Going to University and College is a lot of work for any student. Luckily, we’ve met some amazing students who are going out of their way to make a change this year.
Meet 12 students who are creating change on their campus this year as a Textbooks for Change Campus Ambassador or Rep. Whether its encouraging students to donate textbooks, talking about the power of social enterprise, or showing how used textbooks can create amazing impact in education, these students are going above and beyond this year to champion change!
Queen’s University
Simon Tolkin
Simon is the Head Campus Ambassador at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. At the moment he is in his final year of Economics. Simon decided to get involved in T4C when he realized that thousands of textbooks were collecting dust around the student housing neighbourhood at Queen’s and they would definitely have better use in the hands of those who need it.
After a very successful first year at Queen’s, Simon is looking to push things even further by doubling the amount of textbook drives we had from last year. Queen’s is a special place because it has a close knit student community that likes to take initiative and help various different philanthropic causes. A perfect destination for T4C!
After school, Simon plans on traveling and working in Australia for a year!
See more about what’s going on at Queen’s University.
Ryerson University
Sandra Mucyo
Sandra Mucyo is the Head Campus Ambassador at Ryerson University. She studies civil engineering and is hoping to apply her degree to her interest in social innovation & entrepreneurship. When she first heard about Textbooks for Change at an international development conference, she really liked what T4C represents and its educational mission as she shares the same values on a personal level.
Sandra is very excited to be back on board this year as she is our Campus Ambassador at Ryerson for the second year in row! She sees a lot of opportunity to better engage the Ryerson community and grow our impact in every sense.
See more about what’s going on at Ryerson University.
Carleton University
Kendra Kading
Kendra is a 4th year at Carleton University studying Psychology. She got involved with Textbooks for Change because she wanted to give students at Carleton access to eco-friendly alternatives to just throwing out their textbooks or having them sit on a shelf collecting dust. Since Textbooks for Change is brand new at Carleton, she hopes to reach out to more clubs and organizations on her campus to expand the fundraising efforts for students.
In her last year, she hopes to make a big impact on her fellow students through Textbooks for Change and educating more students about it! She loves her school because since the day she walked onto Carleton’s campus, it has been her home away from home and she has been so inspired by the abundance of leaders that she has had the chance to work with while being a student.
See more about what’s going on at Carleton University.
Wilfrid Laurier University
Adrian de Meo
Adrian is the Head Ambassador of Textbooks for Change at Laurier. He is in his 4th year of Honours Communications and will be graduating in the spring.
Adrian is passionate about creating social change, enjoys being able to make a difference in the education industry, and loves making connections with various student groups and organizations at Laurier. Adrian is also on the board of executives for the Communication Students Association.
This year, Adrian is excited to expand T4C at Laurier and draw more interest in T4C’s goals and values. Laurier has a great community of engaged and involved students who love to make a difference in society and the world around them – a perfect fit! It’s Great to be a Laurier Golden Hawk!
See more about what’s going on at Laurier University.
University of Toronto St. George
Priya Kaur
Priya is a 4th year student at the University of Toronto finishing up a bachelors in developmental biology and fundamental genetics.
She had been exposed to the great initiative T4C began at UofT last year during her time on the college council and is hoping to help broaden their reach through UofT’s untapped potential.
This year Priya is heavily involved in lab research, and hopes to continue working in the sciences field post graduation. She is a major foodie (possibly eating as you read this) and can share pointless anecdotes for hours on end!
See more about what’s going on at the University of Toronto.
Connor is entering his fourth year at Western in a dual-degree with Civil Engineering and Business, a degree which he hopes to eventually use to implement energy sustainability solutions into society. He has always been very passionate about the environment and sustainability and this has guided many of his decisions thus far, including joining the Textbooks for Change team! 
Sophia Koutsikaloudis is her third year of a Biomedical Science major and Business Administration minor. After graduation, Sophia hopes to go on and her MBA to work in healthcare management. When she is not working or studying, she’s training to compete on the provincial equestrian circuit in the summertime at her hometown of Brampton.
Fathiya Ainanshe is a fourth year Political Science and International Development Studies (IDS) student at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC). She was introduced to T4C last summer by a good friend and was very much and very quickly intrigued and impressed by the student led enterprise. As an IDS student, she often finds herself constantly questioning the spaces that exist between intent and actual impact among social organizations and businesses. However, and fortunately enough T4C in its integrity and pluck, felt very natural and wholesome to her. 
Anmol Panesar is in his 2nd year of Honours Political Science at Brock University. He was formerly on the Residence Action Council, where he strived to make life better for university students. By joining Textbooks for Change, he now has the chance to reach students around the world. 
Lauren has been working with the campus office of sustainability for the past several months and is currently the coordinator of the campus Free Store. She became involved with Textbooks for Change after looking into sustainable solutions to dealing with amount of textbooks left in the campus residences at the end of the school year. 
Sukhi is the Head Campus Ambassador for University of Toronto Mississauga. She is a fourth year student studying Economics and Political Science. Over the past few years, Sukhi has had the opportunity to attend leadership and community development summits in India, China, Peru, and Guatemala. Through such community service trips and her other leadership roles, Sukhi has developed a love for volunteering, leadership and service. 
Tooba Syed is a 3rd year Graphic Design student at OCAD University. She has a passion for all things communications as well as photography. She grew up in Saudi Arabia but is originally from Pakistan. She got involved with T4C during her second year at OCAD U as the campus ambassador. Tooba is very interested in making a social impact and helping other create change as well. Her goals as ambassador this year are to work with campus faculty members more at OCAD and get the best quality of textbooks possible.