analyzed the underlying economic arguments made by students in written op-eds and other reports • Graded exams and other materials produced by students in a fair and equitable manner, giving them constructive feedback in order to deepen their understanding of the course material Policy, Elections and Representation Lab (PEARL), Toronto, Ontario Research Associate, April 2020 – present • Conducted qualitative research on OECD countries’ policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the reopening of economic and social sectors of society • Wrote clear and concise weekly summaries of these