Volume 53 – Masthead
Melody Zhou
Photos Editor
photos@themedium.ca
Rojin Hajiabbasali
Outreach
outreach@themedium.ca
Sehajleen Wander
Design
design@themedium.ca
Masthead Archive – Volume 51 (2024-2025)
Tuesday, October 13th, 2026
Hey! I’m Samuel Kamalendran, and I’m honoured to serve The Medium’s as its Editor-in-Chief for Volume 53. Having formerly served as News and Managing Editor, I look forward to expanding The Medium’s reach and nurturing our community. Besides The Medium, I represent 60,000 undergraduate students on U of T’s Governing Council and conduct research with U of T’s Reach Alliance. In my free time, you can find me working out, creating music, or being in nature!
Hello! I’m Aaron, a fifth-year poli sci, anthro, and env management student. After writing and editing for the News section for the past couple of years, I’m super excited to be returning to The Medium as managing editor for V53! You can usually find me walking along the UTM Nature Trail, passed out on the couch in The Medium’s office, or rummaging through dollar bins at card shops. Go Habs 🙂
Hi everyone! I’m Natalie Ramadan, a recent UTM graduate who double-majored in Professional Writing and Communication and Sociology. As your News Editor for V53, I’m excited to help expand student engagement with The Medium. Whether you prefer reading, pitching stories or writing for us, The Medium has a place for everyone! In my spare time I enjoy spending time in nature, attempting Palestinian embroidery (Tatreez) and reading. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn!
I’m Mash, your trusted Opinion Editor for Volume 53! I’m going into my fifth-year as a neuroscience and women and gender studies student, and I’m super stoked to be returning to The Medium. This volume, my editorial vision for Opinion is simple and combines the two important ingredients for a strong culture of campus voices: thoughtful opinions that balance lived experience with well-argued claims and accessibility, ensuring every student feels comfortable and empowered to contribute to our paper. I want future UTM students to flip through our paper and see a snapshot of the communities, conversations, and experiences that make our campus special! Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and check out my other journalistic work.
Hello! I’m Madhav Ajayamohan– but feel free to call me Maddy! I am a fifth year student at U of T majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics. As a Features editor, I want to showcase the stories of UTM and help writers produce their best possible work. Outside of the job, you can find me reading (into Fantasy and Comedy, with forays into SciFi), listening to music (a lot of anime songs and Indian songs, with recent forays into Western music) and watching anime (top 3: Saiki K, March Comes in Like a Lion, Black Clover).
Hi, I’m Diana Varzideh, and I’ll be your Arts Editor for Volume 53! I’m a second year student studying psychology, creative writing, and linguistics. I’m thrilled to be the Arts Editor this year after serving as an associate last year, and have plans in place to implement more UTM-based coverage, covering an increased variety of arts such as theatre and student submitted visual arts. I also want to connect with the community as much as possible in person through office hours and events, so feel free to say hi!
Tyler is a recent graduate from UTM who double majored in Communication, Culture, Information, and Technology (CCIT) and Professional Writing and Communications (PWC). Tyler is excited to return as Sports and Health Editor this year and hopes to highlight the incredible accomplishments of student-athletes and health related programs and events on campus. He recently published his debut book titled ‘Passion: The Fans Behind the Beautiful Game,’ which is available on Amazon. When Tyler is not writing, he is most likely watching, coaching, or playing soccer. He is always open to talking about anything and everything related to sports and healthy living.
Photos Editor
photos@themedium.ca
Hi everyone! I am Melody, and I am excited to be back at The Medium as the Photos Editor for Volume 53! I recently graduated from UTM with a degree in Art History. After a year as V52’s Photos Editor, I am looking forward to another year of making even better visuals with the team and bringing something fresh to V53. Outside of The Medium, you can usually find me drawing, making tattoo stickers, or travelling somewhere new.
Greetings, everyone! I am Yasmine Benabderrahmane and I am delighted to join The Medium’s Volume 53 as one of your Copy Editors. I am currently a History graduate student at the University of Toronto, specialising in decolonial African history. As a former staff writer, Associate Opinion Editor, and V52’s Opinion Editor, I am honoured to continue to be part of a community that upholds the journalistic integrity of student voices. In my spare time, you might catch me starting (and never finishing) crochet projects, hiking with my camera, or reading.
Hi everyone! This is Gisele, and I am excited to serve as your Copy Editor this year. I am a fourth year double majoring in English and Philosophy. My previous experience as Features Editor provided me the opportunity to connect with a wide variety of students, professors and professionals. It was inspiring to witness your courage and determination in advocating for your passions. I can’t wait to see what we can create for Volume 53! In my free time, you can find me reading, singing or taking long walks by the lake.
Hi everyone! My name is Jannine and I’m excited to return as your Social Media and Online Editor for V53! Having studied media communications (CCIT) and human-centred design (TCS) at UTM, I can’t wait to leverage creative storytelling across our online platforms and continue building The Medium’s digital presence. Outside of work, you can find me at the gym, finding a new cafe to visit, or dilly dallying in the city!
Outreach
outreach@themedium.ca
Hi everyone! My name is Rojin, I’m a second year UTM student, and I’m delighted to serve as one of your event coordinators this year. I’m thrilled to be joining the outreach team and I look forward to planning and organizing the standout experiences you’ve come to love from The Medium. From tabling events and exciting giveaways to educational workshops and fun field trips, the outreach team is here to create meaningful experiences and help you build a strong connection with The Medium. I look forward to a super fun year together!
Hi! My name is Rameen and I’m truly excited to work on Outreach at The Medium and is a vision that I feel first began last year. As an Associate Features Editor, I was able to celebrate and deepen our connections with our campus community and its many meaningful initiatives. Through this, I found great joy in inviting our campus to read and contribute to The Medium and be a part of our amazing team. Overall, I hope to foster a deep sense of community both in and outside of our masthead. I currently work in other roles that will support me in this goal. For example, I am the VP of Communications at TCF UTM, where I lead our team’s outreach efforts, and also hope to continue as an Outreach Organizer at MIST Toronto.
Design
design@themedium.ca
Hi everyone 🙂 my name is Sehaj. I graduated this spring with a double major in Criminology and Anthropology and am super excited to return as the Design Editor for The Medium! Now that me and Adobe have had some time to battle it out i am looking forward to level up the creativity with the paper’s layout this year. In my free time you’ll find me doodling on my ipad, listening to hour long video essays on any topic ever or staring at cool trinkets in Kensington Market ^^
Hey everyone! My name is Samm and I am soon to graduate, double majoring in Economics and Political Science. I am super excited to bring back the videographer role for The Medium this year. I am looking forward to cover events on campus and bring your articles to life through audiovisual media. Feel free to reach out to me through any social media platform and let me know if there is something on campus you feel that needs video coverage. Beyond Uni, you can usually find me at Sunday cars and coffee or someplace in Downtown Toronto working on a car related reel.
Maryam is currently pursuing graduate studies at the Institute of Management and Innovation (IMI) after completing her HBSc in Biology for Health Science with minors in Biomedical Communications and Creative Writing. Guided by a lifelong love of storytelling, she brings a creative lens to everything she does. As associate opinion editor, she aims to spark meaningful conversation by uplifting voices and ideas that enrich campus dialogue and invites readers to see familiar issues from new perspectives. In her free time, Maryam loves exploring new places, soaking up the sun with friends, and getting lost in her latest creative project.
Adanna is a third-year student specializing in Art and Art History. Her love for visual storytelling is boundless. She enjoys creating meaningful illustrations for the Medium and spending her free time reading, writing, and worldbuilding.
Hello! My name is Zainab Khalil and I am in my third year double majoring in biology and environmental science with a minor in business. I am passionate about writing and have contributed to the medium since my very first semester at UTM. I enjoy writing about miscellaneous topics from topics that spark my interest to advice on university life that students can relate to. As an associate feature editor on Volume 52, I am excited to continue contributing to the medium, pitch stories and bring new ideas to life!
Hi, my name is Rojin Hajiabbasali and I’m a first-year student pursuing political science with a double minor in logic, and ethics, law, and society. As an associate illustrator, I love bringing stories to life using my art. Being able to create illustrations that help readers connect with the content is something I’m truly passionate about. In the future, I hope to continue my love of building community by using my education and experiences (and my art!) to advocate for human rights and support meaningful social change. Whether that means working in policy or international organizations, my goal is to find innovative ways to help others and contribute to solving global issues.
I am a fourth-year student at UTM double-majoring in Professional Writing and Communication and Criminology, Law, and Society. I joined The Medium as a contributor in Fall of 2025 because I had a passion for writing and wanted to gain experience as a writer and editor (which I hope to one day make a career out of!) I mainly cover news stories happening in and around UTM to keep students informed about their campus. In my free time, I like to read (just about anything), play chess, and nap!
Diana is a first-year student at UTM, planning on pursuing a major in Psychology with minors in Creative Writing and Linguistics. She joined the Medium at the start of her first year, becoming Associate Arts Editor at the start of 2026. Before joining the Medium, she wrote and edited papers in high school, where she graduated as EIC of the school paper. As an executive member of The Medium, Literature is Alive!, and the English and Drama Student Society, Diana loves meeting people across all disciplines and blending the arts, sciences, and humanities. In her free time, she enjoys songwriting, swimming, and adding to her collection of duck memorabilia.
April Roy (she/her) is a Year 2 student in ICCIT pursuing a double major in CCIT and PWC. She has a passion for writing, photography, and illustrating, and hopes to pursue a career in writing. April has contributed six articles to five issues of Volume 52, as well as several hand drawn illustrations and photographs throughout the term as an associate photographer and illustrator. April has engaged in the UTM community through her role as an editor and writer for the Folia special issue From Page to Planet: Transforming Nature Through Art presented by ENG259: Imagining Nature: Literature and the Environment.
Masthead Archive – Volume 51 (2024-2025)