Peel Environmental Youth Alliance

Aisha Stewart

Aisha is going into Grade 12 in Fletcher?s Meadow S.S. and is an avid participant in her environmental club, duly named: ?Students Towards Environmental Protection? or ?STEP? for short. Some of the things that she has accomplished through her club were: Earth Day garbage cleanups, holding Ecobuzz at her school, and cleaning up the local pond. Some of Aisha?s passions include animal and human rights and she also has an interest in soccer and reading. Her future plans include studying towards a degree in Environmental Law or Environmental Science. In joining PEYA, she feels she has opened up the opportunity to meet other people that are like-minded and have the same environmental passion as her.

Simone Hacikyan

Simone attends St. Francis Xavier S.S. and is entering her final year of high school. In hopes to benefit the environment, she joined the Conservation Youth Corps through which she planted trees and assisted with a number of conservational and resource management projects throughout the Credit River watershed. Separate from the Conservation Youth Corps, she also participated in tree plantings in the City of Toronto. Simone?s longing to start doing something more substantial for the environment led her to join PEYA and become a member of the executive council. Along with the environment, Simone is also very passionate about photography and videography and wishes to pursue an education at the University of Waterloo for the Environment and Business.

Ghazal Sameh

Going into Grade 10 at Lincoln M Alexander S.S., Ghazal is an active participant in the ?Environmental Actions Club? in her school. The club has had the opportunity to pick up garbage in the community and around the school as well as raise money through bake sales. Some of her interests include reading and playing soccer and she is working towards becoming a Nurse Practitioner after University. In joining PEYA, she hopes to benefit the environment, get more involved in environmental groups outside of her school, and gain more experience from presentations and workshops.

Mursal Sameh

Mursal is going into grade 11 in Lincoln M. Alexander S.S. with a passion to draw and a mind set on studying Daycare in university. She is proudly the leader of the ?Environmental Actions Club? in her school, which has been established since before she came into highschool and holds some impressive accomplishments. Apart from cleaning up the school courtyard and planting trees, Mursal has been able to hold Ecobuzz at her school and raising money for a child in Africa. In joining PEYA, she not only plans on expanding her knowledge about environmental problems but also wants to use this as an opportunity to help the environment in any way she could.

Fatin Chowdhury

Going into his final year in Glenforest Secondary school, Fatin Chowdhury has been elected onto the executive council for the second time. Being part of his school?s environmental club, he has managed to participate in numerous events and tasks such as multiple initiatives to implement recycling bins in the cafeteria, bottled water awareness programs, waste audits, tree-plantings, yard cleanups and more! This year, he has moved on to the position of liaison between PEYA and his environmental club. In the future, Fatin wishes to pursue an education in engineering and economics, spend time working with engineers without borders, and to continue with his passion for the environment. He would also like to do some humanitarian work and be part of the student council beyond high school. But most of all, he would like to attain happiness. Fatin joined PEYA because he believed that his school's green team seemed to be isolated school and had never heard about any other school's green team. After attending a few of PEYA's meeting, he got the opportunity to meet other like-minded youths who cared about the environment as much as he did; he also got to network and exchange ideas to improve our environmental clubs, which he believes is very important.

Anagh Goswami

Anagh Goswami, a grade 10 student in Gordon Graydon Memorial Secondary School, is an enthusiastic participant in his environmental club. Being a developing association, his green club has focused its attention on implementing and maintaining recycling in his school. His future aspirations for the club include strengthening the recycling program and holding multiple tree-plantings. In between volunteering in his community, he enjoys reading and drawing while his main priority right now is education and the pursuit of a career in the applied sciences.

Darius Chia

Darius Chia is entering grade 12 in Glen Forest S.S. and apart from his passion for the environment, he also enjoys photography, filming, and writing and playing music. He was one of the leaders of his environmental club last year and accomplished many things through it: Earth week activities to raise awareness about environmental issues, litter pickup, fruit testing to inform people of local foods, selling potted trees, one-sided notebooks, and reused gift cards. In the future, the club plans to become certified as an ecoschool. As for Darius? future, he plans on attending university and is thinking about studying medicine. Darius joined PEYA because he felt that through this organization, he could actually make a difference. He was attracted to how PEYA united youths from all over peel region and gave them the opportunity to make this difference.