Charette Volunteers

Audrey (she/her) recently completed her HBA at the University of Toronto, majoring in Health Studies and Criminology & Sociolegal Studies. Her research interests include the impacts of comprehensive education on health outcomes, and food insecurity among marginalized communities. Particularly passionate about cultural food appreciation and food justice, she believes nutrition and food literacy among youth is a crucial upstream policy initiative needed to create sustainable, impactful change in Canadians’ health outcomes.

Alexis Konopny is a UTM student majoring in Biology for Health Sciences and Psychology. She is currently the founder and president of A Better Day Tomorrow (ABDT), a club at UTM that aims to support those facing homelessness in the Greater Toronto Area. Alexis has a passion for research in intervention care and believes that nutrition literacy at a young age is extremely important so that children understand what a nutritious diet looks like, how to lead a healthy lifestyle, and how to prevent the onset of illnesses such as Type 2 diabetes.  

Judy  (she/her) is a University of Toronto Alumni holding an HBA in Health Studies and Medical Anthropology. She is the Co-Executive Director of a federally registered non-profit organization (Starts With One) and former health promotion team lead for the UTM Health and Wellness Department. Judy's interests stems from education equity and health promotion, and believes that mandatory nutrition food literacy in all schools is critical to promoting health equity in education.

Zaha completed her Bachelors of Science degree at the University of Toronto in 2022. She currently works as a research assistant with interests in food security within vulnerable communities, food systems and the intersection between health and social media. She believes that  nutrition and food literacy is critical for our youth in order to provide them a better chance at leading healthy lives in the future and to mitigate diet-related chronic illnesses.

Mustafa graduated with an Honours Bachelors of Science from the University of Toronto with a focus in public health research. As a problem-solver with strong interpersonal and teamwork skills, he is highly interested in the world of public health and learning about prevention strategies to better serve the community. 

Andrei Ostache currently works at the University of Toronto - St. George Campus,  where they excel in providing exceptional customer service and efficiently managing various office tasks. With a keen attention to detail and adherence to procedures, they ensure the smooth operation of daily activities. In their role as a Research Assistant at The University of Toronto, Andrei demonstrated their research expertise and data management skills. 

Rena is a fourth year student at the University of Toronto - St. George Campus, with a double major in Health Studies and Ethics, Society, and Law.  Rena’s interest in health promotion and food literacy stems from her Health Studies major as it heavily relates to global and public health. Being part of the Nutrition and Food Literacy Canada Charette allowed her to turn her passions into actions, and help in the fight against food insecurity and negative health outcomes across Canada.

Sharanya has just completed her second year of undergraduate education at the University of Toronto, pursuing a specialist in Global Health and a minor in physiology. She is currently doing research with Dr. De Souza-Kenney on Food Prescription Programs in North America and is deeply passionate about nutrition as a determinant of health. 

Zihan is currently studying Animal Physiology at the University of Toronto. Her previous research internships have guided her towards research in food and nutrition literacy as well as public health more generally.