About Us

Adriane Aboud (she/her) has been teaching history of art at CEGEP Heritage College since 2010. While her focus has primarily been on European art, she has spent a lot of time researching and teaching Indigenous art from Canada and became involved in a decolonization and indigenization project for the college. She has always been interested in using art as an entryway for learning and teaching about social justice issues and looks forward to continuously improving upon her own education in this realm.

Naureen Ahmed (she/her) is a Finance and IT Management student at McGill University. She currently is the Events Executive at JED, Canada’s largest student-run consulting firm. Drawing from her passion for social impact, she co-founded The Sincere Data Collective. SDC is currently building out a product to help non-technical founders of data-driven startups to navigate the complexities of data ethics and transparency. Naureen was one of the first 3 student consultants on the Equity Action Exchange.

Natalie Gibb (she/her) has been teaching sociology and geography at CEGEP Heritage College since 2014.  She experiments relentlessly, exploring ways of supporting students in using the college as a living lab to test solutions to sustainability and social justice challenges.   Natalie has also worked as a consultant for several non-profit, government and United Nations organisations on environment, health, and education issues.  She is the author of the UNESCO publication, Getting Climate Ready: A Guide for Schools on Climate Action.

Anika Goel is a first-year student in the Honours BSc Biomedical Sciences program offered at the University of Ottawa. She graduated from Heritage College in the sciences program in June of 2023, where she worked as a student curriculum consultant for Equity Action Exchange to help develop a curriculum that raises awareness of the challenges faced by marginalized people. Anika is currently working as an undergraduate research assistant at the Univeristy of Ottawa Heart Institute where she is supporting the development of a software macro for histology. After graduation, Anika aims to become a physician and advocate for women’s health amongst marginalized communities.

Jessi Langston (she/her) has been teaching university and CEGEP students for over 15 years. She received her PhD in contemporary Canadian and Indigenous literature in 2009 and since then has been focused on equity in pedagogy and course content. Jessi has published articles in Canadian Literature, Essays in Canadian Literature, and Canadian Theatre Studies. During her time at CEGEP Heritage College, she has co-led a project that worked to decolonize the curriculum and wrote a report on differentiated learning. Jessi is now a co-founder of the Equity Action Exchange, which is a multi-year funded project on helping faculty and students to discuss challenging topics in the classroom.

Chad Meda is the Advisor, Programs Outreach with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund and the Sustainable Affordable Housing initiative. He is a member of the CMHC’s Expert Community on Housing’s College of Reviewers and the Advisory Committee to support the establishment of a Black Communities Technical Housing Resource Center. Chad attracts high impact capital project opportunities to help strengthen Canada’s sustainable affordable housing sector. In 2023, he set the record for attracting the most dollars of funding requests on a year over year basis compared with all other Outreach Advisors since inception of the Green Municipal Fund.

Ritchie Ngieme is a first-year student in the BCL/JD program offered at McGill University. He recently graduated from CÉGEP Heritage College in social sciences, where he sharpened his interest in social justice issues by working as a student curriculum consultant for the Equity Action Exchange. He is one of the recipients of the Scotiabank Scholarship in Legal Studies for 2023, awarded to law students who advocate for anti-racism in the legal profession. After graduation, he plans to provide legal aid to newly arrived immigrants and hopes his legal training will give him the tools to give back to his community.

Gurjit is a Registered Nurse with her Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology. She has 10+ years of combined experience in clinical practice, leadership, public health, research, and evaluation. Gurjit is a strategic leader with the ability to deliver complex ideas in digestible formats. She currently serves as Director of Health Services at the Southeast Ottawa Community Health Centre.

Neal Shannacappo (he, him), is a Nakawe (Saulteaux), Poet, Graphic Novelist and Social Service Worker who has worked primarily within post secondary education before he became a stay-at-home father. Now he works remotely and you can find his books by searching Nshannacappo. Currently he’s finishing up a graphic novel based on the novel Land-Water-Sky, working on a documentary/fantasy graphic novel called Niikaniganaw (We Are All Related) based on the research team of the same name based out of University of Ottawa, and The Krillian Key vol. 2 Into the Void

Julie Vaudrin-Charette holds a doctorate in education and is passionate about in-depth learning and Indigenous languages in pedagogies of reconciliation.  She currently works as an advisor on First Nations and Inuit relations with the Quebec Ministry of Higher Education.  She is also an advocate for decololinsation and equity practices within colleges, an a/r/tographer, and a mother of four growing humans.

Sarah Yakibonge is a nursing student who is currently enrolled at Cégep Heritage College. She also plays on the colleges Rugby team, and enjoys going to the gym, reading, writing poetry, and spending time in nature during her free time. Sarah has a passion for and enjoys involving herself in social justice challenges that call for changes for those affected by inequality.

Roxana Yanez Gonzalez has been teaching in the Early Childhood Education program at CEGEP Heritage College since 2014. Previously, she worked as an educator in a variety of early childhood settings including childcare centres and school boards. Roxana also completed her PhD in education at the University of Ottawa on the topic of Early Childhood Education for Sustainability. During her doctoral studies, Roxana was involved in several government funded research projects in the area of STEM in early childhood. Currently, she is passionate about employing a wide range of pedagogical strategies and technological tools to support the students’ learning.