Your Renison Student Leaders

Get to know this year's team of student leaders who are here to help you have a vibrant Renison student experience!

To learn more about these specific roles, visit the Student Leadership Opportunities webpage.

Renison Residence Dons

Meet your Don Team!

Andrew Sinicropi (he/they)

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario

Program: Social Development Studies

Fun fact: I'm fluent in French and I'm scared of butterflies :)

First-year tip: Prioritize yourself! First year can be lots of fun but it can also be challenging so make sure that you're taking care of yourself both physically and mentally so that you can enjoy it. 

Favourite Renison/UW memory: Making lifelong friends  of my residence neighbours in first year!

Ananya Thakur

Hometown: Brampton, Ontario

Program: Biology

Fun fact: I am a huge Marvel fan! My favourite character in the MCU is Loki. 

First-year tip: Don't be afraid to reach out for help! I know it can be embarrassing to admit you're struggling but you're never alone and there will always be someone willing to help if you reach out. 

Favourite Renison/UW memory: Attending in-person classes with my friends for the first time!

Andriy Hrabchuk

Hometown: Calgary, Alberta

Program: Social development studies

Fun fact: I had bubble tea for the first time in Waterloo

First-year tip: UWaterloo has a list of external awards and scholarships to look through

Favourite Renison/UW memory: Taking SOCWK 221 with Professor Ela Smith and learning about group work

Anjali Kumar (aka AJ)

Hometown: Ajax, Ontario

Program: Double Major in Psychology and Social Development Studies

Fun fact: My family is from Fiji Islands.

First-year tip: Prioritize! Make sure to find the right balance between your social life (friends, clubs, activities, etc.) and academics. You don't want more or less of the other, because they are both absolutely necessary throughout your university career.

Favourite Renison/UW memory: There are too many to talk about... but if I really have to choose, I would have to say Wind-In. It was a great event to dress up a bit and have fun while meeting and getting to know people from other floors as well as your own floor members.

Ashley Ferreira

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario

Program: Honours Co-op Physics & Astronomy 

Fun fact: I used to sail competitively.

First-year tip: Try hard when it comes to making friends, doing well in courses, applying to jobs, etc... but don't be hard on yourself or stress it if it doesn't all fall into place right away, you have so much time ahead of you!

Favourite Renison/UW memory: I helped organize the Model G20 Conference with other students at Waterloo and it was such a great opportunity to meet students from different universities and learn about world issues. 

Cheongho (Danny) Kim

Hometown: Jeonju, South Korea

Program: Honours Arts and Business, Economics

Fun fact: I have an advanced diving certificate, and never used it since I got it.

First-year tip: Changing your program is normal and lots of people change their programs. I wish I knew that when I was in my first year.

Favourite Renison/UW memory: Heading back to the residence with my friends after studying at DC and randomly throwing snowballs at each other.

Chris Carriere

Hometown: Wroxeter, Ontario

Program: Bachelor of Social Work (Graduated)

Fun Fact: I have played Softball for 16 years, I am also a photographer specializing in sports photography.

First-year tip: Explore Waterloo and find things you like to for fun to give yourself a break from studying

Favourite memory: My roommate became one of my best friends. We used to play games, foosball and pool together. We still talk almost every day. Take time to enjoy your time at Renison and make as many memories as you can!

Matthew @mqzpt

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario

Program: Nanotechnology Engineering

Fun fact: I didn't know there was a difference between a cough and a sneeze up until two months ago. I also made a small food review page for the Renison Cafeteria food, as well as student's creations @renison_food_reviews

First-year tip: As new students get ready to come into first year, my number one piece of advice would be to get involved on campus, whether that be through joining clubs, attending events, volunteer experiences, or through paid leadership opportunities here at uWaterloo.

Favourite Renison/UW memory: I can say that my favourite memory at Renison would have to be hanging out with friends on the weekends and meeting new people in the Moose Room (one of our many student lounges). I've got to know a lot of great people through residence, and Renison's small tight-knit community definitely helped with that!

Tejas Soni

Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario

Program: Mechanical Engineering

Fun fact: A fun fact about me is that I love fun facts! Did you know most people take 10-20 minutes to fall asleep and if you take less time than that you're likely sleep-deprived.

First-year tip: Introduce yourself to your neighbours/floormates early on! They're the people who you'll be seeing the most and it's super nice having a friend right next door.

Favourite Renison/UW memory: Sitting down for dinner with friends every day was such a good break from studying and was always the highlight of my day at Renison.

Zinedine Cobourne

Hometown: Kingston, Jamaica

Program: Biochemistry

Fun fact: I can play the piano and they call me Picasso!

First-year tip: If I had the ability to go back in time, I would tell my first-year self to have more fun and experience the joys of Canada with friends and family!

Favourite Renison/UW memory: Our lil' cooking club competitions where nobody would listen to me even though I was team leader. It made no sense but we still got dish of the day!

Residence Experience Peer Leaders

Meet your Residence Experience Peer Leader Team!

Emma Johnston

Hometown: Kitchener Ontario Emma

Program: Arts & Business (graduated)

Fun fact: I can recognize the flag of every country in the world!

First-year tip: Stay organized and don't be afraid to get involved!

Favourite Renison/UW memory: Speed friending, bonfire party...really anytime I've been able to just hang out and meet new friends!

Derya Tezcan

Derya

Hometown: Guelph

Program: Honours Arts Psych minor, Fine Arts minor

Fun fact: Apparently I pronounce bagel wrong

First-year tip: Starting university can be hectic, don’t worry if it takes you a while to adjust and figure out how to manage your time! (p.s. writing things out in a to-do list has helped me A LOT)

Favourite Renison/UW memory: Sock dodgeball in the cafeteria!

Student Experience Peer Leader

Meet your Student Experience Peer Leader team!

More information coming soon!

Social Development Studies (SDS) Peer Leaders

Meet your SDS Peer Leader team!

Sarah Malik

Program: Social Development Studies, Social Work Specialization

Hometown: Kitchener

Fun Fact: I’ve been on RASC for three years now!

Jenn Bradley (she/her)

Hometown: Waterloo, Ontario

Program: Social Development Studies

Fun fact: I am working on completing my ACE-TESOL certification so that I can teach English to English language learners.

First-year tip: Ask for help sooner rather than later. Whether you need help with a challenging course or are struggling with your mental health, reach out for help at the first sign of trouble.

Favourite Renison/UW memory: The college dinners! They are always so fun, and it is so nice to get the whole college together!

Casi (Mature/Online/Transfer Peer Leader)

Hometown: Brampton, Ontario (but lives in Guelph)

Program: Currently in the Social Work programs, but recently graduated from Social Development Studies and Psychology

Fun fact: I volunteer at a rabbit rescue and have two bunnies myself, I also work as a Peer Success Coach for the Student Success Office!

First-year tip: Try to get a tour or a sense of where your classrooms are so you don’t get lost and end up half an hour late to your class :’) UW is HUGE!

Favourite Renison/UW memory: Studying in the Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology (PAS) building with my friends!

English Language Institute (ELI) Peer Leaders

Meet your ELI Peer Leader team!

Jason Pun

Jason is a University of Waterloo student in the Faculty of Engineering. Jason is here to support you as you adjust to life as a university student. Some things you can discuss with Jason include:

Helpful strategies to improve your conversational and professional language skills.
Getting involved at the University of Waterloo and volunteering.
Life in Canada and supports that Renison University College can provide.
Tips to adjust to the university environment and how to maintain a busy workload as a Waterloo student

Karina Fu

Karina is a Economics program student and a proud graduate of the BASE program! Karina is here to support you as you adjust to life as a university student. Some things you can discuss with Karina include:

Helpful strategies to improve your conversational and professional language skills.
Getting involved at the University of Waterloo and volunteering.
Life in Canada and supports that Renison University College can provide.
Tips to adjust to the university environment and how to maintain a busy workload as a Waterloo student

Kunal Karkhanis

Kunal is a University of Waterloo student in the Faculty of Health. Kunal is here to support you during your EFAS program studies. Some things you can discuss with Kunal include:

Helpful strategies to improve your conversational and professional language skills.
Getting involved at Renison and in the Waterloo community.
Life in Canada and supports that Renison University College can provide.
Tips to adjust to the university environment and how to maintain a busy workload as an EFAS student.

Simran Mahal

Simran is a University of Waterloo student in the Faculty of Health. Simran is here to support you during your EFAS program studies. Some things you can discuss with Simran include:

Helpful strategies to improve your conversational and professional language skills.
Getting involved at Renison and in the Waterloo community.
Life in Canada and supports that Renison University College can provide.
Tips to adjust to the university environment and how to maintain a busy workload as an EFAS student.