sunia staff

Rian Hoyle

Rian is SUNIA's resident botanist, cow enthusiast, climbing nerd, and Executive Director. Rian is super sweet and oddly energetic, who very much enjoys the thrills of life. However, it's not always go-go-go as Rian also loves the simplicities like doing puzzles and spending summer nights stargazing. Rian graduated from the University of Alberta with a degree in political science and history, which might be why they can name every country's flag. When it comes to music, Rian is probably listening to Joji, System of a Down, the Twilight soundtrack, or Japanese Jazz from the 70s. Aside from bringing the good music, Rian will also bring the good vibes and can’t wait to see everyone this August! At SUNIA, be sure to ask Rian if they're finally caught up on One Piece.

Malcolm Henderson

Malcolm, SUNIA’s urban-exploring “LRT warrior,” is studying geophysics at the University of Alberta. Making memories with friends through endless slideshow nights and randomly breaking into song/dance, Malcolm brings a little bit of whimsy wherever he goes. Malcolm spends his time in the zone listening to symphonic and folk-metal compositions like Orphaned Land, Scardust, Sabaton, and Nightwish, or living the medieval vibe through his favourite game Kingdom Come Deliverance. He is super passionate about social justice and history, and has big dreams about making systemic changes to the world. Always here to chime in with a nicely-timed joke, Malcolm is hyped to chat about anything at SUNIA!

Delha Mare Mohammad

Delha is currently studying at the University of Alberta and pursuing a BSc in Psychology! He loves to watch movies and is extremely excited for the Odyssey, Brand New Day and any Damson Idris movie. Delha also spends some of his time playing competitive games like League of Legends and Valorant. When it comes to music, Delha feels he has the greatest taste amongst staff! Despite what some call "generic", Drake, Frank Ocean, Quadeca, Giveon and SADE!!!!! Delha aspires to embody what it means to be a good leader and has taken many lessons from a variety of anime as well! Last but not least, Delha LOVES to read fantasy books and is currently reading Red Rising, Hierarchy and WOT.

Shereen Sultani

Shereen is currently pursuing a degree in History and Political Science and is SUNIAs resident Cold War geek. She can be found adding to her collection of nearly 2000 curated Spotify playlists (that feature music that spans from Ethiopian Jazz, Tropicalia, Psychedelic Rock, Sludge Metal, to Rap) or writing movie reviews (ask about her top 4 favourite films). Aside from being a music aficionado and self proclaimed film critic— she can be found hunting for new books to add to her Tolkien collection. Shereen LOVES to learn about new things and corners of the world that she’s dying to immerse herself in. So if you’re looking to have a nerd-off, need music or movie recommendations, want to infodump about any topic, or want to see if she can really name any Led Zeppelin song within less than one second then you should absolutely talk to her as she is so excited to meet all of you at SUNIA!!!

Hailey Campbell

Known as Jurgen Klopp's biggest fan is sunia's resident soccer coach, Hailey Campbell. While she doesn’t remember the outcomes of all the games, she did watch every minute of the 2021, 2022, and 2024 UEFA Euros. When Hailey's not crying over her favorite soccer teams match outcomes, she’s on the University of Alberta campus preparing her Political Science Honors Thesis and crying over how many readings she has due. When Hailey's not yelling at soccer players or her homework, she’s jamming to her latest cd find (and trying not to cry at how expensive they are). Hailey is obsessed with finding the perfect album for every moment and refuses to curate playlists instead. If you need someone to cry with about literally anything at camp Hailey's got two shoulders she’s been buffing up all year and can't wait to show them off!

Alena Malykhina

Known as the kid who does it all is Alena: the kid who does almost all. She enjoys dancing, playing volleyball, basketball, tennis, badminton, golf, and way more with her friends and family but aside from being extremely athletic, Alena is also very musical and won't stop going into song. She is currently studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and, during her breaks, can usually be found wandering the streets of Europe. She is pursuing a career in opera, and even though you may think she knows about Mozart, she has no memory of him. Outside of studying, she binge watches Gilmore Girls and procrastinates all the time so don't take her advice for studying although she'll always try to give you tips for your new school year. Talk to her during breaks and she might surprise you with what she knows even if it’s about Latin or Barbie.

Vaidya Golthi

Vaidya is often found trotting around Edmonton looking for the "most aesthetic" cafes and bookstores, she loves to photograph little pieces of her life, read a variety of books (mostly to write sassy reviews on GoodReads), and watch sitcoms from the early 2000s. She is currently pursuing a Psychology degree at the University of Alberta. She also loves hiking, being bad at rock climbing, and going to antique stores and being sad about old people's stuff. Some of her more serious passions include advocating for period poverty, volunteering, and reading classics. Vaidya is super excited to be a SUNIA counsellor and she is always down to talk about anything and everything (except for 127 hours because it's a really scary movie).

Jess Dancey

With an interest in art and design, Jess is always ready to create, make or do anything fun and innovative. Going into their second year of Sociology at the University of Alberta, they enjoy deep conversations about pretty much anything and are always down to chat! Jess loves various animes, movies, video games, shows, books - name it, they know it - but their favourite of all time is definitely classic novel Wuthering Heights (heathcliff redemption arc when?) Be sure to ask Jess about their tastes and tell them about yours when you see them at camp in August!

John Overwater

Pursuing a degree in Political Science at the University of Calgary, John is an avid "chuckle-nut" as he describes himself. Always being up for conversation intellectual or just plain silly, John loves to recommend a plethora of niche bands, flex his intermediate beatboxing skills, and behave akin to Jim Carrey's role as The Mask, from "The Mask". Taking pride in many things, John will never forget to remind you of his loyalty to his homeland (Calgary), and even more so his niche music taste and his near inability to listen to anything considered "mainstream". Any conversation no matter how differing the opinions, understanding his counterpart's point of view remains a large area of interest for him, as he believes the greatest thing to bring to any conversation is compassion and respect. If you're interested in hearing the most outlandish animal facts possible, John's your guy.

Haroon Mohammad

Always chasing his next adventure, Haroon is constantly on the look out for fun and a bit of whimsy. Whether he’s keeping up with One Piece (mihawk is a fraud), falling off bouldering courses, or throwing together a character cosplay, he never shies away from a great time. Known for awesome energy and having an easy going nature, Haroon is currently pursuing his degree in political science at the university of Alberta. When he’s not being cheeky, you’ll find him zoning out in the gym bumping Pierce the Veil (not sorry they’re amazing) and One Direction. Haroon is very excited to see you at SUNIA!

Josh Soldan

Always packing some dry-sarcasm, obscure facts and an empty thumb drive. Josh is Sunia's residing handyman and occational tech-support, ever have a technical issue and gifted food?; he is sure to help you out with it! Josh is currently taking the long route pursuing a Bachelors of Science. He loves to learn about as many different things as he can. With a passion of always exploring the nitty gritty details of writing, gastronomy, and even materials science. He will die on the hill that ATLA, Arcane and LOTR (search them up and watch them!!!) are the best pieces of media to ever grace this earth. So if you ever want to hear a lecture on a brilliant media literacy opinion, give audience to a stupendous joke, or teach him a glamourous fact or two about anything! Come find Josh at camp this August!

Emily Alexander

Emily is currently pursuing a chemistry degree at the University of Ottawa. Before anyone asks, yes she’s met the prime minister, and no she hasn’t skated on the canal (but she will soon). Outside of her studies, she’s an exec for the run club, which means she’s gone from running once a year to completing her first half marathon! In her free time she can be found braving the uni gym, and getting shawarma with her friends (because Ottawa doesn’t know donair like Alberta does). But if anyone knows a good thrift place there, please let her know!! She’s always on the search for new dorm room decor or another cool top. When you see her at camp, please don’t hesitate with any book, movie and music recs, and she promises to check them out… eventually.

Mihir Rao

Meet Mihir, SUNIA’s resident LinkedIn extraordinaire. If not on stage bringing characters to life, you can find him experimenting in the kitchen and creating new recipes (let them eat cake!!). Jamming out to songs from around the world, Mihir is constantly expanding his music taste (latest additions: latin jazz & amapiano). Lately, his favorite pastime has been finding two completely obscure, unrelated Wikipedia articles and clicking hyperlinks to get from one to the other in the fastest time possible. Beyond being a tourist in his own city (he takes pictures of everything), Mihir is a true globetrotter at heart – his bucket list seriously knows no end. Challenge him to name all the capitals or see if he can finally draw the world map from memory. To relax, Mihir loves thriller and espionage movies, vicariously fulfilling his younger self’s dream of becoming a spy (RIP agent rao). With a deep passion for social justice, you can find Mihir engaging with decision-makers at Parliament Hill, leading conversations on global issues, or educating youth on environmental stewardship. Mihir will talk to you about absolutely anything, and cannot wait to meet you out at SUNIA!

Samira Mohamed

With a love of musical theatre, HSMUN and bad movies, Samira loves a good performance - and is very passionate about writing and filmmaking. Blessed with a million favourite everythings, she’s always down for a good natured debate and a recommendation or two. She spends most of her time writing poetry, finding new music, reading online and making friendship bracelets she’ll never wear. Samira is beyond excited to share a laugh and get to know everyone at SUNIA this year!