We are a team of undergraduate students united by our shared vision of prioritizing mental health on campuses and fostering a sense of community amongst our student body.
Directors
Aphrodite Demos
Co-Director
BSc Psychology (Hons), 5th Year
(she/her)
Aphrodite Demos is most interested in social, cultural and evolutionary psychology. She aims to further understand these sub-fields in graduate school and become a professor or researcher in academia. She enjoys reading psychology books and listening to podcasts, and loves to dance, practice yoga and escape to warmer weather getaways.
Zahra Teimuri (she/her)
Co-Director
BA Psychology (Hons), 3rd Year
(she/her)
Zahra is interested in behavioural and clinical psychology and hopes to further explore these sub-fields in post graduate education. Zahra enjoys playing sports like volleyball and basketball, and also enjoys trying out new food places with her friends!
Research & Content Development
Darya Shavandi
BA Psychology (Hons), 3rd Year
(she/her)
Darya has interests in Neuropsychology and Developmental psychology. She hopes to pursue a degree in clinical psychology after undergraduate studies and possibly a career in sports psychology. As well, she is working towards becoming a research assistant. In her free time, some of her hobbies include reading, baking, skiing, and watching movies at the theatre.
Kamal Iharratane
BA Psychology (Hons), 3rd Year
(he/him)
Kamal’s psychological areas of interest include research methodology, biopsychology/neuroscience, intelligence, and mental & physical health. One of Kamal’s hopes is to pursue a Master’s degree. Kamal enjoys History and sports.
Marwa Bafagih
Health Studies – Health Informatics Major, 4th Year
(she/her)
Marwa is a 4th-year Health Studies student with honors in Health Informatics. She is passionate about psychology and understanding the biochemical influence on mental illness and how we can use this knowledge to prevent the progression/genesis of illness. She wishes to create and manage bioinformatics technologies that improve health outcomes and minimize the burdens on the Canadian healthcare system. In her free time, she likes to play video games and read.
Tamar Patel
Kinesiology, 3rd Year
(she/her)
Tamar is interested in the impact of exercise and diet on mental health. She hopes to make a positive impact on society in her future career. Tamar loves animals, music and spending time with her family and friends.
Conference Planning & Logistics
Geneva Mariotti
BSc Psychology (Hons), 4th Year
(she/her)
Geneva is in her final year of undergrad where she primarily focuses on her research into the cognitive neuroscience of aging. She aims to attain a PhD in experimental cognitive neuroscience and establish her own lab aimed at optimizing the aging experience. Outside of the research lab, you might see her reading, watching local theatre, or trying to absorb the wisdom of trees in the local parks.
Nusrat Iftikhar
BA Psychology (Hons), 4th Year
(she/her)
Nusrat aspires to attend graduate school and contribute to the representation of South Asians in clinical psychology research. Outside of school, Nusrat enjoys baking, traveling, binge-watching thriller series and kdramas.
Veera Pudas
BA Psychology, 3rd Year
(she/her)
Veera’s interests in the field of psychology land in social psychology, especially how our own behaviours and actions can be so significantly impacted by the presence of others. She is interested in pursuing a career in human resources and recruiting. Veera enjoys cooking in her free time, specifically trying out new recipes and exercising.
Social Media & Promotions
Grace Fu
BA Psychology (Hons), 4th Year
(she/her)
Grace is passionate about the history of psychology and understanding how marginalized groups have been disproportionately under-represented in psychology research. She hopes to become a psychology researcher to expand the different ways women (specifically women of colour) experience mental health disorders. In her free time, she enjoys listening to heavy metal music, reading historical fiction and volunteering at the Centre for Women and Trans People (CWTP) at York University.
Senior Luminate Leader
Brandon Bare
BA Psychology (Hons), 4th Year
(he/him)
Brandon is interested in cognitive and health psychology. He is strongly passionate about learning and loves meeting new people who study or have a fascination for psychology. He is intrigued by how behaviour and mindset works, especially across different cultures and individuals. As someone who did not grow up with awareness to mental health, he finds it much significant to emphasize its importance. By joining Luminate, he wants to help fellow students learn valuable information needed for them to personally improve and succeed.
Luminate Mental Health Conference Series 