Michelle Wodchis-Johnson - President
Vice President External Affairs, University Students' Council (USC)
Michelle recently graduated from Western University with an Honors Specialization in Political Science and is currently serving as the Vice President of External Affairs at Western’s University Students’ Council (USC). She worked on the USC’s External Affairs portfolio, allowing her the opportunity to meet with municipal stakeholders, author OUSA’s Gender-Based & Sexual Violence paper, and truly witness the power of the student movement. When she’s not working, Michelle loves trying new foods, seeing just about any type of live music, and getting way too competitive when it comes to the NYT Games.
Check out our blog for a personal introduction to Michelle!
Vice President, Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA)
Arya is pursuing his studies in Legal and Communication Studies at the University of Waterloo where he is elected to be the Vice President of Waterloo Undergraduate Student Associations (WUSA). Arya's journey with OUSA began formally at the 2024 General Assembly, where he saw firsthand the student-centric approach that defines this organization. He is particularly passionate about is mental health and believes that the demands of university life can be overwhelming, and it is essential that students have access to the support they need.
Check out our blog for a personal introduction to Arya!
Maya Hobbs - VP Administration and Human Resources
Vice President of Education, McMaster Students Union (MSU)
Maya recently graduated from McMaster University, and majored in Political Science Specialization in Public Law and Judicial Studies with an Interdisciplinary Minor in Inclusive Communities and Social Justice. She is the Vice-President (Education) for the McMaster Students Union (MSU) and the Vice-President Administration and Human Resources for OUSA. Before her first exposure to OUSA as a delegate at the Spring 2024 General Assembly that was held at McMaster, she have been very involved in the student community and, served as Co-President of the McMaster Pre-Law Society and Vice-President Administration of the McMaster Political Science Student Association.
Check out our blog for a personal introduction to Maya!
Commissioner of External Affairs, Alma Mater Society (AMS)
Dreyden is a third-year student at Queen’s University majoring in Economics with a minor in Environmental Science; also working for a certificate in Law and Employment Relations. Born in T'Sou-ke, BC; a little First Nation Reservation apart of Douglas Treaties on the Southern tip of Vancouver Island, Dreyden is sitting member of the Land Advisory Board of T'Sou-ke Nation and Sites of Significance Committee of Te’mexw Treaties. He is especially passionate about economic equity, Indigenous advocacy, mental health, and eco-policy development. He believes in a higher education that is supportive and financially accessible to the students it works to provide to.
Check out our blog for a personal introduction to Dreyden!
Carleigh Charlton
Vice President University Affairs, Brock University Students' Union (BUSU)
Carleigh is returning as Vice President, University Affairs at the Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU). Their experience with OUSA began in 2021, when she attended their first annual General Assembly (GA) meeting as a delegate for BUSU and has since attended 5 more GAs and OUSA’s week-long Student Advocacy Conference. Most recently, at OUSA’s annual Partners in Higher Education Dinner, Carleigh was awarded the 2024 OUSA Award for Excellence in Student Advocacy.
Check out our blog for a personal introduction to Carleigh!
Jodi Ambrose
President, Trent Durham Student Association (TDSA)
Jodi is entering her 6th year at Trent University Durham-GTA studying Business. A lifelong advocate for accessibility and 2SLGBTQ+ matters, her student advocacy journey started in 2020 as a student-at-large on committees and as a Policy Analyst. Since then, Jodi was elected to the TDSA Board of Directors for 2 years and was recently re-elected for a second term as President. Jodi has a wide variety of policy experience with OUSA and beyond, giving her a rich knowledge base to pull from during her time on OUSA’s Steering Committee.
Check out our blog for a personal introduction to Jodi!
Vice President of Government and Stakeholder Relations, Wilfrid Laurier University Students' Union (WLUSU)
Broderick “Brodie” Norwich, the current Vice President of Government & Stakeholder Relations on the Waterloo Campus of Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union. His OUSA experiences include authoring the Rural & Northern Students Policy paper during the Fall, 2023 General Assembly and representing WLUSU as a delegate at the Queen’s GA in Winter, 2023. He is a Christian, able-bodied, cisgender-heterosexual male, acknowledging my privilege as a settler student attending Laurier in my fifth year, pursuing a degree in Political Science and a minor in Leadership.
Check out our blog for a personal introduction to Brodie!
Zainab Hussain
Vice President of Student Affairs, Ontario Tech Student Union (OTSU)
Zainab has held several leadership positions at Ontario Tech, including Peer Leader, Peer Mentor, Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Science Council, Vice President of Finance at the Pakistan Student Association, and various executive roles at the Pre-Dental Club throughout her undergraduate studies. She has also been an active member of the Meraki initiative’s rural education program, which aims to address the social determinants of health. For the upcoming year, Zainab has been elected Vice President of Student Affairs at OTSU.
Vice President Education, Students' General Association (SGA)
Staysha is a third-year Law and Justice student with a minor in Criminology at Laurentian University. She is currently serving as the Vice President of Education at the University’s Students’ General Association (SGA) after having worked as the Associate Vice President of Policy and Advocacy in the 2023-2024 academic year. Having lived in Sudbury, Ontario her whole life, a city located in the heart of the North, she is well situated and aims to advocate for equitable access to quality education for rural and Northern students. Staysha is excited to work with OUSA again this year to advocate for students’ rights and believes that embracing the unique and diverse student body at Laurentian University is essential to breaking down the systemic barriers to higher education that currently exist.
Check out our blog for a personal introduction to Staysha!
Vice President of University Affairs, Alma Mater Society (AMS)
Ruth is going into her fourth year of a joint honours degree at Queen’s University and is currently the Vice President University Affairs at the Alma Mater Society. She is an involved advocate on Queen's campus with involvement Queen’s Black Academic’s Society and the Queen’s Black Fashion Association and joined AMS as Social Issues Commissioner. Her advocacy priorities are around empowering students by having important conversations around the role lived experiences play in universities, equity, food insecurity and housing insecurity as well as accessibility in education including physical spaces.
Check out our blog for a personal introduction to Ruth!