Razan Akiba was born in Toronto and currently resides in Mississauga. She recently graduated with High Distinction from the University of Toronto, after completing a double major in History and Political Science and a minor in French. During her final year of undergrad, Razan worked directly with refugee students to provide support as they adjusted to their new life in Canada. Razan has worked on behalf of refugees before, as the Community Worker for the newcomer dedicated non-profit, Catholic Crosscultural Services. Razan also implemented a project aimed towards new immigrants arriving in Toronto during her time as an intern for Councillor Mike Colle at City Hall. Her project was inspired by her own Palestinian background and the desire to bridge the gap between city related services and newcomer access to those services. Razan looks forward to joining OLIP and hopes to expand on her municipal experience by learning more about policy development at the provincial level.

Milena Basciano is from Vaughan and recently graduated from York University with an Honours Bachelor of Public Administration, a specialization in Policy Analysis and a certificate in French studies. She is enthusiastic about leading and bringing out the best in people, and embraced opportunities as the President of her undergraduate program's student government as well as supervising recreational and instructional swimming programs. Milena loves to swim and worked as a lifeguard, swim instructor and eventually a pool supervisor before pursuing operational policy and program experiences in Ontario's ministries of Transportation, Education and the Solicitor General. She is thrilled to be a part of OLIP and is looking forward to meeting key players and learning more about the legislative process.

Steffi Burgi was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and was raised internationally in Canada, Switzerland, and Nepal. She recently completed her Bachelors of Arts Honours from Toronto Metropolitan University in Intercultural Relations with a minor in Politics. Throughout her time at university, Steffi worked with multiple charities and non-profit organizations that aim to improve the lives of their target audiences. Steffi's work with non-profit organizations and her interest in provincial politics go hand-in-hand with her passion for impacting current social issues such as homelessness and poverty. She is thrilled to be an OLIP intern and experience firsthand how provincial politics and the legislative process affect the lives of people in Ontario.

Evan Cameron grew up in Brampton, Ontario before attending Wilfrid Laurier University and earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and North American Studies with a specialization in Public Policy. During his time at Laurier, Evan founded and led several campus clubs and organizations, and was elected to the University’s Senate. Before joining OLIP, Evan helped lead national engagement and government relations work with the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) and Wild Matriarch Inc., and served as a Projects Assistant at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. In his spare time, Evan travels across Ontario performing live music. Evan now lives in Toronto and is excited to be joining OLIP. He looks forward to learning more about Ontario’s policy making process and bringing his varied experiences into the role.

Bridget Carter-Whitney (she/her) spent most of her formative years in Toronto, before studying international development at Trent University in Peterborough and spending two academic terms in Ghana, where she worked as an intern at the Ghana Integrity Initiative. She recently graduated from York University with a Master of Arts in Political Science, where her research explored the franchise in Ontario's municipal elections, focusing on the disqualification of incarcerated citizens from voting. She is excited to bring to OLIP the perspectives she gained supporting and leading civic engagement initiatives at The Neighbourhood Group Community Services in Toronto. In high school, she became passionate about utilizing the political system to facilitate compassionate and constructive dialogue to confront social issues. Bridget is honoured to participate in OLIP and hopes to better understand the political problems impacting communities outside the GTA and how Ontario's elected officials are addressing these issues.

Olivia Collver was raised in a rural community in Norfolk County. She recently graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Arts Honours Specialization in Political Science and a Minor in Criminology. Olivia first became interested in politics when she participated in the Legislative Page Program in 2015. She has worked for the Municipality of Norfolk County over the past seven years, most recently in the Clerk’s Office, where she acquired a solid understanding of municipal government. Prior to joining OLIP, Olivia volunteered with organizations that supported and encouraged gender equality in politics, an issue she feels strongly about. Olivia is extremely excited to be joining OLIP and looks forward to gaining a deeper understanding of the provincial legislative process.

Born and raised in Toronto, Kaitlin Gallant recently graduated with a Joint Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in History and Political Science from the University of Ottawa. During her studies, she worked as a Parliamentary Page and then as a Hansard reporter at the House of Commons. Kaitlin was also involved in various research projects examining the representation of women and youth in federal politics, notably through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program and as a Research Assistant. Passionate about the outdoors and Canadian heritage, she also worked for Parks Canada, and was heavily involved in the University of Ottawa’s Model Parliament and History Students' Association during her undergraduate degree. Kaitlin looks forward to developing her interest in public policy and witnessing the legislative process first-hand through OLIP.

Astrid Krueger is from Edmonton, Alberta, and recently graduated from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick. She earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, with minors in Philosophy, History, and Political Science. During her undergraduate studies, Astrid was a representative of the students’ union and an editor for the school newspaper; she also conducted an independent research study using frameworks in critical philosophy to create educational resources. She now enjoys volunteering with local organizations that provide support to gender minorities in the unhoused community. During her time with OLIP, Astrid is eager to gain a better understanding of Ontario’s political landscape and learn more about creating policy solutions for structural barriers to care. 

Taylor was born and raised in Toronto. She studied Political Science at the University of Waterloo for her undergrad and then again at the University of Guelph for her master's. During her master's she completed a research project on the LGBTQ+ movement and the importance of rural LGBTQ activism in Canada and the United States. During university, Taylor embraced the opportunities provided by Waterloo's co-op program and worked for several organizations including Crown-Indigenous Relations in Ottawa. In this role, she learned about the involvement of the federal government in Indigenous land and water issues and also got the opportunity to support other students through their co-op experiences. She has a passion for disability and LGBTQ rights that she channels in her free time by volunteering in her community. Taylor is honoured to be part of OLIP and is excited to learn from passionate professionals who work in policy development. 

Rhea Saini, born and raised in Mississauga, recently graduated from McMaster University with an Honours Bachelors of Health Sciences and an Interdisciplinary Minor in Community Engagement. During her time in university, Rhea discovered her passion for community engagement and community-based research as a tool for addressing social issues, and working on projects in partnership with local organizations to address issues including anti-racism, the opioid crisis, and the housing crisis. She brought these experiences to her role as an ambassador for CityLab Hamilton, where she worked on revising experiential community-based education curriculum. Rhea treasures the time she spent coordinating and hosting orientation weeks, leading a student mental health club, and co-organizing a grassroots initiative to advocate for sustainable transportation. Rhea is honoured to be part of OLIP, and looks forward to learning more about responsible governance and supporting communities through the work done at the Legislature.