ABOUT US

MEET THE EXECS

SYD WADDINGTON (SHE/HER)

President & Founder [Admin]

Third-year neuro bio-psych student, Syd, founded the club in December 2020. Syd is passionate about mental health and eradicating stigma as she is studying towards a career in pediatric psychiatry. When Syd is not working on SAS, hitting the books, or assisting in neurological research, you'll find her roaming the beach with her best friend, George the bulldog! Syd's primary responsibilities are to oversee all major club initiatives and to manage the executives.

MARKUS MEYER (HE/HIM)

Tresurer [Admin]

Third-year child and youth care student Markus joined our Administrative Team in January 2021 as a founding executive member. Markus has spent a lot of time volunteering with various mental health initiatives and has previously worked as a residential support worker for youth in care. Markus hopes to one day work as a school counsellor. Markus' primary responsibility in SAS is to manage our club's finances.

EMILY LOVELL (SHE/HER)

Vice President [Admin]

Emily is a third-year biochem major with an interest in psychopharmacological research. She is passionate about advocating for those that are living with mental illness. In her spare time, Emily loves reading, swimming, and spending time with friends and family. Emily joined SAS in September 2021. Her responsibilities include taking meeting minutes, member registration, sending out the newsletter, managing the standard operating procedures & overseeing inter-team operations!

JACOB FULTON (HE/HIM)

Director of Funding [Admin]

Jacob, a third-year biopsychology student, joined SAS in January of 2022 as Director of Funding due to his interest in reducing the stigma around mental health through conversation. His primary responsibilities are to communicate and build relationships with existing SAS sponsors, in addition to acquiring new sponsors for SAS. Outside of academics, working in child and youth care, volunteering, and being part of SAS and UVic Blood4Life, he enjoys reading, running, and spending time with his family and friends.

RACHEL LI (SHE/HER)

Head of Neurology [Neuro-Psych]

Rachel is a third-year biochemistry major who is interested in neurology and passionate about reducing the stigma around mental illnesses so individuals can safely and confidently get the help they need. Her primary responsibilities are to oversee the neurology team and to accredit our neurology-related content.

MADISON LEE (SHE/HER)

Head of Psychology [Neuro-Psych]

Madison is going into 3rd year doing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She is passionate about advocating for marginalized groups, especially those experiencing homelessness. In her free time, she enjoys going to the gym and brunch with friends!

RACHEL POWELL (SHE/HER)

Neurology Representative [Neuro-Psych]

Rachel is a first-year biology student who is passionate about science, mental health, and general wellness. She enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends. As an aspiring healthcare practitioner, she is excited to expand her knowledge about mental health through her work with this club.

SARA BLAIS (SHE/HER)

Head of Research [Research]

Sara is in the biopsychology program as UVic and has a passion for reducing the stigma surrounding psychiatric illnesses. As an aspiring physician, Sara understands the importance of removing the mental health stigma in healthcare to make it more accessible. Sara joined our Research Team in January 2021 and her primary responsibilities are to oversee the research team and to manage the SAS research blog.

LUCY ROHATYNCHUK (SHE/HER)

Research Representative [Research]

Lucy joined our Research Team in February 2021. She is a psychology major who is passionate about reducing the stigma around mental health and psychiatric illnesses. This has become increasingly important since she began volunteering at the Victoria Brain Injury Society and has hopes to work in the field of trauma psychology. Lucy's primary responsibility is to write posts for the research blog.

BRECKEN SALES (SHE/HER)

Research Representative [Research/Neuro-Psych]

Brecken joined our Research Team in May 2021. She is a third-year bio-psych student hoping to pursue pediatric clinical counselling with a neurodevelopmental disorder focus. In her spare time, she loves playing sports and snuggling with her two cats. Brecken's primary responsibility is to write posts for the research blog.

SAHSA BEARDMORE (SHE/HER)

Research Operations Officer [Research]

Sasha, a third-year biomedical engineering student, joined SAS in September 2021 as Research Operations Officer. Her primary responsibilities include acting as a liaison between teams, contributing to the research blog, and representing the research team at meetings. Outside of academics, she is a volunteer at the Victoria Brain Injury Society, enjoys taking weekly ballet classes, and going for long walks as often as possible! As an aspiring physician and a strong believer in reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and psychological disorders, Sasha is excited to take on her role!

SHREYA SAKHRANI (SHE/HER)

Content Creator [Creative]

KIERA ROPCHAN

Outreach Coordinator [Outreach]

Kiera joined SAS in September 2022 and is in her final year studying Psychology with a minor in Education. Kiera is passionate about promoting mental health awareness and reducing stigma. From 2021-2022 Kiera worked alongside Foundry to positively enhance mental health knowledge by empowering high school students and educators to become better equipped in being aware of mental health strategies/skills. In her spare time, Kiera enjoys spending time with friends!