Hilal Asmat

Brief Biography of Nominee:

Hilal Asmat is the President of the Faculty of Applied Science Department Student Union Software Systems Student Society. She advocates for Women in Software Systems and  leads many events for the benefit of her compatriots in SFU.

Dawn Chandler

Brief Biography of Nominee:

Dawn is a Computing Science and Linguistics Joint Major student. (Yet, upon her graduation from highschool, she thought she’d never do any math again!) She has been active in the SFU Women in Computing Science (WiCS) group since 2016, having served as President from 2016-2017, where she took on many initiatives, including Try/CATCH (WiCS’s outreach conference for highschool girls). She continues to run weekly mock technical interview workshops for WiCS, as Technical Coordinator. Dawn is a career intern, having done internships in software engineering and entrepreneurship at Environment Canada (Vancouver), Thomson Reuters (Toronto), IBM (Toronto), Collective Health (San Francisco), and soon Microsoft (Seattle). She was a 2017 Huawei Seeds for the Future Scholar, and is an upcoming TEDx speaker.

Simran Randhawa

Brief Biography of Nominee:

Simran Randhawa is a very influential and pioneering figure for women’s rights and equality on campus. Simran has been very active with the Women Center Collective, on Out on Campus Collective and an SFPIRG Board Member. She has been very active in and outside of the SFU campus with her involvement in the Women’s March and other events centered around survivors of sexual violence. As a survivor herself, Simran has an intimate understanding of creating opportunities for survivors to be protected, working on the Sexual Violence Prevention Policy at SFU. Also, Simran Randhawa is a trailblazer in STEM and is a part of the SFU Psychology labs as a Research Assistance with Two projects under her belt. She has been a great friend and helped others with mental health, even though she continues to struggle with her own. She is very humourous, and what she does for everyone is commendable. She keeps giving without expecting much back in return. She continues to fight for womens’ rights on a daily basis, and she challenges patriarchy.

Shirina Talebian

Brief Biography of Nominee:

My name is Shirina Talebian and I am completing my Legal Studies Certificate and bachelor’s degree in Criminology Honours. For my Honours, I am conducting research on female visible minorities in Canada and their experiences and perceptions when occupying public spaces, as well as police aid and/or reporting their victimization. In addition, I am a proud  Executive Member of the Criminology Students Association, an ongoing volunteer for SFSS student engagement events, as well as a Peer Mentor for students transitioning into SFU. Outside of SFU, I am a co-founder of a non-profit organization that focuses on providing the basic necessities that we believe are constitutional to the marginalized individuals of the Greater Vancouver Area, as well as outreach work.

Angela Birdi

Brief Biography of Nominee:

…Throughout the year I recognized several characteristics that would make [Angela] an ideal candidate for the SFSS Woman of the Year. From taking a leadership role within SFU Accounting Student Association (ASA) where she demonstrated the best values that the Beedie School of Business hopes their students to embody to successfully securing internships at two globally recognized organizations, she has proved herself to be considered amongst the top students in Beedie.

Cameron Lust

Brief Biography of Nominee:

Cameron Lust has always shown me what “female empowerment” means. She is someone who has always shown class with every action she takes and ensures that everyone surrounding her is always being respected and treated fairly. The most highlighting moment of Cam was when she wanted a job with a major international development company and decided to meet with the head of the Marketing department and explain to him why he needed to hire her. She came with a recommendation for a job position that did not currently exist in his company, sold him on why he needed this position, and then told him he needed her for this position. This is what I truly admire about Cameron because that is DAMN powerful.

Edna Batengas

Brief Biography of Nominee:

Edna H. Batengas is the Casino Marketing Intern at BCLC. Completing her final co-op placement before she graduates in June next year. Shes is Communication major with a focus on technology and society as well as a minor in digital publishing. Her most important accomplishments include founding the first Rotary Interact Club at her high school in Tanzania. Being published in both English and French in Canada’s career options magazine.

Edna plans to pursue a career in marketing, PR and advertisement. In addition to further pursing her creative projects and collaborations.

In her spare time Edna enjoys staying active through going to gym, yoga and contemporary dance.

Erin Jang

Brief Biography of Nominee:

Ering Jang is a multidisciplinary creator in the field of media arts and communications, living in Vancouver has given her a wide lens to see the world from. Whether it be the beauty of the west coast’s nature, Vancouver’s up-and-coming animation and film scene, or hearing fascinating stories from BC’s diverse population, She finds there is motivation in every nook and cranny.

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Mireta Strandberg-Salmon

Brief Biography of Nominee:

As an aspiring environmental leader, I am very aware of the global urgency of climate change, with impacts already being felt around the world.  The critical need to mitigate and adapt to these impacts inspires me to pursue sustainability in my classrooms, communities, and work places.

I feel women are well-placed to implement effective solutions in pursuit of just sustainability. I hope to empower other women and marginalized groups to build a more sustainable and equitable society.

I have been involved in social and environmental initiatives in my community for the past four years. Through my studies in Resource and Environmental Management at SFU I hope to expand on this experience and gain tools to help inspire positive change globally.

Donya Naz Divsalar

Brief Biography of Nominee:

I started my studies at SFU upon entering Canada in 2015, coming from a medical school in Hungary. It was definitely difficult to adapt to the new environment as a mature student and language barriers, but I decided to let my background in healthcare drive my passion to help my peers in STEM fields by providing various hands on experiences for them to help them flourish their interest in healthcare. I then expanded my role to faculty of Applied Sciences, where I knew advocacy for women in STEM could improve. By establishing SFU Aerospace and becoming the first female president of a design team at SFU I am hoping to further develop leadership role for women in STEM and entrepreneurship.

Zahra Haq

Brief Biography of Nominee:

Zahra is finishing up her last semester at Simon Fraser University, majoring in Health Sciences and minoring in Psychology. During her time at SFU, she has been involved with an number of campus initiatives and projects, including leading the Faculty of Health Sciences Peer Mentorship program, the SFU Dance Marathon team, and most recently, spearheading the development of Eco Endeavours, an after school sustainability and mentorship program for elementary school students. Her interests span student engagement, mentorship, sustainability education and awareness, and youth engagement. In her free time, she enjoys trying out new (gluten-free) recipes and restaurants around Vancouver, or catching up on the latest YA novels.

Krista Bohlen

Brief Biography of Nominee:

Krista is a feminist, environmentalist, and 5th yearBiology major at SFU. For three years Krista has worked with a local Burnaby organization, Dixon Transition Society. Here, as a front line support worker, Krista provides emotional and crisis support to women and children fleeing violence. Through outreach she raises awareness in hopes of ending violence against women in her community. Kristabelieves that compassion for both people and the environment are synonymous. Within the field of Biology, Krista is proud to work with Park Canada’s Marine Protected Areas Establishment team and contribute to the protection of National Marine Conservation Areas. She hopes to empower others and is an advocate for the representation of more women and girls in Science.

Charlotte Mackenzie

Brief Biography of Nominee:

Hi! My name is Charlotte Mackenzie and I am a second year BPK major…I’m from Chilliwack, but I live on SFU residence and I love it. The school has been such a great community, filled with the coolest people and faculty. I consider myself very lucky to be having such a fun experience (disregarding exam week) at university. I love hiking, movies, and spending time with my friends. I am very passionate about mental health and sexual health for women. Thank you so much for your time!