Our Admissions Experts

Dr. Behrouz Moemeni is the founder and CEO here at BeMo. He is compelled by a vision to change the education system. He believes everyone deserves access to higher education. Specifically, he is determined to create and provide admissions and educational training programs that reduce the social barriers at professional programs. He is also driven by a mission to create the next generation of admissions/candidate screening tools that are more fair, while technologically and scientifically light years ahead of current admissions screening tools out there. 

Dr. Moemeni is meticulous about scientifically proven programs, services and products created here at BeMo. He blames this on his training as a scientist and he holds a Ph.D. in the field of Immunology from the University of Toronto. He is the recipient of 19 awards for his work during his undergraduate and graduate years, including the Prize in Biology. He has delivered several presentations at international scientific conferences and his scientific work in the areas of cancer biology and immunology, has culminated in several discoveries and the publication of 3 peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Moemeni has also taught a course at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and an undergraduate level course at the University of Toronto.

He is one of the world’s most expensive and sought-after admissions screening experts and is hired by institutions around the world for his expertise. His motivation-based admissions screening strategy has appeared in Diverse Issues in Higher Education, University World News, CMAJ News, and Nature Jobs. He regularly presents thought-provoking presentations to an international audience including appearances at TEDx WLUBrantford and Beyond Sciences Initiative. Click here to watch his TEDx talk. 

Dr. Moemeni continues to make time to directly interact with our students here at BeMo and he takes their success personally and advocates on their behalf.

Follow Dr. Moemeni:

Follow Dr. Moemeni on LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, & Instagram.

Select Publications & Presentations:

Behrouz Moemeni, 14 Rules for Admissions Screening in Higher Ed: An Antidote to Bias. Pick up a copy on Amazon.ca or Amazon.com.

Behrouz Moemeni, Intrinsic Motivation: The key to revolutionize education, work and life. TEDx WLUBrantford. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjC7cM8a5zU

Behrouz Moemeni, Why I became an advocate for change in university admissions & employee selection (and why you should too). BSI International Conference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irDvhC7CE_k

Behrouz Moemeni, etc. Ultimate Guide to CASPer Test Prep. Available on Amazon. 

Behrouz Moemeni, et al. Ultimate Guide To Med School Admissions. Available on Amazon. 

Behrouz Moemeni, Vacaresse, N. , Vainder, M. , Wortzman, M. , Watts, T. , Veillette, A. , Gajewski, T. and Julius, M. Fyn Expression Predicates Both Protective Immunity and Onset of Autoimmunity. Open Journal of Immunology, 5, 244-259. doi: 10.4236/oji.2015.55020.

Behrouz Moemeni. Unique and interdependent roles of Lck and Fyn in TcR Signalling. PhD Thesis. University of Toronto.

Behrouz Moemeni*, D.F.*, et al. Lck-dependent Fyn activation requires C-terminus-dependent targeting of kinase-active Lck to lipid rafts. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 238(39): 26409-26422. (*Equal contributions)

P.Y.B.A., N.M., H.C., Behrouz Moemeni, et al. The oncogene PDGF-B provides a key switch from cell death to survival induced by TNF. Oncogene, 24(19): 3196-3205.

Guest Posts and Contributions:

"Top 8 Strategies to Prepare for and Ace your Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)", The Student Doctor Network, https://www.studentdoctor.net/2017/08/30/multiple-mini-interview-mmi/

"How to Ace CASPer Without Reading a Single Book on Ethics or Improving Your Typing Speed", The Student Doctor Network, https://www.studentdoctor.net/2017/08/15/casper-scenario/

"Anatomy of a Successful Medical School Resume" USA News & World Report, https://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/articles/2017-05-25/anatomy-of-a-successful-medical-school-resume

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mary Christine (Chris) Zeise completed her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh in 1994 and her Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership at Duquesne University in 1999.

Following a career in the U.S. Air Force—as well as a variety of positions in accounting, teaching, and administration—Chris joined Carnegie Mellon University in 1994 as the Assistant to the Department Head. She was then promoted the Director of Admissions and Alumni Relations. During her 19-year tenure with Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Chris was very active in addressing graduate student issues. She served on a number of committees, including the President’s Diversity Advisory Committee for Graduate Education, the Foreign Student Advisory Committee, and the Engineering Advancement Committee and continued to actively participate in meetings pertaining to graduate education policies.

 In May 2009, the Dean for the College of Engineering appointed Ms. Zeise as the Director of Admissions and Alumni Relations for Carnegie Mellon University at their Silicon Valley campus (CMU-SV) where she remained until February 2019. Here, she was responsible for student recruitment, application review, admissions, and commencement activities, specifically for students enrolled in the Integrated Innovation Institute that offers a Master of Science in Software Management and Master of Science in Technology Ventures and a Master of Integrated Innovation for Products & Services. She enjoyed maintaining contact with students from their arrival to departure, assisting in all steps in between whenever she could.

In 2017 Ms. Zeise was a nominee for the College of Engineering Continuous Excellence Award. The Staff Recognition Awards honor staff members who demonstrate outstanding qualities such as innovation, leadership, dedication, positive attitude, and being a team player.

In addition to her professional responsibilities, Ms. Zeise also initiated the American Football 101 workshop for new students at CMU-SV and worked to implement other alumni events such as Carnival West. The goal of these social events was to provide a sense of belonging to all of the students and alumni for the numerous global locations of CMU.

 From February 2019 to December 2020 Ms. Zeise served as the Director of Operations for MD Admissions at Stanford University from. During that time, she was responsible for project management of activities such as application review, admissions committee meetings, student decisions and notifications; recruitment events such as graduate fairs, Multi-Mini Interviews (MMIs), virtual fairs and interviews during the COVID pandemic, as well as coordinating the Committee of Admissions (COA) Working Group to assist in generating recommendations to the School of Medicine Faculty Senate, and developing the MD Admissions Staff Policy and Procedures Guidelines.

Overall, Ms. Zeise she has 26 years of admissions experience. Currently, she is volunteering at Bella Terra Stables, an Equine-Assisted Therapy organization that offers assistance to children in crisis.

Dr. Martin Weaver is a Sports Medicine physician in South Florida. He is double board-certified in Sports Medicine and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

After receiving his Bachelor's Degree from Yale University as a Science Technology, and Research Scholar he then completed his Medical Degree as a member of the charter class of Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. While at both Yale University and Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Dr. Weaver served on the admissions committee, interviewed, and recruited students with a focus on STEM and multicultural outreach.

He performed his residency training at University of Miami, where he was elected Chief Resident and provided medical care for several teams and organizations including the Miami Marlins and U.S. Sailing. He then continued his post-graduate training, completing an ACGME Sports Medicine fellowship at Emory University where he provided medical care for many teams and organizations including the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Dream, and Ladies Professional Golf Association. He also served as medical director for the athletics departments of Clark Atlanta University and Tucker High School.

Dr. Weaver practices musculoskeletal sports medicine and has produced copious award-winning research in, and lectured nationally on, regenerative medicine, orthobiologics, and concussions. His approach focuses on the non-surgical and utilizes cutting-edge technology for minimally invasive treatment of orthopedic injuries, including the use of stem cell therapy, platelet-rich plasma, ultrasound, and percutaneous ultrasonic tenotomy. He treats patients with orthopedic injuries of all age ranges and activity levels. He is also a Certified CrossFit Level 1 Healthcare Professionals Trainer, FIFA Diplomate in Football Medicine, and a former section editor for the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

Dr. Deepa Bhat was born in India and subsequently grew up in Michigan. She attended the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor for her undergraduate studies, and double-majored in Spanish as well as Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science. She then completed her medical school training at Rush University in Chicago, IL. During residency, she completed a one-year basic science research fellowship in the Tissue Engineering lab at Johns Hopkins University. She is currently an integrated plastic surgery resident in upstate New York.  

Deepa is passionate about mentorship and promoting diversity in medicine and surgery. She genuinely believes that anyone can become successful with the right tools, and has benefited from strong mentors in her own career. In her free time, she enjoys reading for pleasure, traveling to new places, and spending time with her friends and family. 

Dr. David Schulze is a recent graduate of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. Currently he is doing his internal medicine intern year in Weatherford, Texas and will be moving to Los Angeles, California for his Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency. Before entering medical school David was an actor, an EMT, a tutor, a lab manager, a cartoonist, and an English major. He knows what it’s like to have a different career before medicine!

In 2014, David attended the medical science master’s program at the University of Texas Health Science Center and was elected president of his class. After graduating he would become an advisor and mentor to the multiple classes that came after him. He helped them navigate the difficult waters of applying to medical school, dental school, podiatry school, graduate school, nursing school, and PA programs.

As a medical student David was proactive and severed as the class president all four years. During that time he got to see behind the scenes and learned what faculty, administration, and admissions directors are looking for in future students. He also continued to mentor the upcoming classes and was always available to answer a question or read over an essay. Now as a resident David continues to help advise those applying to residency.

David is happiest when the people he’s helped have achieved their goals. He has been on all sides of the application process and has gained many helpful insights. Let him use those insights to help you get the career of your dreams!  

Dr. Kendra Martel is currently a first-year resident physician in Alberta, Canada. She has been fortunate to be able to complete much of her undergraduate degree, medical school, and now residency training within her home province, but also has had 2 years of educational experience in British Columbia. She graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with Distinction, and went on to complete her Medical Degree at the University of Calgary. She is currently completing her training in Psychiatry at the University of Alberta. 

Having gone through both the medical school and residency application experiences within the past 3 years and previously being actively involved in admissions at her medical school, she is well-versed in the current state of the admissions process and equipped with up-to-date tips for both applications and interviewing. 

Kendra’s passion for advocacy and equity in health care as well as the admissions process are integral to her decision to pursue a career with BeMo. She plans to draw upon her experience as an applicant, her training in cultural awareness and intrinsic biases, and interpersonal skills to help her clients put their best foot forward! 

In her spare time, Kendra spends time in the warmer months outdoors and hiking. She loves being involved in physical activity and takes part in dance, yoga, weightlifting, and running. Her interests include reading, spending time with her dog, friends, and family, traveling, and capturing life’s moments through photography. 

Mentorship and advocacy remain central to Kendra, having consistently held mentorship roles in various capacities over the past 6 years. She has seen first-hand how powerful the effects of strong mentorship can be. She looks forward to meeting you and helping you achieve your educational goals! 

Dr. Jacquelyn Paquet is a medical resident at the University of Alberta.

Jacquelyn grew up in rural Alberta and completed her undergraduate degrees in psychology and nursing both at the University of Alberta. While in undergraduate training, she was involved in career mentorship, crisis intervention and teaching, honing skills in teamwork and communication. She then completed her medical degree at the University of Alberta. During her medical training she was involved in a large research study on the impacts of mental health and substance use on academic performance, furthering her academic endeavours. She then successfully matched to the Psychiatry residency program at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Paquet is excited to help students achieve their professional aspirations as a consultant with BeMo. She understands the importance of structured and specific feedback and focused practice in developing confidence in interview settings. She aims to support student’s development of succinct writing skills to approach applications.

Outside of medicine, she can be found doing art, playing with her cats and spending time with her family. 

Dr. Rolando Gerena is a current medical resident at Indiana University. He will be attending the University of Colorado next summer to join their Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program.  His interest in education and mentoring stem from his upbringing in South Florida. His mother’s passion for teaching and his father’s love for agriculture motivated him to join the BeMo family. He aspires to mentor students who are interested in gaining acceptance into higher-learning programs. 

Dr. Gerena’s passion can be seen through his serving of others, including patients and colleagues. He was elected by his peers to serve as class president for his four years of medical school. Dr. Gerena also had the privilege of being selected as an ambassador to the admissions committee at his school. 

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Gerena worked with education leaders to develop a COVID-19 pandemic course for over 700 medical students. The creation of this course provided all third- and fourth-year students with a solid base of knowledge for reintegration into the clinical setting. 

In his free time, Dr. Gerena enjoys going to the gym and hanging out with his dog. He also loves to eat so you can likely find him trying out a new restaurant every weekend.   

Dr. Nicholas B. Conway is an incoming obstetrics & gynecology resident at Rutgers University. He earned his medical degree from the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, graduating with a certificate and distinction in leadership. He obtained his Bachelor of Science from the University of Central Florida. Dr. Conway has a passion for education, mentorship, and innovation. 

During medical school, he served in various leadership positions, including his class representative to the Association of American Medical Colleges and President of the medical school’s American Medical Association Chapter. He was an Admissions Committee Interviewer, Peer Tutor, and Medical Student Ambassador. Before matriculating into medical school, he was a Lead Teaching Assistant, teaching thousands of students in the laboratory setting. He was also invited as a guest lecturer in multiple didactic courses during this time. 

Dr. Conway has been actively involved in various research projects throughout his education. His research has received multiple first-place poster awards, a national travel award, and a program committee's blue-ribbon pick. He has been invited nationally to speak on his research. His award-winning curricular research is now part of his medical school’s curriculum. In addition to his research, Dr. Conway served as Editor-in-Chief for the Florida Medical Student Research Journal, a peer-reviewed PubMed-indexed journal.

His significant contributions to his alma mater were recognized at the highest level as he was awarded the 2023 Outstanding Leadership Award for a Graduate Student and the Real Triumphs Graduate Presidential Commencement Award. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology honored Dr. Conway with its 2022 Medical Student Award for Outstanding Achievement. He is also a member of the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society.

Dr. Sruveera earned a Bachelor's in Neuroscience and a Minor in Public Health from the College of William & Mary and was part of local high school tutoring and college preparation programs during her time in college. After graduation, Sruveera obtained her Master's in Physiology from Georgetown University in Washington DC. During gap years prior to medical school, she worked in Emergency Departments and at clinics to gain vital hands-on experience while also tutoring students in all the SAT sections, AP Biology, as well as the MCAT Biology and Critical Reading sections. She then graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine with a doctorate of medicine (MD) degree, as a gold humanism honor society awardee and is now a resident Physician in Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.

Throughout medical school, she has been actively involved in the mentorship of pre-medical students and helped individuals gain acceptance into top undergraduate and graduate/medical institutions. Sruveera enjoys supporting students through all phases of the medical school admissions process, no matter their background or interests. She is committed to working collaboratively with students to achieve their goals and be a patient, encouraging, and informative guide. She enjoys spending time in warm weather, staying active through yoga and dancing, trying new restaurants, and traveling with family.

Dr. Momin Samad is an internal medicine resident at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, nearby where he was born and raised. He completed his undergraduate studies at Michigan State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience. He then continued at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine for medical school. He hopes to pursue a career in gastroenterology. From his undergraduate to residency years, Momin was involved in career mentorship, medical education, and leadership positions. He enjoys working with highly motivated students to help them achieve their true potential, whether that is in their professional and personal lives. Outside of medicine, Momin enjoys writing, video editing, and basketball. Before medical school he helped produce videos for various channels and creators. He enjoys creative outlets that include music and content creation with his friends and family.  

Dr. Roma Stephen is a Toronto resident who graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree (Double major in Neuroscience & Psychology) and later obtained a medical degree by completing medical school training in the Caribbean and the United States. She is currently in her hometown preparing for Canadian medical board exams. She has worked with United Nations Development Team in regards to mental health reforms in developing countries as well as been an active COVID-19 contact tracer during the pandemic in South Florida. Her goals are to serve people and educate them in any way possible. Through BeMo she plans on sharing some of her knowledge that she has acquired over the years and relieve stress for individuals who are seeking professional advice when it comes to admissions or enrollment.

Kedija Abdella is in her final year of medical school at the University of Toronto. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Trent University in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and was accepted to medical school after three years of undergraduate studies. Kedija has been involved in numerous mentorship and teaching initiatives throughout her undergraduate and medical studies. Her passion for advocacy, diversity, and inclusion has led her to obtain notable experience in supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds pursue careers in medicine. Kedija is thrilled to be able to use her experiences to help more students achieve their academic and professional goals. 

Hina Ukrani completed her Bachelor’s of Science at the University of Waterloo. During her undergraduate studies, Hina committed to a number of research and teaching opportunities.

Hina has personal experience mentoring individuals throughout her life both in research and teaching settings. Hina is highly motivated to bring her experiences to BeMo and help students succeed in their efforts and reach their goals! 

Naeha was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She attended Vanderbilt University where she graduated with Honors in Neuroscience and Medicine, Health and Society. Following undergraduate education, she matriculated to George Washington University, where she is currently a fourth-year medical student with career interests in Emergency Medicine and Health Policy. Naeha has tutoring experience with high school, college and medical school students in subjects including Math and English. She has also served as a medical student interviewer, and has experience advising students on medical school applications and personal statement writing. Naeha is excited to work with BeMo Consulting and help students on their path to testing and applying for graduate school! 

Chavonne was born and raised in NYC. Chavonne attended Eckerd College for undergrad where she majored in Biology. Chavonne was able to obtain her Master’s in Public Health and Medical degree from St George's University in a dual degree program. Chavonne was able to complete her pediatric residency and chief resident year at St Joseph's Regional Medical Center. Chavonne is now completing her Pediatric Gastroenterology fellowship.

Chavonne has a great interest in affordable, healthy nutrition for all. During fellowship she has joined and started various multidisciplinary teams working to improve access to healthcare for minority patients. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, trying new restaurants and cooking at home.

Steven is currently an Internal Medicine resident at the University of Toronto after having completed his medical school training at McMaster University. He is quite familiar with the pre-med journey having seen, mentored and taught thousands of students as they successfully entered medical school.

Having previously taught MCAT classes, Steven always found engaging with students’ career aspirations to be more rewarding than the content itself. He is very excited to take on this position with BeMo and support students in this manner going forward.

Dr. Michael Chung earned his medical degree from Albany Medical College in New York, and his Bachelor of Science degree from University of California Berkeley. He is currently a resident physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Chung has years of experience as a tutor and mentor for individuals applying to college and medical school.  In addition, he has successfully mentored medical students through the residency process.  He enjoys working with motivated students to empower them with the tools necessary to achieve their academic and professional goals. 

Vincent Athas is a resident physician in General Surgery in South Florida. A native Texan, Vincent grew up in the suburbs of Dallas as the proud older brother of seven younger siblings. He took his competitive drive to NJCAA Division III tennis at his local community college during which time he discovered the joys of teaching and began tutoring algebra, economics, and foreign languages. Vincent matriculated at the University of Dallas where he received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with a concentration in Comparative Literary Traditions. After being awarded the Sister Clodovia Lockett Scholarship as the most promising premedical student among his peers he was accepted to the Joint Admission Medical Program where he was matched with Texas Tech Health Sciences Center for Medical School. Spending summers with college students as a mentor and gross anatomy lab assistant, he received the Dean’s Choice Award at the time of graduation. Vincent has given multiple oral presentations at American College of Surgery chapter meetings on clinical dilemmas in surgery and various outcomes research topics. He maintains a particular interest in Trauma, Critical Care, and Acute Care Surgery but is even more inspired when meeting and mentoring aspiring individuals who seek to refine their talents to serve the community around them.

Shreya (Sona) Nuguri is currently a medical student at OUHSC. Although born in India, she has spent every other living moment in OKC, Oklahoma. At the University of Oklahoma, she pursued a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Microbiology, graduating with Honors. During her undergraduate studies, she exclusively worked at OU Writing Center and thoroughly enjoys helping students with their academic goals. She also has a special interest in healthcare business consulting and was paired up with 5+ business companies to offer real-world solutions to drive organizations forward. Growing up, she was an avid dancer and still practices multiple forms today including teaching Zumba. Her current goals are to specialize in a surgical specialty at a well-known academic center and to serve on admission committees/ teaching faculty for medical students and residents.

Gautham is currently a Psychiatry resident at Queen's University in Kingston. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Toronto and his medical school from the Caribbean along with a Masters level post graduate certification course from Harvard Medical School. Gautham is passionate about medical education and promoting health literacy. He was previously involved in medical education, including admissions and clinical affairs. He hopes to bring his experiences to BeMO and help facilitate students achieving their goals.

Isaac was born in China and immigrated to Canada when he was 15 years old. He is currently a medical student at Dalhousie University with a career interest in Internal Medicine. Prior to medical school, he graduated from Dalhousie University with a University Medal in Pharmacy. Isaac has experience lecturing PharmD students on Critical appraisal and Evidence-based medicine. He also has experience advising students on medical school applications. Isaac is excited to be able to work with students to reach their career goals.

Noah grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology from Michigan State University, where he worked on a variety of research projects and actively participated in journal clubs. Noah is currently a medical student at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and hopes to work in a surgical specialty back in his hometown of Marquette. He has experience volunteering as a mentor for high school students, helping them to achieve success in their academics and encouraging them to pursue careers that interest them. As a medical student, he holds group review sessions to cover high yield topics and strives to make sure his peers are comfortable with the material, answering any questions that arise.

 Outside of class, Noah loves watching movies (especially Star Wars), trying out new cooking recipes, and hiking with his fiancé and dog. Noah is passionate about helping others achieve their goals and believes everyone should have the opportunity to learn!

Haitham is completing his PhD at McGill University after winning the Canadian government’s prestigious Vanier Doctoral Scholarship from the CIHR for his research and work. Haitham earned his MBBcH from Ain Shams University, Cairo and then completed his internship. In parallel, he founded projects for the disabled community in Egypt winning awards from UN HABITAT and King Abdullah II Award from Jordan being recognized at the World Economic Forum. He got his Masters in Public Health from Imperial College London after being awarded the UK Government’s Prestigious Chevening Scholarship. His experience spans across health economics, orthopedics interventions effectiveness, health policy and strengthening health systems post-emergencies. He published more than 30 papers and co-authored books with the WHO and UNITAR. He worked for the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and WHO in Geneva and Regional Office in Cairo. He was a Paul Farmer Global Surgery Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School and worked on local and global health projects such as early diagnosis of surgical site infections using mHealth technologies and national surgical planning in Rwanda. He also worked in Pakistan through coordinating a technical working group on national surgical planning. Within Harvard, he won several awards, such as the Harvard Regional Scholars Award for the Program in Clinical Effectiveness, Rose Service-Learning Fellowship Award for his research work in Pakistan, Harvard Business School Venture Incubator Program hosted in the Harvard Innovation Lab, Professional Development Support Fund to present his research at the American Public Health Association and the Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship for his Master of Science in Health Policy and Management at Harvard University. Haitham is a decision analysis scientist working extensively in global health policy. He was a research fellow at Cambridge University Hospitals, a research associate with Paris Descartes University – Laboratory of applied health economics research (LIRAES) – Sorbonne and a Global Burden of Diseases Collaborator. Haitham also completed a Graduated Diploma in Business Administration (GDBA) from the John Molson Business School at Concordia University.

Dr. Maimoona Altaf is a first year resident in family medicine at University of Toronto. She attended medical school at University of Toronto, and before this, Dr. Altaf completed her undergraduate degree at Trent University in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Outside of medicine, Maimoona is an avid foodie and enjoys trying out new cuisines and experimenting with new recipes. As a BeMo consultant, her goal is to work collaboratively with students in achieving their educational and professional goals. 

Dr. Joshua Osika is currently a resident in psychiatry at McMaster University.

Joshua was born and raised in Northern Ontario and completed his Bachelor of Science as well as a graduate diploma in Science Communication at Laurentian University. He then went on to study economics, completing his B.A. at Laurentian and his M.A. at the University of Waterloo. He completed medical school at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

Prior to medicine, Dr. Osika has many years of experience working with students as both an economics instructor at Laurentian University as well as a teaching assistant in both biochemistry and economics, and as a tutor from elementary to undergraduate levels.

Joshua has a passion for medicine and for teaching. He is bringing experience helping students from a variety of backgrounds to BeMO where he hopes to continue helping people to achieve their goals.

Dr. Cameron Adams grew up in Seattle and attended University of Washington, completing a Biochemistry Bachelor of Science degree. He subsequently spent two years at the NIH Vaccine Research Center, working to improve HIV Vaccine design. After his time in DC, he joined the UNC MD/PhD program where he completed a PhD dissertation focused on Flavivirus vaccines. He is currently applying to Internal Medicine residency where he will build a career around global gastroenterology. 

Dr. Manuel Medina graduated from Universidad Iberoamericana - UNIBE School of Dentistry in 2012 in the Dominican Republic. Shortly after graduation, he pursued a specialty program in Oral Surgery and Dental Implants at UNIBE. In 2016, he moved to the U.K. to pursue a Masters of Public Health at University of Wolverhampton. Upon his return to the Dominican Republic, Dr. Medina was involved in clinical didactic roles in two of the country’s most important dental schools, as well as a consultant position with the Pan American Health Organization. Dr. Medina is very passionate about his journey back into dental school. He is now based in Canada and the United States, and he has joined the University of Michigan School of Dentistry as part of the Internationally Trained Dentist Program Class of 2025. In his spare time, Dr. Medina enjoys learning French, working out, traveling and exploring different cuisines. 

Dr. Sebastian Hanna is currently a first-year neurology resident at the University of California, Irvine. He grew up in Essex, Vermont, and studied at the University of Vermont. There, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry as well as a Bachelor of Arts in History, graduating with honors. He subsequently completed medical school at the Robert Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and aims to become a physician-scientist. He has several years of experience both as a tutor and as a teaching assistant in chemistry and biochemistry. Additionally, he has devoted himself to biomedical research since his college years. In medical school, he interviewed medical student applicants for three years for Larner's admissions committee. 

Lekha Reddy is a medical student who is passionate about teaching and education. She was born and raised in New Jersey and earned her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in Medicine, Health & Society with a minor in Quantitative Methods. She is currently completing her final year at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School with interests in emergency medicine, narrative writing, and education. Lekha has had extensive experience with tutoring and mentoring learners of all levels. She also served as a writer and editor for an online medical literary magazine and genuinely enjoys helping individuals craft personal statements and professional application materials. Outside of medicine, Lekha enjoys dancing, traveling, exercising, and reading. She looks forward to helping aspiring students reach their professional goals with BeMo! 

Dr. Trevor Blanchard is currently a resident in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Western Ontario.

He was raised in Northern Ontario, where he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and a Masters in Human Kinetics. He subsequently attended the Northern Ontario School of Medicine before venturing to London, ON, for residency.

Dr. Blanchard has given several oral and poster presentations at national and internal conferences with current research interests in sports medicine, arthroplasty, and quality improvement.

Dr. Blanchard has helped mentor many students along their medical journey, whether getting into Medical School or preparing for the residency match. He looks forward to working with BeMo to help others reach their goals. 

Dr. Meng Yang is a recent PhD graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she received her PhD in Linguistics. Her research focused on how we, humans, use the many acoustic dimensions of speech sounds to understand the words we hear, as well as how the perceptual biases we bring to this process ultimately affect the course of language change. She has published on this topic and others in peer-reviewed journals and has presented her research at numerous international conferences. Her research was funded by the National Science Foundation among other funding agencies.

Meng is an experienced teacher and academic mentor. During her time at UCLA, she taught both general-education introductory courses and advanced courses in linguistics, and has a passion for pedagogical innovation in the classroom. As a graduate mentor, Meng was an advocate for undergraduate participation in research and created many such opportunities for her students. She is also well-versed in the ins and outs of admissions to competitive programs and has helped numerous mentees successfully navigate the process. As an academic consultant at BeMo, she is excited to share her experience and knowledge with you!

Nyasha Gondora has a PhD in neuropharmacology from the University of Waterloo. During the course of her graduate career she won several national and university-level scholarships and awards for her research, research presentations and community involvement, including being a two time recipient of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR-DSECT) scholarship. Over the past few years, Nyasha has worked closely with a total of >950 students in her capacity as a course instructor, teaching assistant and research mentor. Alongside teaching and mentorship, Nyasha enjoys public speaking and in 2016 was selected to deliver the official video pitch for a 100 million dollar grant application to the MacArthur Foundation on behalf of The Council of Scientific Society Presidents (Washington, DC).

Nyasha completed her Bachelor's in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas where she studied on scholarship. During her undergraduate studies, Nyasha pursued a broad range of experiences from interning in a public health organization in Washington, DC, doing ecology research and working in a top-tier HIV research lab. Through these experiences she earned a competitive undergraduate research fellowship and two prestigious awards. Texas is where Nyasha first discovered her love for science (and Mexican food!). In her free time Nyasha enjoys reading, jogging and is always ready for the next episode of Grey's Anatomy!

Nyasha believes in the power of effective mentorship and is a strong advocate for student success. She looks forward to channeling her wealth of experiences to help YOU achieve your dreams! 

Dr. Ashley Grimaldi completed her undergraduate work at University of Colorado, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She completed her graduate work at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine where she joined their Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences. She earned her Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology from Vanderbilt where she studied the role of microtubule plus-end tracking proteins in the regulation of cellular architecture and physiology. While at Vanderbilt, Dr. Grimaldi wrote funding proposals and secured an American Heart Association predoctoral fellowship for her study of microtubule-dependent regulation of cardiovascular disease. She has six peer-reviewed publications from her time at Vanderbilt where she also gained invaluable teaching and mentoring experience.

After several years in science research, Dr. Grimaldi pursued her passion for helping students and has now been teaching full-time for six years. Dr. Grimaldi’s diverse research and teaching experiences allow her to provide valuable advice to a wide variety of students. As a BeMo team member, she is passionate about bringing her skills and expertise to students as she supports them in achieving their academic and professional goals.

Outside of consulting, Dr. Grimaldi enjoys working on puzzles, taking her dog to the park, and eating tacos with her husband.

Ms. Ronza Nissan holds a Bachelors of Arts in criminology (Honours) and a minor in Political Science and holds an MA in Political Science,International Affairs.  Ronza has several years of experience within the recruitment industry, giving her a unique real-life perspective in candidate screening and is one of our highly ranked admissions experts here at BeMo.

As an immigrant with a strong passion for outreach programs and children’s rights, Ronza remains active within the community. Working as a catalyst for War Child, Ronza created a committee, One Army that brings awareness through various organized events, in hopes of raising funds for children afflicted by war. Ronza is passionate about utilizing her voice and platform to advocate for families displaced, and strives to be at the forefront of international affairs.

In her spare time, Ronza studies other languages and aims to be fluent in 5 languages within the next few years, and currently speaks 3 languages fluently; Assyrian, Arabic and English. 

Dr. Charlene Hoi earned her PhD in Genetics from the University of Chicago in 2016, and is currently a Research Scientist at a biotech based in Richmond, BC. Before her doctorate, Charlene attended Cornell University, where she double majored in Biology and Animal Sciences. She spent much of her time either in the lab, studying the role of tissue stem cells in cancer, or out exploring gorges. After graduating from Cornell with summa cum laude honors, Charlene went on to matriculate at the University of Chicago, where she investigated modalities for tissue-specific signalling pathways. During her doctorate, Charlene was a recipient of the NIH-funded Genetics and Regulations Training Grant; attended multiple, international conferences; and published two articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Charlene is ever-curious and revels in hypothesis-driven research, but, more importantly for you, she has a long-standing passion for helping others achieve their goals and become their ideal versions of themselves. Charlene has always involved herself with tutoring and mentoring, whether it be in science-y settings, dancing, or video games. She looks forward to getting to know you and to helping you pursue the next step in your life!

Gurmeet Lall completed her Bachelor’s in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Waterloo. During her undergraduate studies, Gurmeet pursued a broad range of experiences from volunteering and teaching in various science outreach programs, and working as a research assistant in wet-labs. Through these experiences, she discovered her passion for research, teaching and mentoring and is now completing her PhD at the University of Waterloo, School of Pharmacy. Gurmeet’s research focuses on gene delivery and nanomedicine. In addition, as a recipient of the MITACS Accelerate award, she is also collaboratively working on the research and development of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Over the past few years, she has worked closely with over 500 students in her capacity as a teaching assistant and research mentor. She was recently awarded the ‘Best Mentor as a Graduate Student Teaching Assistant’ from the University of Waterloo. She believes that one of the most important elements in a strong mentor-mentee relationship is trust, and this is something she strives to build with every one of her mentees. Gurmeet is passionate about bringing her teaching and mentoring experience to BeMo, and is dedicated to help guide and shape the professional growth and learning of her students.

In her free time, Gurmeet enjoys running, working on puzzles, practicing yoga, dancing, or watching movies with her friends and family. 

Samira Lavei was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario to Kurdish immigrants from Iran. She is fluent in four languages, English, Kurdish, Farsi, and Spanish, and hopes to master Arabic and French in the coming years. She has extensive and diverse experience in a wide range of job fields including, administration, retail, legal research, fitness coaching, and non-governmental organizations including the Spanish Red Cross and UNICEF. Samira holds both a Bachelor and Master degree in Political Science and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at York University. She currently specializes in Women and Politics and International Relations, and her dissertation focuses on gender within Latin America. She has experience participating in international conferences and plans on publishing her academic work soon. She is excited about applying many of her skills acquired from her experiences as a consultant here at BeMo!  

Outside of academia, Samira is a dedicated karate athlete and a two-time Canadian medalist. She has previously represented Team Canada at the 2019 Pan-American Championships in Panama. She has been featured on the York University Faculty of Graduate Studies website for her simultaneous dedication as a karate athlete and a Ph.D. candidate. Her photos have been featured on ShePowerSport, a platform dedicated to educating the public on the health rights of female athletes. When Samira is not training, she likes to give back her athletic knowledge to various communities in need. Examples of this would be, teaching female refugees self-defence in Spain and co-instructing an after-school karate program for kids in Colombia. 

When Samira is not studying, training, or working, she loves taking part in activities such as salsa dancing, creative writing, and cross-cultural observations. Samira has traveled to over 14 countries and is hoping to diversify her list within the coming years.

Joseph David Narusis is currently finishing his doctorate in Applied Psychology with a specialization in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Southern Illinois University (SIU) in Carbondale, Illinois. Additionally, he works as an academic consultant at BeMo Academic Consulting and teaches advanced statistics and methods at SIU. As a teacher, he firmly believes that every student has the ability to succeed with the right instructions and motivation. One of his favorite sayings is, “It’s only a mistake if you do not learn from it.” He takes this approach when working with his students and focuses on using mistakes as opportunities to improve and develop. There are few things he enjoys more than watching that “lightbulb” click in a student’s head or watching them progress over time.

Joseph grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, southern Wisconsin, and central Florida. He has counts himself lucky to be able to spend extensive time overseas with his extended family in Lithuania. He loves to travel, play sports, and spend time outdoors in Southern Illinois. 

Dr. Marianne Mugabo holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology of Organisms from University Paris 11, a Master of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Sorbonne University (former University Pierre et Marie Curie) and a Ph.D. in Ecology from École Normale Supérieure de Paris.

After completing her Ph.D., she joined the School of Biology at the University of Leeds in the UK for 6 years as a postdoctoral researcher. In her research work, she has focused on understanding the effects of environmental variation (e.g.: food availability, habitat degradation, climate change) on individual traits in animal species such as survival rate, body size and reproductive performances and on identifying their consequences for the fate of populations (i.e.: population dynamics and risk of extinction). Her scientific achievements in the fields of evolutionary biology and population ecology have led to 13 publications in peer-reviewed journals. In recent years, Marianne has also worked as a freelance English-to-French technical translator and has specialized in software localization.

Throughout her academic training and career as a researcher, Marianne has mentored several undergraduate and graduate students. She has also taught lectures and practical classes in undergraduate and graduate programs, both as a teaching assistant and as a guest lecturer. She was also involved in multiple outreach and science communication events in France and in the UK. After enjoying a successful early career as an academic researcher, Marianne is delighted to help others achieve their own academic and career pursuits as an academic consultant at BeMo.

Dr. Africa earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Chemistry and a minor in Communication Studies from the University of Houston-Downton. These allowed her to apply her scientific skills in various industries—environmental, electrochemical, pharmaceutical, and petrochemical—as an Analytical Chemist. Her interest then evolved from using scientific skills to teaching others how to develop and apply them correctly. 

This budding passion was the catalyst that initiated her transition from industry into the classroom, where she taught undergraduate chemistry for four years and became increasingly fascinated by the learning process. Dr. Africa’s quest for a deeper understanding of learning, education, student evaluation and assessments, and academic achievement was fueled, leading her to pursue a master’s and then a doctoral degree in psychology, both with a specialization in educational psychology. Her doctoral degree culminated with a quantitative study titled, ‘Intelligence Mindsets, Psychological Needs Satisfaction, and Academic Achievement Among Dominican Secondary School Students.’ 

One of the theoretical tenets which have grounded her research is the growth mindset. Consequently, strengthening her belief that with the right resources and effort, everyone can excel, should have access to higher education, and the opportunity to achieve their goals. Thus, her interests deepened to include the publishing industry, where she has had extensive experience as an academic editor, working with researchers worldwide helping them achieve their dreams of becoming published authors in high-impact peer-reviewed scientific journals. 

Dr. Africa is intrinsically motivated, curious, and focused. She thrives in a learning environment and continuously identifies new opportunities to learn and grow within a specific context. She loves learning and embraces every aspect of the learning process: challenges, researching, making mistakes, getting feedback, unlearning, relearning, and disseminating knowledge. Dr. Africa pursues excellence.

Michela Insenga is currently completing her Ph.D. at the University of Leicester, in the UK. Her research investigates the different factors and emotions that have an influence in women’s choice to pursue a career and persist in the highly male-dominated engineering industry. Michela has a keen interest in social justice and equality of educational opportunities and she is passionate about challenging societal stereotypes and norms.

After earning her Master’s Degree in Politics and a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education, she became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a lecturer in Education at Edge Hill University. She has designed, implemented and evaluated several modules in the teacher training program (PGCE), while mentoring students and assessing their final dissertations. She now acts as an academic reviewer for some of the most prominent international associations in the field of educational research, such as the American Educational Research Association (AERA).   

Having worked as a research assistant for several European Commission-funded programs at the University of Liverpool, she developed a lifetime commitment to widening access to Higher Education for all. Michela is devoted to (and slightly obsessed with) her never-ending personal and professional development. In her free time, she turns into an amateur writer, an animal rescuer and the world’s most passionate traveller. She is very excited to help student articulate their life stories and succeed in their academic career, and she is thrilled to join the BeMo team.  

Mohammadreza earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from York University in Toronto. His doctoral dissertation focused on how heat is conducted in nano-scale materials. During his Ph.D. studies, he received university-level and provincial scholarships in recognition of his excellent academic record and research contributions. He has more than 10 years of experience in conducting research as well as mentoring students as a teaching assistant in several topics. Mohammadreza was also the recipient of an honorable mention for the best graduate teaching assistant in the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at York University. Prior to his Ph.D. studies, Mohammadreza received his M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Physics.

As a member of BeMo family, Mohammadreza is excited to use his experience to help students of all backgrounds achieve their academic goals. 

Dr. Rhoda Ansah Quaigrain is a graduate of University of Manitoba, Canada where she received her PhD in Civil engineering. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Quantity Surveying and Construction Economics from Kwame University of Science and Technology, Ghana. She received the top award for academic excellence during her undergraduate, receiving the best student award in her graduating class, and the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) national award for academic excellence. She is also a recipient of numerous awards advancing her straight from undergraduate to a fully funded doctorate program. She has extensive research experience in performance benchmarking and optimization, sustainable construction, health and safety, and disability/injury management having led key provincial and national projects in advancing the construction industry. Evidence of her research excellence and communication skills is demonstrated by her numerous publications at various national and international conferences, and in reputable peer-reviewed journals. She has also acted as a consultant on occupational health and safety and performance benchmarking and optimization projects in Manitoba, Canada. Through her established networks with key institutions Manitoba, she was recommended to consult on research projects with four key safety institutions in the Province of Manitoba on standardizing workplace health and safety training policies in the province. Organizational partners on the project included the Manitoba Building Trades, Safe Work Manitoba, Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba, Construction Safety Association of Manitoba and the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology.

Rhoda also has nine plus years of teaching, research and project supervision and academic mentorship experience having worked with hundreds of students from diverse backgrounds to realize their full potential. She also has experience in the administrative and admissions side of academia, having served on the senate committee for curriculum changes. Rhoda is very passionate about women and girls in science, having volunteered at high schools and colleges to work with students to pursue their dreams of careers in the sciences. One of her life goals is to make academia and higher education accessible to all. As an academic mentor at BeMo she plans to bring her extensive experience and passion to help students get the upper hand, excel, and achieve their full potential.

Dr. Shiti Malhotra earned her PhD in Theoretical Linguistics from University of Maryland, with specialization in Syntax and minor in Psycholinguistics. In her doctoral thesis, she reviewed how human mind processes complexities of the verb structure; how it handles the grammatical features of the verbs and how the complexity affects the overall sentence structure. Dr. Malhotra has published her research in various peer-review journals and has also presented at various International conferences. Alongside, she has also served as a reviewer at well-established journals, in addition to working as an Editor at multiple publications. 

Dr. Malhotra is currently teaching Linguistics at Sant Mary’s University- Nova Scotia. She has moved to Canada recently after working at Northeastern University-Boston for over a decade. 

Dr. Malhotra has a long established career at University teaching, where she has extensively advised and supervised students. She has also helped many undergraduate students in their Graduate School Applications. Her students have been successful in getting into top-ranked graduate programs in the field of Linguistics, Psychology, Speech Pathology, Neuroscience, and Computer Science.

Dr. Malhotra is passionate about her work. She believes that mentoring helps her build a strong connection with the students. She loves to help students to achieve success in their career goals.

Dr. Jaspreet Jain earned her PhD in Virology and Immunology from Amity University and International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), India in 2018. Thereafter she worked as a Research and Development Scientist in the field of in vitro diagnostics, at a Biotechnology Startup.  Jain moved to Canada in 2019 and joined the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) as a Postdoctoral research fellow. Her recent research focusses on finding novel cure strategies in the field of HIV and SARS-CoV-2.

She published over 15 first author original peer-reviewed articles in mid to high impact factor journals and has presented her research at numerous National and International conferences. She is a recipient of some of the most prestigious awards, grants and fellowships that include Biotech Ignition grant from Govt. of India, Postdoctoral research fellowships from Canadian Institute of Health Research, Postdoctoral research fellowship from Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé, Young Investigator award from Canadian association of HIV research among many others.

Jain is an experienced academic mentor and an avid supporter of equality in education. She is also a member of CIHR and IRCM fellowship reviewer board. During her graduate studies, Jain was a member of the student association and mentored undergraduates in their admission and fellowship application and created multiple learning opportunities for her mentees. Jain understands the pressure of academic admissions and work towards supporting her students and mentees a 100% to navigate through the process seamlessly. In her free time Jain likes to write poetry, read fictional novels, learn about different cultures and travel to far away places. As an academic consultant at BeMo, she is excited to be a part of your academic journey and eager to share her experience and knowledge.

Dr. Benita Kapuku holds a double honours Bachelors of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry from Maynooth University, Ireland. She recently graduated from her doctoral studies in Chemistry at McGill University, Canada. Her research centred around discovering novel therapies for a tropical infectious disease. In her pursuit to gain laboratory experience during her undergraduate studies, Dr. Kapuku applied to 2 dozen internships with a low response rate. Having learnt from that experience, she was successfully accepted into several doctoral programs. These experiences fuel her passion for helping students in their pursuit of higher education.

Dr. Martin Poirier was born in Montreal, Quebec and subsequently grew up in Penetanguishene, Ontario, a small francophone community north of Toronto. To continue his bilingual education (fluent in both French and English), Martin then moved to Ottawa, Ontario, where he completed a BSc, MSc, and PhD in Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa, both graduate degrees specializing in human integrative physiology. Dr. Poirier is also a certified Clinical Exercise PhysiologistTM with a High-Performance Specialization through the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. 

Dr. Poirier is currently a Research Officer at the Human Performance Research and Development Laboratory at the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS). At present, his work is aimed at developing a modernized physical employment standard for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Police Fitness Test) and an applicant standard for the Canada Border Services Agency (Physical Abilities Test). He was also recently a consultant for the National Lifesaving Society of Canada regarding their physical standards. 

Dr. Poirier’s graduate research at the Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit (HEPRU; www.hepru.ca) was dedicated to understanding how various factors (aging, sex, chronic disease, fitness, others) influence physiological function and performance in adverse environments, with an interest in occupational heat stress. His work has been published in leading physiology and medical journals and he has presented his findings at several national and international conferences, all of which was funded through many scholarships including an Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Fellowship, a Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholar in Science and Technology, an Ontario Graduate Scholarship, several Excellence Graduate Scholarships, and a Dean’s Scholarship. During this time, he also worked as a teaching assistant for many undergraduate level courses in Human Kinetics and mentored several undergraduate and graduate students at HEPRU. 

Apart from his research involvements, Dr. Poirier has extensive experience working in physical fitness and health as a consultant. He has worked with the RBC Training Ground for Paralympian’s, Nautilus Plus, as well as the Ottawa Mavericks Volleyball Club and the Region 6 (Eastern Ontario) Athlete Development Program, which is part of the Ontario Volleyball Association. He serves on the Boards of Directors of Diabète Outaouais (www.diabeteoutaouais.com), a not-for-profit organization that aims to educate the population on the prevention and management of diabetes. In his spare time, Martin enjoys spending time with family, traveling, training, playing hockey, and skiing! 

Tolu is passionate about improving health systems - an interest that developed growing up across different countries and witnessing disparities in health care services. She is currently pursuing her doctoral studies in Health Service Research at the University of Toronto and her research focuses on using systems thinking to understand access to medicines in low and middle-income countries.  She holds an MSc in Control of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and has worked with community, government, and international stakeholders to design, implement and evaluate health programs across several countries including Nigeria, Tanzania, Thailand, and the USA. 

Tolu values cultural diversity and is always looking to explore new cultures. She has lived in over ten countries to date, spanning every continent (except Antarctica and Australia) and has visited an additional twelve. At BeMo she hopes to bring her experiences and expertise to bear in supporting students from all backgrounds to achieve their academic and career goals. 

With a fundamental interest in science, Shahir started his academic studies in his hometown of Cairo, Egypt, where he studied pharmacy and biotechnology for 3 years at the German University in Cairo. In 2014, with 2 years left to complete his degree, Shahir transferred to York university in Toronto, ON, Canada, where he pursued an honours bachelor of science in Biotechnology. Upon completion of his undergraduate thesis project, under the supervision of Dr. Peter Cheung, he graduated first class with distinction in 2018. Shahir is currently pursuing his graduate studies at the university of Toronto, in the department of Molecular Genetics, where he is a 4th year PhD candidate under the supervision of Dr. Eric Campos. 

Shahir has amassed a breadth of knowledge thus far, both in the academic setting and in the admissions process. As an academic consultant at BeMo, Shahir is excited to share his experiences with you in support of your academic journey.

Dr. Abha Sood is a chemist with experience in biological sciences. She obtained her Ph.D. from University of Massachusetts Boston in 2012. Her area of research was in the synthesis, design and structure activity relationship studies of small molecules against multiple targets involved in Alzheimer’s pathogenesis. After completing her Ph.D. she went on to pursue her post doctorate from University of Texas Medical School. Her research work has been published in various peer reviewed journals. Sharing her knowledge with others has always been her priority therefore, her passion lies in teaching and mentoring students towards career advancement in the field of sciences. She has over 4 years of teaching experience at Georgia Southern University (GSU) as an assistant professor. During her stay at GSU she taught General Chemistry I and II course and laboratory, Advanced Organic chemistry laboratory and nursing chemistry. Along with teaching she has mentored undergraduate and graduate research students. As a teacher she was greatly admired for her availability, giving extra time to students struggling in some areas and listening to students’ needs. As an MCAT instructor here at BeMo, she is ready and excited to instruct, help and mentor students.

Dr. Fernando received her PhD in Biological Sciences (Plant Developmental Genetics) from the University of Manitoba, Canada in 2016. She has been teaching Biology and Genetics in the same University since 2013, transitioning to a full-time instructor position in 2018. Dr. Fernando has taught Genetics, Cell Biology and Introductory biology courses to thousands of undergraduate students including pre-med and honours students, in the past 8 years. She obtained Certification in Higher Education Teaching from the Centre for Advancement of Teaching and Learning, University of Manitoba, in 2014. In addition to teaching, she has also been involved in curriculum development and facilitating teaching labs. She worked as the lab coordinator for Genetics for two years where she was responsible in planning and supervising the teaching laboratory component. She has mentored undergraduate summer students and has briefly supervised two Masters students during her time as a PhD student.

Before moving to Canada, she completed her Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree at University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka with first-class honours, specializing in Botany and Molecular Biology. She has worked at two different universities and at the Department of Agriculture in Sri Lanka after her graduation. Dr. Fernando has received several awards and scholarships for academic excellence and many travel awards to attend local and international conferences. She has presented her PhD research in many conferences in the form of oral and poster presentations. She has 8 first author peer reviewed publications including 3 book chapters from her doctoral research which was focused on genetic interactions between genes involved in light and plant-stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA) signalling and ABA mediated stress responses in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

As a very energetic and talkative person from childhood she thought teaching and mentoring would be a great profession for her. She believes a good teacher/mentor is someone who inspires the students, sets a good example to them and makes a remarkable change in their lives. Any person can be a teacher, but not everyone can be a good teacher. Teaching is adynamic process and building up a strong yet professional relationship with the students is the best approach to help them succeed. In her spare time, she loves travelling, watching movies with her family and also playing the piano. She also enjoys dancing and has performed and choreographed traditional dances to showcase Sri Lankan dance styles, in Manitoba.

Shehnoor Khurram is a PhD candidate at the Department of Political Science at York University studying the contemporary intersections of religion and politics. Her doctoral research examines how militant Islamist movements respond to neoliberal globalization and its corrosive impact on the social life, ecology, politics, and economy of the Muslim world. She holds an (Hons.) B.A. in Political Science from the University of Toronto and an M.A. in Political Science from York University. Her writing has been published in the Huffington Post, Canadian Dimension, and Briarpatch Magazine. Shehnoor is also a passionate educator and community organizer working with social movements across the GTA, including the Peoples Pantry and $15 and Fairness. Outside of academia, Khurram is a lover of culture, movement, and the outdoors. She spends her time adventuring in the backcountry of Canada  - hiking, running, paddling, swimming, cycling, eating, and exploring wherever she can.

Eduard is a Ph.D. student in Media Studies at Western University and holds an M.A. in Linguistics from Western University. His current research interests include issues of propaganda and political disinformation.

He has written several publications and presented his research at numerous conferences. He brings years of experience supporting students at Western University, Columbia International College, and McMaster University.

Eduard is committed to academic excellence and student success and is passionate about working with students. He is excited to share his knowledge and experience to help them explore their academic potential and reach their personal and professional goals.

In his free time, Eduard enjoys composing music, cooking, reading, and travelling.

 Kiran was born and brought up in Pakistan. She was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to pursue an M.S. in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at the McGill University; her research focuses on the cardio-toxic effects of arsenic following post-natal and in utero exposures and is using sophisticated molecular biology and bioinformatics tools to elucidate the mechanism of arsenic-enhanced atherosclerosis. She has published her research in esteemed journal and has presented her work at national and international conferences. She has been awarded thousands of dollars in grants and fellowships. Along the way, she has mentored numerous international students in their pursuit of graduate study abroad and has volunteered her time in conducting webinars on career paths in life sciences. 

Outside of work, she enjoys learning new languages, practicing yoga, decorating her apartment, and watching movies. The academic consultancy at BeMo is an extension of her commitment to helping students navigate graduate school admission and she is excited to share her experience with you. 

Simon Marmura is a SSHRC (CGS-D) funded Ph.D. candidate at Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario. There, he studies fascist and far-right political and social movements in Canada and abroad. As a Teaching Assistant, Teaching Fellow, and Graduate Mentor, Simon has taught or mentored hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students. He teaches courses on public debate, deliberation, and political discourse, as well as on theories of International Relations. Simon holds an (Hons.) B.A. from the University of New Brunswick and an M.A. from Queen’s University. He has studied and worked in Austria, Greece, the Netherlands, Ecuador, is a Junior Affiliate at the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security, and Society, has served on countless departmental and university committees and boards, and is the current President of the best student space in Kingston: The Queen’s Grad Club.

Outside of Academia, Simon is an exercise enthusiast: soccer, trail marathoning, and lifting. He spends an inordinate amount of time cooking and loves to play the guitar, which he has been teaching to students for a decade.

Jonelle Ward is a PhD Candidate at McMaster University in the Department of Health, Aging and Society. Her research explores informal youth-based caregiving, specifically the experiences of young adults (ages 18-25) who provide care for older adults with Alzheimer’s Disease or a Related Dementia. Jonelle also holds a Master’s in Gerontology and Health Administration from the College of New Rochelle and a Bachelor of Arts from York University.

Jonelle is a dedicated to improving the social welfare of individuals across the life course through education, advocacy and community organizing. As a former program director at the Alzheimer’s Association, Hudson Valley Chapter, Jonelle directed and administered several grants to address diversity and disparities in dementia care as well as increasing access to services for caregivers. Jonelle developed the chapter’s first Alzheimer’s Association faith-based initiative in Westchester County, which is now a national signature event. 

Jonelle has been acknowledged for her community advocacy and leadership from the WestFair Business Journal, Westchester Business Council and she is also an Ontario Graduate Scholarship recipient. Currently she serves as Chair of the Gilbrea Student Group at McMaster University and is a member of the African Health and Ageing Research Centre.

Jonelle has a keen interest in teaching and learning pedagogies, as well as fostering opportunities for student research, engagement and skill building. She has taught courses in Social Work, Aging, Ethic Relations, Social Policy, Psychology, and Gerontology Field Practicum.

Jonelle has lived experience navigating the various pathways to higher education and is a proponent of equitable access to education for all students.  As such, she is excited to join the BeMo team and support students in reaching their academic and professional goals.

Outside of academia, Jonelle enjoys teaching creative writing to youth, basketball, salsa dance, yoga and spending time with her family.

“The teacher is of course an artist, but being an artist does not mean that he or she can make the profile, can shape the students. What the educator does in teaching is to make it possible for the students to become themselves.” Paulo Frier

Laura is passionate about policy, societal and private initiatives that build more inclusive and egalitarian societies. She is an economist and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in International Development at the University of Ottawa. She analyzes public policies that promote greater accessibility and use of financial services by people and businesses in vulnerable socio-economic situations. Her work focuses specifically on the case of Mexico, where she works episodically in collaboration with the Faculty of Economics at the University of Anáhuac.

Before emigrating to Canada, Laura obtained a Master's degree in Economics at the University of Toulon, France, studying niche markets that enhance fair remuneration for producers and entrepreneurs. Here in Canada, she has evolved between Quebec and Ontario through research contracts and has become a trilingual researcher specializing in qualitative and quantitative analysis.

She spent 4 years teaching and mentoring university students and worked as an academic supervisor for 2 years. She knows how to guide the work of others and how to actively listen to ensure that candidates bring out the best in themselves and achieve their goals.

Outside of the academic world, Laura is a circus arts aficionado. She specializes in the discipline of aerial silks and delights in the circus atmosphere of the city of Montreal. Her daily life is also punctuated by the study and practice of yoga.

Laura has obtained multiple scholarships and funding to achieve her dream of becoming the first female graduate in her lineage. She is determined to support future students, regardless of their cultural, racial or socio-economic background, to access the higher education programs they choose.

Francesco Zangari completed an Honours Bachelor of Science: Biomedical Stream at York University located in North York, Ontario. Currently, Francesco is a Ph.D. researcher at the University of Toronto. He studies the intersection between RNA/Protein biology by building new tools to survey their interactions. These mapping efforts will serve as an atlas that can be referred to in diseased states when often these interactions are altered. He’s received numerous awards for his work from agencies like the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

When not doing experiments, he has spent time making science accessible through writing covering an array of topics like the microbiome, COVID-19 and Canada’s biotechnology sector for outlets like the National Association of Science Writers, Signals Blog and Massive Science. Through writing, Francesco has also become involved with science outreach groups towards on fostering scientific literacy throughout the education system. He’s also mentored students throughout his mentees as they navigated coursework and applying for graduate school. As a leader within the science communication field, Francesco is excited to use his skills to mentor and guide students to reach their academic/career goals. 

Emily (she/her) is currently completing her PhD at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna, British Columbia. Her research focuses on supporting the development of authentic, equitable, and meaningful research partnerships between non-profit disability organizations and researchers, and has been funded through governmental and university grants and fellowships. Emily has also earned a Master of Science in Health and Exercise Sciences, for which she was awarded the UBC Okanagan Master's Student of the Year and the MITACS Award for Outstanding Innovation - Master's Category; and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Degree in Kinesiology from McMaster University.

During her time in post-secondary education, Emily has provided mentorship to a large number of students as a teaching assistant, practicum supervisor, and orientation leader. With her role at BeMo, she is excited to provide mentorship and support the professional growth of her student mentees.

In her spare time, Emily enjoys playing volleyball, hiking, gymnastics, and hanging out with friends. 

Dr. Jaafar Hachem graduated with a PhD in Chemistry from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo Michigan in December of 2021. His research was about understanding what happens to the insulin signalling effect on the metabolic pathways inside liver cells under type 2 diabetes.

To carry out his research, Dr. Hachem utilized many research lab techniques including non-survival rat surgeries, hepatocyte isolation and cell culture, RNA and protein isolation, RT-PCR and western blots. Dr. Hachem presented his research in various conferences such as the American Chemical Society National conference, and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. During his research career, Dr. Hachem supervised many undergraduate students and helped them learn critical and independent thinking skills which are a must to have a successful career.

Dr. Hachem has a very extensive teaching experience in various chemistry and biochemistry lab courses including chemistry for health profession courses where he interacted with many students with various career goals, particularly students that have career goals in the health field. As part of his teaching experience, Dr. Hachem was given the opportunity to be the MCAT Chemistry instructor for several prospective MCAT test taking students for one semester at Western Michigan University.

Outside of his professional career, Dr. Hachem loves watching sports and analyzing climate and weather models to do his own prediction of the weather and climate forecast. With being an Academic Consultant for BeMO, Dr. Hachem is ready to use his extensive experience to teach, help and mentor students to help them achieve their career goals.

An international citizen, student and engineer! Ahmed is currently pursuing his PhD degree at the Department of Civil Engineering at McGill University. His area of research and expertise is numerical modeling of geotechnical and hydraulic systems. Previously, Ahmed participated as a member of the river engineering and management laboratory at Kyoto University in Japan. Throughout his academic and professional career, he was closely involved in several water-related projects, ranging from designing water supply systems to arid regions to designing flood protection systems in flood-prone regions.

Ahmed served as an industry consultant for various civil engineering entities in the middle east, Japan and Canada. He is recognized as an outstanding professional engineer and academic. He was a recipient of the ABE initiative award for African professionals and the Honorable Urban Management Engineer (HUME) award from Kyoto University.   

Veronika Brejkaln completed her PhD in Hispanic Literatures and Cultures at the University of Toronto. Specializing in the area of Mexican revolutionary literature and culture, her research focuses on discursive constructions of individual and collective identities as seen through transdisciplinary readings of ideology and aesthetics. Veronika is a seasoned educator, with over 10 years of teaching experience in public institutions as well as the private sector.

Throughout her career she has coached students of all ages and backgrounds on subjects ranging from foreign languages and linguistics to academic writing, literature and public speaking. As a first-generation immigrant, Veronika is most passionate about working with non-native speakers and newcomers to Canada. Regardless of the subject she is teaching, Veronika is always dedicated to helping students overcome personal challenges in order to become better versions of themselves. In her spare time, she enjoys practicing yoga and martial arts, cooking up the best tacos in town, and experimenting with different pairings of wine and cheese.

Ruth Martinez completed her PhD in Spanish and Portuguese Linguistics at the University of Toronto. Specialized in phonetics, her research focused on pronunciation difficulties encountered by second language learners of Spanish and Portuguese when acquiring nasal sounds. Ruth has also earned a Master’s degree from the Université de Montréal, a Bachelor’s degree with First Class Honours from McGill University, and a Diploma of College Studies from Vanier College.

 During her academic journey, she was the recipient of numerous scholarships, she published research papers, presented at international conferences, and taught language and linguistics courses. Ruth has also worked in the Artificial Intelligence field, contributing to the development of voice recognition systems and building machine learning solutions for data analysis.  

Ruth is originally from Argentina and grew up in Montréal. She has also lived in Brazil, Uruguay, and Germany. In her spare time, she loves dancing, biking, practicing yoga, and traveling.

Born and raised in France, Mickael Dang (he/him) is currently completing his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on the development of a novel drug delivery platform to overcome chronic glaucoma. Throughout his Ph.D., he has been receiving multiple university-level and provincial scholarships in recognition of his academic excellence and research contributions, including international Connaught scholarship and NSERC-CREATE PROMOTE scholarship. He holds a bachelor of biomedical sciences from Université Paris Descartes (Paris, France) and a master of applied physics at École Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay (Cachan, France). Furthermore, being passionate for entrepreneurship, Mickael recently completed his executive master in innovation and entrepreneurship at HEC Paris.

Additionally, he was trained in some of the best universities in the world such as Yale University (Department of Applied Physics) and Stanford University (Department of Chemical Engineering). In 2019, he conducted his master thesis at Harvard Medical School where he developed a novel hydrogel platform for the treatment of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA).

Mickael has tremendous experience in mentoring students (from elementary school to undergraduate programs) and taught multiples lectures as a teaching assistant. He is excited to help others achieving their academic and professional goals as an academic consultant at BeMo.

Outside of his studies and research, he enjoys biking and running, and possesses a passion for travelling and connecting with other cultures.

Shaheen is a materials science scientist currently working at the New York University (Abu Dhabi campus). She has been an active researcher in the areas of water treatment, desalination and electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution. Shaheen completed her PhD. with a major in Materials Science and Engineering from Khalifa University of Science and Technology in 2018. Her research was focused on heterogeneous catalysis during which she developed novel hydrocracking fibers for petroleum cracking, and patented the work under US Patent 10,850,262. During her MSc. in Materials Science and Engineering, she controlled the swelling behavior of PVA polymer through Networked Cellulose, for which she was awarded the best thesis award in her department.

As a materials science enthusiast, Shaheen is constantly seeking to solve critical problems related to energy and water. Recently she has discovered a new application of novel inorganic nanoparticles for which the U.S patent application is under filing. During her course of research, Shaheen has presented her findings in several international and national conferences, and has published numerous scientific journal papers.

Apart from research, Shaheen also has a strong passion for teaching and mentorship. She has been a teaching assistant for various graduate and undergraduate subjects till date including mechanical properties of materials, thermodynamics and environmental engineering. She also had the opportunity to mentor Masters and PhD. Students with diversified backgrounds and cultures. Shaheen values and enjoys cultural diversity and always looks forward to work on tangible projects which can eventually have a significant impact on the scientific community globally.  

Victoria studied Biotechnology and Molecular Genetics in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Throughout this university degree, she also performed more than 200 hours of research in Applied Microbiology, culminating in a written thesis and 2 peer-reviewed scientific research articles published in high-impact journals. Her thesis and research articles are based on the study of media culture optimization for the wine-making process. Importantly, Victoria found that using food waste products like whey permeate (from the cheese industry) and apple pomace (from the juice and cider industry) could increase the production of wine-fermenting bacteria to similar values as commercial media, reducing 90% of the cost.

Recently, Victoria finished her Master’s in Biochemistry and Neurobiology in Montreal, Canada, where she studied the development of the nervous system using C. elegans as a model organism. Although most of the results are unpublished, Victoria has exciting results that might link certain routes of the metabolism of RNA to the correct and functional development of healthy neurons. Thus, these results might potentially help to understand neurodevelopmental diseases.

Throughout her high-school and university years, Victoria realized that her interpersonal skills and fluency in different languages (English, Spanish and French) were strong and thus she was always involved in mentoring, tutoring students, as well as volunteering in different non-profit organizations (both in Argentina and in Canada). She strongly believes that education should be accessible and inclusive, therefore she has always participated in education-related activities, science outreach, and science communication. Her life objective is to make science (and overall education) accessible and inclusive by sharing her knowledge and having a direct impact on society.

During her free time, she is a passionate Cuban Salsa dancer, as well as other Latino rhythms. She also loves to hang out with friends, watch movies and walk under the sun (during winter).

Dr. Alexandre Benoit was born in Montreal, Quebec. He completed an M.S. in Biochemistry at the Université de Montréal and completed his PhD in Experimental Medicine at the McGill University. His research focused on mutations enriched in relapse/refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). He characterized how the mutations would affect the activity of the mutated proteins and investigated how it could promote resistance in DLBCL. He also collaborated on projects focused on Melanoma and Leukemia and has experience with Neuroblastoma and Diabetes. He had the opportunity to present his work at national and international conferences such as the Canadian Cancer Research Conference and the International Conference on New Concepts in Lymphoid Malignancies. He cofounded a sustainability committee called the Green Labs Initiative at the Lady Davis Institute (GLI@LDI). He also was part of the Lady Davis Institute Trainee Committee where he could contribute to the social environment and career path of graduate students.

In his free time, he enjoys hiking, traveling to new countries, cooking, listening to music, or watching movies with friends and family. He also enjoys learning new subjects and sharing his experience and knowledge with students, friends, and family.

Andy is committed to the advancement of the education sector, with a particular focus on increasing the quality of and equitable access to education. She has a range of experience in this realm having worked in the education sectors in Australia, Hong Kong, and South Africa.

She has worked on several projects to this end, most notably, in South Africa, leading a volunteer program tutoring high school mathematics and science students in Cape Town, being part of a public-private partnership supporting large-scale collaboration in the public sector, including managing the national scale up of a teacher development program, and building a large preschool and daycare where she was the school principal.

Throughout this work, Andy has thrived most when mentoring and supporting others, specifically those facing socio-economic barriers to their success.

Andy believes strongly in BeMo’s mission; everyone deserves access to high-quality higher education, regardless of their background.

Having originally studied Business Science, specialising in Economics, Andy moved into the education sector in Hong Kong, then completing a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and a Master of Science specialising in Education Leadership and Management, which she graduated with distinction.

Dr. Tarun Arora completed his Ph.D. in Health Sciences and works as a neurorehabilitation researcher. Through his research and education, Tarun has been actively involved in training graduate and medical students in their research work. Tarun finds pride in the professional success of his students. In collaboration with the BeMo team, Tarun looks forward to helping students in their aspired careers. Outside work, Tarun enjoys cooking and exploring Advaita (non-duality) philosophy.

Aali completed his undergraduate and graduate studies from Concordia University, Montreal, QC. While completing his MBA from the John Molson School of Business he was an organizer for the John Molson MBA International Case Competition which is recognized as the largest and oldest case competition in the world. Aali maintains a keen interest in B-School literature and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society. Having held management and leadership positions with the TD Bank Group, Canada, Aali has also worked internationally in operations and project management roles focused within the energy and healthcare sectors. Outside of professional activities, Aali enjoys speaking on wide-ranging business topics and networking with aspiring students to help them achieve their higher education goals. He also enjoys travelling and playing squash as well as tennis at every opportunity possible!

Sonia was born and raised in B.C. She holds a Bachelors in Psychology degree from the University of British Columbia and a Juris Doctor from the University of Victoria in 2011. She currently practices as a litigator and enjoys giving back to her community. She is skilled in all levels of court and enjoys advocating fiercely for her clients. Sonia has conducted numerous trials, hearings, discoveries, mediations, and collaborative meetings.

Sonia's passion has been to give back to her community by helping individuals navigate the legal system and access to justice. Sonia is fluent in both Punjabi and Hindi. In her spare time, Sonia is involved with the legal services society, continuing legal education and volunteer work. Sonia wishes to provide guidance to students entering professional programs because such guidance was not readily available during her time.

In her spare time, Sonia enjoys the outdoors, spending time with family and cooking.

Dr. Shasta Webb is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. In her position in Dr. Elizabeth Archie’s lab, she researches microbiota dynamics across the life course in wild baboons. She completed her PhD in biological anthropology at the University of Calgary in 2022. She earned a Master of Arts in biological anthropology the same department in 2017 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in biological anthropology from Macalester College in 2013. During her PhD, Shasta was awarded a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the National Science and Engineering Research Council from the Canadian federal government as well as an Alberta Innovates scholarship from the province of Alberta, in addition to a PEO Sisterhood Scholarship. During graduate school, Shasta served as co-chair for the Graduate Leader’s Circle, which provided peer mentoring for students applying to fellowships and scholarships.

Ms. Andrea Grainger holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Commerce from the University of Calgary. Andrea has over 20 years of experience in the learning field as an instructional designer, writer, and editor within corporate and academic settings.

Andrea has a versatile background and a unique skill set that encompasses specialized areas, such as copyright law, accessibility best practices, open educational resources, and conscious writing. She is also a passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity. Andrea has participated as a member of an equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) council at the post-secondary level, founded and led an award-winning curriculum accessibility initiative, and participated in the awards committee for an International Women’s Day conference.

Outside of work, Andrea enjoys reading fiction and non-fiction, doing word search puzzles, and spending time with her family. She is currently learning chess.

A New York City native who currently resides in Boston, Sophia (she/her) completed her undergraduate degree at Cornell University in 2021. She earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences and minored in Nutrition and Developmental Sociology. Her favorite class at Cornell was called "Art of Teaching", where she grew to love working with others. She has experience working as a Teaching Assistant, private tutor, and a notetaker for her university's disability services. Sophia's hobbies include figure skating, fencing, and doing escape rooms with friends. 

Kirsten is a lawyer with a general civil litigation practice, including complex commercial disputes, Aboriginal law, product liability, and class action defense. She has had the pleasure of living and working in her home province of British Columbia for the past four years—first as a law clerk for two justices of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia and then as a litigation associate at a national firm. Mentoring law students and junior lawyers is continuously a highlight of her work. 

Kirsten obtained her JD from the University of Ottawa in Ontario where she acted as the Editor-in-Chief of the Ottawa Law Review and maintained a number of mentorship roles, including being a writing leader and a teaching assistant. Before law school, Kirsten obtained her Bachelor of Arts in International Development at McGill University in Quebec. Before that, she lived in Egypt and Honduras teaching English as a second language. 

Having completed the law school, clerkship, and Big Law application processes across Canada, Kirsten appreciates the time and energy that is required to succeed. She draws on those experiences and on her training in cross-cultural management and intercultural competency to help her clients achieve their goals. 

In her free time, Kirsten is an avid animal rights advocate and enjoys spending time with her family and her two cats, Eloise and Arthur.

When Hassan was younger, he was always curious about electricity and how it works. Hence, he thought he wanted to be an Electrical Engineer, which became the major for his undergraduate degree. However, after working as an Engineer mainly in the Oil & Gas industry, Hassan realized that the most important skills that one can develop are leadership and business skills. This was a common observation from all the jobs that Hassan had held across 4 different companies and 2 continents (North America & the Middle East). Therefore, to complement his technical skills, Hassan decided to pursue an MBA from Ivey Business School/Western University in London, ON (Canada). Ivey Business School and it's application process made Hassan realize the importance of being able to advertise your accomplishments. It would be an honor for him to help other students during the critical application process so that they can realize their dreams and potential through education. It is Hassan's personal belief that everyone deserves an opportunity to educate themselves and realize their dreams.

After being the lead prosecutor in a mock trial in grade 7, Kelvin became very interested in criminal law. He pursued this passion by taking Criminology at York and completing law school at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law. 

Kelvin has been with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada since 2015, starting as a summer and articling student, and now a member of the Anti-Organized Crime team in the Ontario Regional Office in Toronto. His practice focuses on high complexity wiretap cases involving conspiracies, large-scale drug trafficking and importing, organized crime, search warrants and emerging Charter issues. Kelvin has appeared before the Ontario Court of Appeal on a number of occasions and has conducted several jury trials. He is also member of the PPSC Student Committee and mentor to prospective and current law students.

Phoebe A. Gilmore is a Pittsburgh-based lawyer whose practice is focused on the intersection of medicine, public policy, and the law.

Phoebe earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Writing from the University of Pittsburgh in 2018. Following her undergraduate career, Phoebe earned a full-tuition scholarship to attend Penn State Law, where she graduated with her Juris Doctor in 2021. 

While in law school, Phoebe was an advocate for the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court team, served indigent clients as a clinical student for Penn State Law’s Family Law Clinic, and worked as a health law research assistant, specifically focusing on the regulation of state-funded methadone clinics. During law school, Phoebe also completed internships with Elliott Group and Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, where she primarily focused on regulatory compliance and corporate affairs.

Phoebe advocates for the demystification of the graduate law school admissions process to promote equity in higher education and help more students recognize and reach their full potential. In her free time, Phoebe enjoys painting and spending time with her loved ones (and cats).

Nirusan Rajakulendran is a Product Manager at Inkblot Labs. Prior to Inkblot, Nirusan was the Manager of New Ventures at Green Shield Canada, a not-for-profit health insurance company. At Green Shield, Nirusan drove partnerships and helped to build a pipeline of innovative digital health products. Nirusan has been active in the startup space, having spent over six years at MaRS Discovery District in both market research and venture capital. Nirusan has a Masters in Biotechnology and a Masters in Business Administration, both from the University of Toronto. 

Hira Ansar is a lawyer with more than 5 years of experience in Litigation. Hira has also worked as a Judicial Law Clerk at the Supreme Court, to the Chief Justice of Pakistan. She completed her postgraduate – Masters in Law (LLM) from Cardiff University in International Commercial Law and has consistently been assisting clients on Taxation and Commercial matters. During her practice in taxation, Hira had the opportunity to appear before numerous judicial, quasi-judicial administrative bodies, including but not limited to, the Sales Tax Tribunals, Customs Tribunal, Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP), Capital Development Authority (CDA), Federal Ombudsman for Maladministration, Economic Affairs Division as well as District and Subordinate Courts. Hira believes that trusted relationships are the heart of any legal practice and she received multiple commendations from senior leadership for her ability to foster long-term high-value working relationships.

Hira's professional skills were further maximized by pursuing Judicial Law Clerkship program at the Supreme Court which is an invaluable experience, learning directly from a Judge, assisting him at all times. This allowed her to gain experience that would take years to accumulate otherwise. Hira always thought she had achieved her dream of being a lawyer and practicing extensively, however, during her postgraduate at Cardiff University, she found herself gravitating towards helping existing students with legal assignments and helping prospective students with their application which made her feel the spark she was missing; that feeling of fulfilment she has not yet had in years of practice. Hira is really glad to be working with BeMo which calls to all her passions and she yearns to persuade as well as assist students in achieving their goals.

Outside of work, Hira is an amateur writer, an avid listener of podcasts and she enjoys learning/talking about philosophy and criminal psychology.

Bianca Orlan holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Law and Business from Ryerson University, Ted Rogers School of Management in Toronto. It was during her undergraduate studies that she discovered her passion for the legal field and creating greater access to justice. She went on to obtain her Juris Doctor from the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law.

Throughout Bianca’s undergraduate and graduate studies, she took on various work and volunteer opportunities that allowed her to develop her legal knowledge and critical skills, as well as pursue her passion for helping others. These opportunities involved working both for the private and public sector, assisting various members of the public, including underprivileged individuals, children, and adults who are mentally and/or physically incapable. Bianca was selected to participate in her law school’s Externship Program. As part of the program, she worked at a government-funded Community Legal Clinic in Toronto that provides legal advice and representation to clients in financial need. Additionally, one summer she worked in the legal services division of a provincial government office that is committed to protecting the rights and interests of adults who are mentally incapable.

Bianca is extremely passionate about helping others achieve their academic success and professional goals. She thoroughly enjoys reviewing documents and providing feedback, whether it be from her work experience or simply lending a helping hand to her fellow classmates during her studies. She knows firsthand how overwhelming the law school application process can be and is dedicated towards mentoring and helping other applicants navigate through it as seamlessly as possible.

Rebecca received her J.D. from Queen’s University Faculty of Law in 2020. During her time at Queen’s, she took advantage of every practical opportunity offered by the law school and participated in a moot, placement courses, as well as working as a caseworker for Queen’s Legal Aid Clinic and Queen’s Prison Law Clinic, where she represented inmates in a federal institution’s disciplinary court. She also worked as a Student Researcher for the Law Commission of Ontario, where she contributed to projects on consumer and data protection, algorithmic accountability, and worker’s rights in the gig economy.

After successfully completing the second year on campus interview (OCI) recruitment process, Rebecca summered and articled at a prominent Toronto labour firm. Following her call to the Ontario Bar in 2021, she continued to work in the area of labour and employment law. Her practice particularly focuses on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) at all stages of the employment relationship, from hiring to termination, as well as workplace investigations and culture reviews.

In her free time, Rebecca enjoys going to concerts, reading, and (slowly) learning how to play guitar.

Dr. Greg Shinaman is currently completing his intern year in internal medicine at the University of Rochester and is looking forward to completing a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the coming years. He is lucky to have been able to stay in his home town of Rochester NY for most of his education including his undergraduate studies, medical school, and now, residency. He completed his B.S. in Environmental Sciences at the University of Rochester in 2017 and recently graduated in May 2022 from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. While in medical school, he served as the Wellness Committee Chair of his class for three years and he was able to mentor and guide the classes below him as well as undergraduate students applying to medical school.

In his free time, Greg is an avid hiker and skier. He recently completed hiking the 46 highest peaks in the Adirondack Park! He also enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family and dog whenever he can. 

Greg's passion for equity in professional fields motivated him to join the BeMo team. Having completed the process of medical school and residency application so recently, Greg is well equipped to offer current advice for aspiring applicants. Greg looks forward to meeting you and helping guide you through your process of attaining higher education!

Alizeh is an MD candidate at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Prior to medical school, she obtained a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Spanish. This was followed by a research year in trauma surgery at the University of Michigan. She also has years of research experience spanning the fields of neurosurgery, plastic surgery, ophthalmology, genetics, interventional radiology, metabolomics, diversity & equity in medicine, and health disparities. She has authored several peer-reviewed manuscripts and has presented at multiple national and international research conferences. 

At Brown, she is the Director of Operations of the Brown Human Rights Asylum Clinic and serves on the school-wide committee dedicated to enhancing the learning environment. She has done years of volunteer work in Spanish-speaking communities to assist with immigrant-assimilation programs and decrease academic barriers among first-generation students. She has combined her interest in the Spanish language with her desire to address health disparities by volunteering as a patient translator at multiple clinical sites and has assisted with grant-writing and clinical research at the Latino Cancer Disparities Center. She volunteered as an EMT at Princeton EMS for five years and was promoted to a senior crew member, through which she led patient assessment and management during medical emergencies. She loves mentoring students and sharing her expertise in crafting competitive, unique applications with strong writing.

Srikanth Raghavan is a human capital consulting professional, who has been associated with big consulting houses like Deloitte and Aon for over 7 years. He immigrated to Canada to pursue his MBA from Schulich School of Business and has represented the B-School globally and won several prestigious case competitions. He also served as a career advisor at Schulich to help MBA students navigate the job market and help them in their professional development. He specializes in storytelling, communication, executive presence and presentation, which he wishes to share with MBA aspirants globally, for them to inch closer to their aspirations

Anant completed his MBA at Georgia Tech in Atlanta in 2013. He is an experienced entrepreneur and has established and supported multiple successful ventures. He is currently the co-founder of a food startup in Vancouver. Before becoming an entrepreneur, he helped grow the adoption of many new technology products.  

 Anant started his career working at Pearson on the administration and adoption of the GMAT and LSAT tests. He has worked with many University Deans and Presidents on their admissions process. Anant also has extensive experience interviewing candidates for various positions across sectors and understands what the admissions committees look for in candidates. With his experience and insights into the admissions process, his goal is to help applicants succeed in their careers.  

He also volunteers as a mentor for small businesses and not-for-profits. While he has always been a prolific cook, Anant has taken up Latin dancing and skiing since moving to Vancouver, British Columbia. 

Obianuju C. Ikeaka is a PhD candidate at Brock University, her research analyzes how teachers at low-cost private schools in Lagos, Nigeria can increase student learning through the evidence-based practice of cooperative learning, student engagement and self-regulated learning. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Bethune-Cookman University and a Master’s of Higher Education from the University of North Florida. 

Obianuju worked with the University of Florida in conjunction with Bethune Cookman University on the high-risk delinquent child educational research project during her undergraduate degree. During her master’s degree, she supported the University of North Florida’s Center for Urban Education in implementing its first summer bridge program. She also assisted the University of Georgia with its TRIO program. She was recently awarded the Brock University’s Match of Minds grant (2022) and works with the University’s library to understand the usefulness of interactive digital notebooks in teaching non-programming students for student learning. 

Her most recent peer reviewed publication examines career development in developing countries through the CIP theory. 

Obianuju is passionate about international students and their inclusion in higher education in the United States and Canada. Obianuju enjoys collaborating with students and helping them stand out from the crowd. In her free time, Obianuju enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, friends and family