Our Students

Aastha bridges spatial design and socio-legal inquiry to address systemic inequities in the built environment. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture with a minor in Sociology and Anthropology from O.P. Jindal Global University, alongside a PG Diploma in Human Rights Law from NLSIU, Bangalore.

In her role with HumanQind, she operated at the intersection of community-led design and state administration. Collaborating directly with government officials and school communities, she led initiatives to transform everyday urban mobilities in Delhi. In particular, to translate participatory co-design into institutionalised policy frameworks for inclusive school going experiences. Beyond her practice in urban governance, she has worked as Research Assistant on a Xavier University fellowship project analysing the socio-spatial realities of African students in India.

At York, her research focuses on the gendered dimensions of urban marginality, examining how socio-legal frameworks, informal housing, and state-rendered invisibility shape the lived realities of women in informal settlements to inform inclusive urban policy.

Alana Ramcharran graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Alana majored in the Peace, Conflict, and Justice Studies program with double minors in political science and human geography. During her undergraduate studies, she worked for non-profit and community organizations focusing on international development, community engagement, and cross-cultural communication. These experiences sparked her interest to work in the non-profit sector and the government sector post-graduation. Her last experience was working at the City of Toronto where she supported policy analysis and policy review pertaining to Toronto’s public markets (e.g. farmer’s markets). She is pursuing a master’s degree, in international development, to gain knowledge to aid local communities experiencing poverty due to adverse circumstances like inequitable policies. Alana’s research interest includes socio-economic relationships between the Global North and the Global South, settler-colonialism, and the influence of civil society groups for development.

With ten years of experience as a Registered Practical Nurse, Catherine has excelled in leadership roles within the private health sector, and acute care nursing. Graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Public Health from Brock University in 2023, Catherine's research interests focus on health equity and mental health promotion, particularly for parents/caregivers of medically diverse and fragile children. Additionally, Catherine explores how community participation can be integrated into public health interventions and research to enhance program sustainability. Notably, Catherine has conducted research in Namibia, examining the benefits of peer-to-peer support groups for parents. In recognition of their work, Catherine received the EWO Experiential Learning Student of the Year Award (2023) for their contribution towards community collaboration and enhancing experiential learning. Catherine is dedicated to developing public health interventions that account for communities’ unique cultural needs and appreciates the relationship between diversity, health equity, social justice, and intersectionality in enhancing community health.

I am currently a student in the program of Development Studies. Through my research in the program, I aim to address the current gap which exists between policy work related to education in India, such as the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" movement, and its implementation in the state of Bihar. I graduated from the program of Law and Society at York University and also serve in the Canadian Armed Forces Naval Reserves.

Doreen is an MA candidate in Development Studies at York University with interests in innovation, entrepreneurship, governance, and inclusive development in Africa. Drawing on her professional experience in international development, strategic communications, and public policy, she brings an interdisciplinary perspective to understanding how institutions and social contexts shape development outcomes. Her work with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Ghana has involved managing development programs, building cross-sector partnerships, and supporting policy engagement across education, economic development, and public diplomacy initiatives.

At York, Doreen's research examines how entrepreneurs in Ghana are using AI to address poverty- and health-related challenges, and how institutional, economic, technological, and socio-cultural contexts influence these efforts. Through an interdisciplinary approach that combines development studies, political economy, and entrepreneurship research, she is interested in understanding the opportunities, constraints, and inequalities emerging through AI-enabled innovation in the Global South. In the long term, she hopes to contribute to research and policy that support sustainable development across Africa.

Faryal Nayab holds a BA in Global Economics from the University of Central Asia, Tajikistan, where she graduated as Valedictorian. She is deeply passionate about fostering positive social change and empowerment within her community. As an active volunteer, Faryal has worked with youth-led organizations focused on improving educational access and quality in the northern areas of Pakistan. Her academic and professional interests center on addressing educational inequity and advancing women’s empowerment through inclusive and sustainable development.

Gianpaolo is an MA candidate in Development Studies at York University, with a focused interest in how legal and regulatory frameworks shape global development outcomes. Building on a Bachelor of Kinesiology, he brings an applied understanding of health systems and equity that now informs a policy-oriented lens on health governance, compliance, and effectiveness. His previous research examined how high school rugby athletes perceive and engage with safeguarding policies, a qualitative study that highlighted how institutional rules are interpreted and lived by youth stakeholders. At the graduate level, Gianpaolo will explore how legal institutions and regulatory rules can strengthen health systems, enhance transparency, and improve efficiency in the health sector across the Global South. He will do this by drawing on an interdisciplinary approach that combines legal analysis, policy evaluation, and development theory. In the long term, he aims to contribute to evidence-based policy reform, procurement, and public governance.

Kayla earned an Honours BA from Wilfrid Laurier University, double-majoring in Communication Studies with a focus on global communication and Global Studies concentrating on international development. During her undergraduate years, she actively engaged in various student clubs and activities. She found particular fulfillment as the Communications Executive of Laurier's Sustainable Development Goals Club, allowing her to practice her human rights and advocacy aspirations. Kayla possesses a steadfast dedication to advocating for vulnerable populations, and she aspires to establish a career in International Law with the goal of fostering a more equitable and just world. Her internship at COSTI Immigration provided invaluable firsthand experience in assisting newcomers in their settlement journey in Canada. Through this experience, she gained a deep understanding of the challenges refugees face upon their arrival in Canada, nurturing a profound empathy for their struggles. This motivation drives her commitment to creating a more inclusive and welcoming society for all. Consequently, her research interests now center around comprehending and addressing the challenges faced by refugees and the support mechanisms available in Canada to assist them.

Nya Miguel is an MA candidate in Development Studies at York University, with an interest in the intersections of migration, health, and public policy. She holds an Honours BA in Sociology with a minor in Anthropology from the University of Ottawa, where her studies in medical anthropology, migration, and health inequalities shaped her interest in how social and political structures influence access to healthcare. Her field research course in Etoa, Cameroon, examined healthcare experiences within under-resourced medical settings and traditional medicine practices within that region. At the graduate level, Nya is interested in exploring how migration and policy shape access to healthcare for refugee claimants and other migrant populations, particularly within the Global South.

With more than six years of progressive experience in strategic planning and program implementation within the humanitarian-development nexus with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Rubina Yeasmin has contributed extensively to advancing gender equality and public health outcomes through her work within the UN system and international development sector.

Recognized for her leadership and cross-sectoral collaboration, she has worked with multidisciplinary teams to embed gender-transformative approaches into programming and policy. Her research interests center on the intersection of gender, public health, and development policy, particularly how evidence-based interventions can drive systemic reform in humanitarian and post-conflict settings. She is especially focused on how policy and advocacy mechanisms can address structural exclusion while promoting the rights, well-being, and dignity of marginalized populations.

Motivated by a commitment to sustainable human development and social justice, Rubina Yeasmin is pursuing academic enrichment in Development Studies at York University to further her scholarly engagement in policy leadership and advocacy reform for equitable, gender-transformative change.

Sana Alakozay holds an Honours BA in International Development Studies from York University. Her academic interests include gender, inequality, and development in the Global South, particularly the experiences of women and marginalized communities. She is interested in how development policies, colonial histories, and global power relations shape the lives of communities, as well as the role of women and local communities in creating more inclusive forms of development. She is currently pursuing an MA in Development Studies at York University and hopes to continue exploring issues of gender, power, and inequality in the Global South.

I am a first-year MA student in Development Studies at York University, where I also completed my Honours BA in Educational Studies in 2025. Born in Iran, I grew up around grassroots community work and spent several years facilitating youth activism clubs, helping run a national child-friendly NGO network, and making theatre with Afghan refugee teenagers and young people who had worked as children. My research sits at the meeting point of critical pedagogy and development studies. I am asking what "quality" in education has come to mean in development discourse, whose definition gets measured and funded, and what happens to education's role in forming meaning, voice, and collective agency when it is treated mainly as an instrument of economic growth. I am also interested in participatory and post-development critiques and how they speak to schooling.

Tania Deol is a graduate student in Development Studies whose research examines non-status migrant labour, migration governance, and social justice. She holds a degree in Law and Society from York University and worked as a Student Success Lead at the Registrar’s Office. Alongside her academic work, she serves as a Social Media Coordinator for the Health Coalition.

Taylor D. Mason (they/them) is a healing arts practitioner, facilitator, and visual artist from Los Angeles and Central Valley, California. Taylor’s research focused on transnational and interregional solidarity movements across the Global South, with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean.

A graduate of UCLA, Taylor earned their BA in International Development Studies with an emphasis on Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Passionate about the role that narrative and visual arts play in social movements, they also earned an MFA in Creative Production from Columbia College Chicago.

Taylor has worked with organizations centering gender justice, decarceration, and community violence intervention and prevention since 2011. As a facilitator, trainer, and organizational consultant, they have collaborated with organizations throughout the U.S., Mexico, and the U.K.