Malika Dhanani (she/her/hers) - Executive Director
Malika holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto and a Baccalaureate of Applied Science in Child, Youth, and Family from the University of Guelph. Malika is passionate about policy analysis and has engaged in policy work on youth homelessness and housing in Canada, national home care, and childcare in Ontario. In her spare time, Malika enjoys listening to music and singing her way through life. She is an avid reader and a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers trope. She has recently been working on her photography skills and loves spending time outdoors. (Fun fact: Malika has been going camping every summer since the age of two!)
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Octavia Andrade-Dixon (she/her/hers) – Research & Policy Analyst
Octavia holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Human Geography and Portuguese from the University of Toronto. While she has always had a passion for education, Octavia became aware of the importance of student politics and advocacy as a director on UofT’s Student Union (UTSU). Since graduating during the pandemic Octavia has worked in the research field- most recently at the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario where she was introduced to the post-secondary research and policy sector. In her spare time Octavia is enjoys biking, reading books from the library (support public libraries!), and finding fun ways to maintain her Portuguese (mostly through music and bad reality tv).
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Tiffany Li Wu (she/hers) – Operations & Communications Coordinator
Tiffany holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Global Development Studies and Politics Students from Queen's University. She loves hosting events and handle all things communications and operations at OUSA. This work looks different every day, whether it is running advocacy campaigns online, coming up with itineraries for conferences, learning to design publications for print and web, or coordinating media interviews with Ontario's brightest student leaders. She love meeting and connecting with people from all walks of life and have wealth of experience in student government. If you are a student at one of OUSA's 9 member – then Tiffany thinks you to consider writing for our student blog!
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Ananya Gupta (she/her/hers) - Research and Policy Analyst
Ananya holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Delhi. Ananya is passionate about Social Justice Education and has worked as an educator, and a researcher in K-12, post-secondary, and non-profit settings. She has engaged in research and policy work around student mental health, culturally relevant student support and experiential learning in the post-secondary space. In her spare time, Ananya loves cooking for her friends and family as she believes that food brings people together! She is also a high-altitude mountaineer and loves all things outdoorsy.
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Charlie Martin (he/him) - Communications and Advocacy Intern
Charlie Martin is in his third year of Honours political science, with a minor in history at Brock University. Charlie will enter the 2023 academic year with the Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU) as a Board of Directors member. He is engaged in student governance and is passionate about addressing the needs of students. He takes great pride in advocating for students and acting as a representative for the student body. Charlie has advocated for student issues with OUSA as a delegate during the 2022 Fall General Assembly. Becoming more aware of the problems students face pushes Charlie to continue advocating and getting students involved in student governance. In his spare time, Charlie enjoys taking photos and practicing guitar.
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Femi Abiola (she/her) - Research Intern
Femi Abiola is a third-year Honours student at Queen's University studying Political Science and Biology with a minor in Health Studies. As a research intern at OUSA, Femi is excited to learn from experienced professionals in the field of student advocacy and gain a deeper understanding of how research informs policy decisions that impact post-secondary students. Femi is passionate about student advocacy and has been actively involved in student governance and advocacy both within and outside of the university. Femi enjoys playing the harp, painting, playing tennis, and creative writing in their free time.