Councillors

committee members

2024-2026 term councillors and executives

Ali Ahmed

Chair (External)

Ali is a first-year student in Honors Biochemistry at the University of Alberta serving in his fourth term on CEYC. In previous terms, Ali has served as an initiative lead of Codifying Elections and the Demographics Survey, both of which showed him the power youth can have when united to improve their communities. Prior to university, Ali was the Vice-President of Public Relations at Old Scona Academic, as well as Vice-President of Old Scona Key Club, leading both the largest council and club at the school. He is also a co-founder of Media Minds, an Edmonton-based nonprofit that educates elementary school students on digital citizenship and media literacy. Outside of work, Ali loves competitive debate and steadily works through his reading list on American foreign policy. Ali began with CEYC in 2020.

Mambouomuni Kuverua

Co-Chair of Projects

A Canadian permanent resident born and raised in Namibia, Africa. He is a student and youth leader who served on local, provincial and National leadership portfolios in the years 2019 to 2023 prior coming to Canada mid January 2024.

Out of numerous portfolios Mambouomuni held; he holds experience and expertise in youth leadership as he was once a brand ambassador of the Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level (grade 12) Namibia organization, a school board member at his high school, a Finance Executive Officer of Namibia National Student Organization (NANSO) at provincial level prior coming to Canada.

Rowan Hanf

Co-Chair of Projects

Rowan holds a double degree in Biology and Psychology, and begins the after-degree Nursing program at the University of Alberta, this fall. Recently, she has returned from a psychology research internship in Germany and will be receiving her first research publication. Rowan strongly believes that CEYC is a platform to inspire positive transformations in the city, by working with like-minded individuals in a collective of empowered youth voices. She derives the most fulfillment from advocating within the community and loves channeling this passion into the CEYC, to create a meaningful impact.

Beyond her involvement with the CEYC, Rowan is deeply committed to student leadership, having held various roles including General Council Student Science Representative, VP of Finance for Concordia Student’s Association, Student Board of Governor’s Representative, Founder and President of the Cultural Club, Student Ambassador, and several more. Rowan’s dedication to volunteering and community engagement is evident through her 7-year involvement with the Kidney Foundation and her 3-year involvement as a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Rowan has also been recognized with several accolades for her strong love for volunteerism, varsity athletics, and student government, one of which includes the Laurence Decore Award. In her leisure time, she enjoys golfing, skiing, hiking, and writing poetry.

Sehaj Kaur

Co-Chair of Internal

Sehaj is a dedicated member of the Edmonton community. Now entering her second year of university at the University of Alberta, majoring in Political Science and minoring in International Studies after graduating as the 2023 Class Valedictorian from Dr. Anne Anderson High School. She has consistently volunteered her time in a variety of organizations across the city. Beginning her volunteering career in the EPSB Student Senate to now serving as the Vice President of Business to Consumer with AIESEC in Edmonton, Sehaj has always strived to help her community while taking the initiative to step outside of her comfort zone. Sehaj currently works as a legal assistant at a small law firm in Edmonton; applying the variety of skills she has acquired through the various executive positions she has held in many clubs and organizations across Edmonton. She looks forward to involving herself in organizations outside of CEYC, AIESEC, and the Political Science Undergraduates' Association to both develop her skills and her network as well! Sehaj started with CEYC in 2022.

Moneek Sandhu

Committee Member | Co-Chair of Policy

Moneek Kaur Sandhu is an incoming fourth year Sciences student at the University of Alberta. Through volunteerism Moneek is able to tackle issues she is passionate about, such as: mental health, social change, creating a space for women, whilst empowering women and the intersectionality of these topics within the Sikh community. Her main areas of interest are raising mental health awareness amongst youth and breaking the stigma around mental health across cultures. Currently serving as VP External for Maansik Movement at the University of Alberta, she actively raises awareness and recently shared insights with CBC to debunk stigmas. Her impactful engagements extend beyond Edmonton, collaborating with Punjabi Community Health Services, World Sikh Organization and participating as a youth leader at various international conferences. Locally, Moneek co-facilitates the South Edmonton Youth Council and previously held an executive role with the City of Edmonton Youth Council, where, in 2022-23, she led policy projects addressing racial injustice, public transport, and food insecurity. Her dedication to mentoring is evident through her role as a Big Sister with BGCbigs and as Board Chair of Girl to Girl. Moreover, she has raised over 100k for mental health awareness through her executive position with Breaking the Silence, emphasizing the importance of accessible resources.

Inspired by her own experiences, Moneek continues to advocate for mental health across cultures, believing firmly in youth engagement and empowerment. Her current main modality of accomplishing the above is through CEYC and her Civic Youth Fellowship placement in the Edmonton City Manager's Office where she is currently working on an anti-racism project under the High Level Office of Anti-Racism and Reconciliation. Moneek began with CEYC in 2022.

Irshad Sayed

Committee Member

Irshad Sayed is a 19 year old biological sciences student at the University of Alberta, specializing in immunology and infection. In his third term on CEYC, he has worked on a variety of initiatives in the Projects Subcommittee, such as City Cleanup, Transit Awareness, and the Clean Water Report. These initiatives highlight his goal of making Edmonton a cleaner and more sustainable city.

Irshad hopes to present new initiatives this term to reinforce his goal of sustainability, as well as revamp previously successful ones.

Apart from Edmonton Youth Council, Irshad has also volunteered with UNICEF to fundraise for international United Nations projects, as well as with Jack.Org, Canada’s largest mental health awareness charity. Additionally, he has assisted and fundraised for a host of other charitable organizations, including the Mustard Seed and the Red Cross. He also currently serves as the events director of the entrepreneurial student organization Enactus UAB.

Reet Khinda

Committee Member

Reet is a grade 11 student that is passionate about mental health and writing, using her literary talents to advocate for issues that are important to her. Her interest in writing has led her to win the Canada 150 poetry contest hosted by the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, where she had the privilege to travel to Stetler on the Alberta Prairie Railway with the Lieutenant Governor to present her poem. It has also secured her a spot in the Express Inspire Connect national conference, where she advocated for youth representation in contemporary educational struggles. Additionally, Reet has travelled to Costa Rica on a conservation service trip to plant mangroves and support the local environment, and aspires to use these lessons to support the environment in her own community. Reet has also received several awards in dance and speech arts, and enjoys crocheting, bullet journaling, and participating in competitive cheer in her free time. By becoming a member of the CEYC, she hopes to promote knowledge on community decision-making to other youth while ensuring that their voices are heard, and connect with like-minded peers.

Dominic Mao

Committee Member

Over the past two years, Dominic has significantly contributed to the CEYC as a Voting Committee Member, co-lead for the Member Wellbeing Initiative, and member of the STEM Workshop Initiative. His efforts in leading the Member Wellbeing Initiative have enhanced connectivity among members, celebrated their successes, and provided valuable learning opportunities. Dominic's work involved developing life skills workshops, creating promotional materials, managing budgets, and coordinating event bookings. Additionally, his involvement in the STEM Initiative resulted in a successful workshop that attracted over 70 participants, allowing youth to explore STEM fields and network with professionals. Dominic's leadership, positive attitude, and commitment to fostering a collaborative council environment have been instrumental in these initiatives' success and in inspiring his fellow council members. In his spare time, Dominic enjoys mountain biking, skiing, and going for long runs. Dominic began with CEYC in 2022.

Ben Magalnick

Committee Member

Ben is a first-year student in the honours physiology program at the University of Alberta. He is interested in creating health-related, environmental and economic benefits through improved public transit and human-centric infrastructure. He is also passionate about affordable housing that is led by and benefits the community. He believes that it is important to create a better quality of life for every resident of Edmonton, and he is interested in developing pleasant public spaces. He is interested in current events, especially concerning foreign policy and American domestic politics. He also loves geography, and he explores new parts of the city and scours over maps. In his free time, Ben likes to play piano, mountain bike, take photos and bake sourdough bread.

Reetu Arvikar

Committee Member

Reetu Arvikar was the Executive Internal Chair of CEYC for the past two terms. She has worked as VCM on the council for 4 years. She led the Environmental Awareness Webinar and Web-Series in her first term and was elected as the Projects Subcommittee Chair in her second. She is a senior at Old Scona Academic who will be going on to attend a post-secondary institution in the Fall of 2024. Outside of CEYC, she spends time working to raise money to fight against period poverty in India and has trained as a Hindustani Classical Singer for over 10 years, to name a few.

Angelina Raina

Chair (Internal)

Angelina Raina is a young change-maker who has been dedicated to uplifting the voices of BIPOC youth during her time on council. As a proud resident of Edmonton and a Kashmiri-Canadian, she has worked on initiatives regarding anti-racism, community safety and wellbeing, policing, and the council budget, working to educate and inform young people about municipal policy and simultaneously encourage them to participate in the making of these policies. Through her learnings, she has interned with the Edmonton city council and currently works as a council assistant for her ward councillor.

Working as a Page in the Alberta Legislature was an inspiring experience for Angelina as a high school student and she became more interested in the democratic process and how to interact with it. Currently, she is a University of Alberta studying political science, economics, and philosophy and is looking forward to conducting research on Albertan politics. She is looking forward to her term on the university's student union as an arts councillor and hopes to continue to make positive change for students on campus. Angelina began with CEYC in 2020.

Corinne Au

Co-Chair of Internal

Corinne is a second-year nursing student at University of Alberta. She is eager to learn about how municipal policy affects healthcare, and aims to facilitate better youth patient outcomes through contributing her nursing knowledge to CEYC initiatives. Corinne is passionate about pediatric health literacy and the participation of youth in health-related settings.

Corinne aspires to use her artistic background in conjunction with her nursing schooling to understand and enhance how pre-existing city projects already support youth health. Prior to university, Corinne filled artistic extracurricular gaps in her school by providing opportunities for students to showcase their art. Notably, Corinne used her positions as director at NextFest (Edmonton’s emerging artist festival) and 2022 editor-in-chief of her school magazine to involve students in professional performing arts and formal publication of their work, thereby encouraging the growth of the arts in her community. These experiences have allowed her to witness how non-healthcare programs can affect youth’s early childhood development, mental health, and education—all of which influence health outcomes. In her free time, Corinne is an avid fan of film, fashion, and figure skating.

Mathew Katz

Committee Member | Co-Chair of Policy

Mathew Katz is a 15-year-old Grade 10 student at Strathcona High School. He served as the lead of the Engagement Initiative on the City of Edmonton Youth Council (CEYC) for the 2023/24 term. Outside of CEYC, Mathew is passionate about anti-racism and has helped to organize school events and initiatives. He enjoys running long distance and playing cello. He is passionate about climate change and loves biking around the city. Mathew lives with his parents and two younger siblings in southwest Edmonton. As a proud Edmontonian, he is excited to continue serving on CEYC and contributing to his community.

Ellen Tam

Committee Member | Co-Chair of Policy

Ellen is a second year honours student at the University of Alberta, studying neuroscience and astrophysics. She has worked as a research assistant and youth advisory councillor for the Youth and Innovation Project at the University of Waterloo for the past four years and is a current Mccall MacBain Shad Leader where she acts as a mentor to youth, igniting their passion for STEAM and leadership. Ellen volunteers at the Student innovation centre at the UofA, as well as girl empowerment groups like BeYOUtiful, and runs her own social justice club, PEGASI.

In her free time, Ellen plays competitive badminton, ranking in the top four for Alberta and has coached at the Royal Glenora club for the last six years. She also enjoys doing case competitions in her free time, and making seriously unserious slide show presentations.

Ashley Arulnithy

Committee Member

Ashley is a tenth grade student attending Old Scona Academic. This is her first term as a Voting Committee Member, and she is looking forward to meeting others who are willing to make a difference in the city. Outside of CEYC, Ashley volunteers to tutor younger students in mental math, assists in her school student council’s many subcommittees, and helps at her local temples to serve food. She has also organized events for her school, such as her grade 9 farewell. In her free time, she likes to bake, read, and spend time with her friends and family.

Jessica Huynh

Committee Member

Jessica Huynh is a Vietnamese-Chinese first-generation Canadian who is determined to help others find their voice in times of disparity, assuring that individuals, no matter their backgrounds, have an impact on their community. Being one of the few people of colour in her community at a young age, the feeling of being silenced and needing to blend in is something Jessica continuously tries to fight through her work in debate, environmental awareness, and city involvement. In school, Jessica is the president and co-founder of the Debate Club, where she can help members practice their public speaking skills and learn the inner workings of policymaking in Canada. In bringing awareness to climate change, Jessica is the co-president of her school's Project Green, a club that advocates caring for the environment through events like bottle drives and park clean-ups in her neighbourhood. Additionally, she is a member of her school’s student-principal advisory council, where she advocates for her peers in academics and wellness, discussing ways to better the education system for students who have English as a second language and mental health during the school year. In her community, Jessica has been a member of the City of Edmonton Youth Council for three years, participating in initiatives that have allowed her to give youth opportunities to express themselves through the arts, learn the sciences, and bring awareness to fashion environmentalism. With her determination and hope to show others that they have a voice in their community, Jessica’s work in public speaking, environmental awareness, and city volunteering is in hopes of empowering individuals who have felt silenced due to their differences, establishing that their voices matter and that they can positively impact their community.

Thomas Beschell

Committee Member

Thomas is an Honours Neuroscience student at the University of Alberta who has been a Voting Committee Member of CEYC since 2021. In his first term, he was a co-lead of the Projects Subcommittee's Training and Information Initiative, which granted Edmonton Youth access to training in psychological first aid, anti-racism, and EDI, all at no cost. Outside of CEYC, Thomas co-chairs CASA Mental Health's Youth and Family Advisory Council, which carries out advisory and advocacy work to reduce stigma around mental illness and improve the accessibility of mental wellness services. He is also a Science Mentor at the University of Alberta and a vice president of the UofA's Neuroscience Students' Association; a former delegate of Alberta at the Junior National Debate Championships, Thomas enjoys public speaking and being able to share his passion for neuroscience with high school students throughout the city.

Aditya Peddi

Committee Member

Aditya is a 15-year-old student going into grade 11 at Lillian Osborne High School. He is entering his fourth year on the City of Edmonton Youth Council. In his previous term, he led the Networking Initiative in the Internal Subcommittee, where he successfully ran a Networking event. Aditya enjoys gaining valuable experience, meeting like-minded people, and leading or participating in initiatives to create change and opportunities in the city through CEYC. Aside from CEYC, he was the vice president of sales at his Junior Achievement company, Revive Aromatherapy, and a sergeant at the 810 Air Cadets. He is also part of the Ethics Bowl team at his school. Currently, he serves as the president of the Jack.org chapter at Lillian Osborne, Canada's largest youth mental health advocacy group. Aditya aspires to be more involved in his community to influence essential issues and opportunities directly impacting Edmonton.

Speena Dalal

Speena Dalal, from Edmonton, Alberta, is a dedicated community advocate and current Projects Subcommittee Co-Chair on the City of Edmonton Youth Council. Working towards a BA Honors in Political Science from the University of Alberta, Speena leverages her academic insights to drive forward initiatives that promote social justice and community engagement. Her volunteer efforts include managing multiple youth-oriented projects, ranging from environmental clean-ups to life skills workshops, demonstrating her commitment to empowering the next generation. Speena's dedication extends to her role as Local Committee President with AIESEC, where she revitalizes exchange opportunities and fosters leadership among her peers. Her passion for community service is rooted in a desire to create sustainable and inclusive environments that enhance the quality of life for all Edmontonians. Speena began with CEYC in 2023

Committee Member

Bella Jiao

Committee Member

Bella is currently a Grade 12 student at Old Scona Academic High School. As an avid debater and current member of the Edmonton Public School Board Student Senate, she wishes to not only stay informed of the issues surrounding her community, but also work towards sustainable solutions. At the Student Senate, she lead the team working on brochures aiming to inform students on, and destigmatize, the usage of learning tools, and as as one of the co-founders of EduCamp, a student run non-profit established during the quarantine, she helped organize and taught at various camps aimed towards teaching students skills such as speech and debate, research, bias awareness, and informing them of current global issues. Bella looks forward to applying her skills and past experiences to the CEYC in order to support its initiatives to the best of her ability.

Bella is also a passionate artist who has been working towards making art more accessible for youth as a member of the Art Gallery of Alberta’s Youth Council since grade 10. Additionally, she enjoys creative writing in her spare time.