Changing the narrative of who should be talking tech, and who should be listening.

Katherine-Marie "Katie" Robinson is a current Master of Science student in Digital Transformation and Innovation at the University of Ottawa. She graduated in 2020 from the dual degree program in Biomedical Mechanical Engineering and Computing Technology from uOttawa. Her passion for the future of technology lies in finding ways to ensure that the user of a technology is just as respected as the technology itself. Katie is incredibly excited to be a WAYE Young Leader. When she’s not sitting in front of a computer, Katie loves discovering new running trails in Ottawa, and trying new recipes in the kitchen.

Genevieve Rogers is a current MBA student at MIT Sloan whose background and future dreams are in the intersection of technology and social impact. She previously worked as a product manager and strategic consultant at Accenture Federal Services, where she partnered with federal agencies to transform civilian services through technology. She is the co-founder and current chair of the advisory board of the Every Voice Coalition, which empowers students to write, file, and fight for legislation combating sexual violence in higher education. A digital-first nonprofit, Every Voice has connected 2,000+ students across the country and passed several bills into law.

Emily Cheston is a graduate of Princeton University, where she majored in the Science, Technology, and Security track of the School of Public and International Affairs with a minor in African American Studies. In October 2021, she will join IBM as a Federal Digital Business Strategy Consultant.

At Princeton, Emily worked as a research assistant for the Office of Population Studies and the Ida B. Wells JUST Data Lab. Additionally, her senior thesis focused on the history of biological determinism and the danger that its lingering influence poses for emerging healthcare AI technologies.

Aryeh Bookbinder is a designer and researcher based in Toronto, Canada, currently working as a Conversation Designer. His knowledge of emerging technology, passion for storytelling and contemplative nature all manifest in his work. Transhumanism, data governance and the interplanetary future are examples of themes he's explored in his work. He envisions a future where people are more connected, better understood and live a higher quality of life, and believes designers can design with data as a material in order to shape these realities.

Blanca Ribas Pombo is a young leader from Spain who is passionate about the role FinTech and the finance industry at large can play in climate justice. She owns a MSc of University of Navarra, is an Ironhacker and alumni of McGill University and LSE. She has professional experience in investment banking and consulting, currently working in venture capital. She is dynamic, bold, people-driven, multi-lingual and determined. She believes we must adapt to the technological changes we are living through by attaining the technological capabilities to drive strategic technology innovations. Having lived in different countries since a young age— Australia, Canada, Portugal, Spain, UK, USA—she is capable of adapting to new environments, being open minded and determined to reach her goals.

Julian Huff is a 20 year old recent graduate from Miami University in Ohio. He is an entrepreneur, model, actor, and mentor who is adamant on helping youth in inner city communities. His life motto is "little by little", as he understands that great ideas and changes don't happen overnight but throughout time. He is trying to make the world a better place little by little. Julian has a constant thirst for knowledge and found tech interesting at a young age. He is excited to become a part of the WAYE young leaders board and get back to his roots.

Rochelle Etwaroo is a DevOps Engineer at RBC’s Cyber Technology Office in Toronto, Canada. Her work primarily focuses on the development and automation of security services for the bank, analytics for security data, as well as devising ways to communicate the bank’s cloud security strategies. She studied Data Science and Analytics at Ryerson University and has special interest in Cloud Security, Linguistics and Natural Language Processing. Rochelle is an advocate for education and is passionate about mentoring youths to help them realize their potential. She actively volunteers at different youth initiatives that support STEM education and technological awareness.

Stephanie Melnik is a marketing and strategy specialist based in Toronto, Canada with experience in health-tech startup, social enterprise, fashion, and most recently education. She believes in the value of experiences as a universal human desire, built on storytelling and driven by a user-centered mindset. Her work focuses on creating an experience for the user through strategic marketing tools such as brand design, marketing communications, customer service optimization, and marketing analytics. As a recent BCom. graduate in Management, she strives for a career where she is able to use emerging technologies to redefine the user experience. Learn more at stephaniemelnik.ca

Dadrian Ledet is currently an Undergraduate student at the University of Connecticut, and the CTO (Chief Technology Officer), at Evron Digital, a full service advertising & digital marketing agency. Dadrian is a digital pioneer and coding specialist in the data marketing field. He has experience in data map construction, building messenger bots, coding languages such as Python, and API (Application Programming Interface). He also has experience working on GIS software platforms such as ArcGIS and QGIS, performing spatial data analysis.

Hi, my name is Jasmine Hasmatali and I'm a 19 year-old third year university student currently working towards a major in Global Development Studies and a certificate in Law at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. While I don’t have a technology background, I am incredibly passionate and motivated to make sure everyone has equal access to emerging technologies and the knowledge about them. My goal with being on the WAYE Young Leaders board is to learn about emerging technologies and the ethics around them while ensuring that the voice of the generation who is going to be affected by them the most is heard.

My name is Tanita and I am based in London (UK) and Cologne (DE). Having worked in corporate Marketing for companies such as Amazon for six years, I am now pursuing a PhD in the area I am most passionate about - human interaction with technologies. As a Doctoral candidate at Imperial College London I am researching the intersection of emerging technologies and human well-being. I am excited to be part of the WAYE Young Leaders Board and look forward to helping shape the vision for the future of technology!

My name is Navita Christina Singh (she/her/hers). I am a relationship-builder, hope-seeker, and audacious dreamer who believes stories are transformational. I care about ecosystems, humanity, equity, ethics, anti-oppression, intersectionality, decolonizing every sphere of life and being on the right side of history. With an insatiable thirst for knowledge, I will devour articles about the future of work, emerging technologies, Artificial Intelligence, critical digital pedagogy, health, and politics. What I care about increases my bottom line comprised of: love, freedom, truths that cut deep, justice, gratitude, living well, healing, the beauty that stirs emotion, and courageous leadership

Shavin Fernando was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka and moved to Canada when he was young. Growing up in Ottawa, he excelled in athletics and academics. Shavin captained the University of Ottawa Football team where he earned his degree in Economics and Political Science. He also received a Global Masters in Management Analytics from Queen’s Smith School of Business. As an experienced strategic leader, he develops technology products in the aviation industry. Shavin is passionate about emerging technologies and believes in challenging how we think about the intersection of humanity and technology.

Shortly before earning her bachelor-degree in Psychology, minor in Education, Marissa Chemotti began working in clinical research with neurodiverse children and families at the University of California, Davis MIND Institute. There, she took it upon herself to generate continuing education opportunities for staff via interactive workshops: Intro to Programming in R and Observing Early Behavioral Signs of Autism. Now, at the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center in San Diego, Marissa flies the data-collection-plane of an evidence-based intervention- clinical trial, interfacing with families, community agencies, clinicians, and researchers. Chemotti is passionate about making science and tech digestible to our neighbors.

Shaun Jackson was born on the island of Guam and grew up in the outskirts of Los Angeles. Currently, he is a software engineer at Sony PlayStation working on increasing the scalability, reliability, and security of cloud-based tooling. Shaun also is an active mentor and mentee of staff engineers and interns, with a love for knowledge dissemination and sharing. Concurrently, he is a Master of Computer Science student with Georgia Tech, and loves to gain knowledge in distributed systems, cloud computing, AI, and blockchain technologies. His interests include inspiring youth, making education and healthcare more accessible, and sustainability, all through technology.

Anabelle Torek is a graduate of Miami Law, which she attended as a Dean's Merit Scholar, and a legal fellow for the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, an organization dedicated to eliminating online abuse and advising social media platforms on their content policies. As a queer Black woman who specializes in First Amendment applications to online expression, she is uniquely committed to broadening legislative and policy protections for those most vulnerable to cyber-harassment, algorithmic bias, and chilling effects. Despite her future-oriented career, Anabelle's hobbies are decidedly retrospective: swing dancing, antiquing, and exploring historic Deco locales with her wife and dog.

Jimena Quadrana, born and raised in Argentina, started working at 14 years old as a model. After more than a decade of national and international experience, working in fashion, advertising, tv and film, her interest in the power of emerging media convinced her to study Communications and Journalism with the goal of bringing a positive impact to her community. She is currently working as a Digital Associate Producer in CNN. Over the past years, Jimena has always enjoyed studying and working in different countries, meeting people, and learning about their cultures. She believes in the need to become global to make a real positive change.

Yomna Ibrahim is a passionate and dedicated leader advocating for systemic change in the pursuit of equity for marginalized communities. She believes in the importance of empowering youth by educating them about the social implications of policies surrounding emerging technologies. She was born in Cairo, raised in Toronto and has also gained experience working in the UK. Currently, she works as a consultant at Bell Canada focusing on enhancing the customer experience across all digital platforms and is completing her undergraduate degree at Western University’s Ivey Business School. After graduating, she aspires to connect her business background with her passion for film to pursue a career in the media industry. As a first generation Canadian, one of her goals is to ensure representation and equal opportunity for minority groups, which she hopes to bring to both the media and technology industries.

Naman Sachdeva is an alumni of University of Waterloo and holds an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences, specializing in Health Informatics. Currently, he is completing his MBA from Schulich School of Business, specializing in Digital Transformation and Strategy. Naman has over four years of corporate experience in Procurement, Strategy, and Finance. Additionally, Naman has been the founder of three companies primarily focusing on real estate investments and wealth management. Whenever Naman gets free time, he prefers to spend it with his family and friends while participating in activities such as hiking, biking, and cooking.

Garrett Blaize is an advocate, organizer, and capacity builder from the Mountains of Appalachia. The focus of their work and thinking has been on environmental justice, cultural work, and civic discourse (both on and offline). They came to WAYE after having developed a deep fascination with the prospects of civic technology to make positive interventions in order to improve communities' capacity for self-determination and democratic governance.

Diksha Shukla is a recent graduate from the University of Western Ontario with a master’s degree in Kinesiology, specializing in Neuroscience. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Waterloo. Diksha’s passion for science and research is encompassed with her experiences working in various healthcare facilities. As an aspiring lawyer with an interest in emerging digital healthcare technology, she is directed towards the world of Health and Intellectual Property Law. Diksha is excited to share her knowledge and contribute to the WAYE Young Leaders Board.

Marie-Michèle Larivée is a trend, strategy and foresight consultant based in Montréal, Canada. She helps organizations foresee the future in colors. Awarded emerging entrepreneur by C2Montréal in 2020, her mission is to avoid filling shelves with unwanted products by consciously creating products, services, strategies tailored to the needs of tomorrow's society. Passionate about building new practices and enlightening organizations not fall into the trap and established bias while imagining the future, she oversees on a daily basis methodologies of Start ups, professional organizations and higher education institutions.

A rising senior at The Dalton School in New York City, Harrison Schneider is a STEM-focused, AI and VR fanatic with interest in global economics and financial implications of technology on both powerful and challenged countries. He is currently focused on developing an independent project combining a neural network and virtual reality to create a more soulful representation of human’s life once they have passed. Harrison’s robotics team took second place in state this year and hopes to continue placement in world championships next year. He has developed an open source 3D printed model to measure migration patterns of baby fish in open oceans and plays chess with elderly suffering from Alzheimers through Checkmating Dementia.

Anupama Santhosh is a Senior Product Owner working for a leading tech firm in Manhattan. She is interested in cutting edge technological advances, geopolitics, entrepreneurship, music and all things science. Anupama works towards finding innovative and creative solutions to real world challenges and bringing about sustainable changes. After work you can find her practicing classical music or jiu jitsu.

A native of Brooklyn NY, River Bunkley is an advocate for equity and an innovator, passionate about interrogating how people, particularly those most marginalized, can be at the center of the new solutions, systems, and products that society develops. Through his experiences with Facebook/Instagram, The Obama Foundation, The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and as Founder of start-up The Black Renaissance Group, River's multifaceted background has equipped him with skills related to human centered design, marketing, product development, and community partnerships -- each of which he is eager to use to deepen his experience contributing to efforts intersecting tech, social impact, and justice.