1. What makes you qualified to be a Trustee?
I grew up in the TDSB and attended Toronto public schools from JK through Grade 12, including Lord Dufferin Public School, Sprucecourt Public School and Jarvis Collegiate.
Today, I am a parent, community leader and graduate student inPsychospiritual Studies at the University of Toronto. I am also a parent of children with special needs, so I understand personally how important it is for families to be heard, supported and able to access the right accommodations and services.
Since the COVID period, parents have reached out to me for help navigating issues within the school system. I have dealt directly with principals and administrators, attended and observed PIAC meetings, and helped families understand how to raise concerns and move issues forward. I was doing this before I decided to run for trustee, and I intend to continue doing it whether I am elected or not.
Much of my broader work has focused on families, young people, mental health, community safety and bringing different communities together. I have worked closely with the Toronto Police Service Hate Crime Unit and recently helped lead a province-wide workshop with Toronto Police Service attended by representatives from multiple police agencies and Crown attorneys, focusing on hate crimes, community impact and effective responses.
I have also volunteered in spiritual care settings including CAMH, SickKids, Mount Sinai Hospital and Toronto South Detention Centre.
Professionally, I manage a large community organization in downtown Toronto. That means working with staff, budgets, policies, government, families, volunteers and community partners every day.
I believe my experience as a TDSB graduate, parent, community advocate and organizational leader gives me a strong foundation for the role.
2. What is your connection to this riding?
Ward 7 is home for me.
I grew up in this area and went through the TDSB here from JK to Grade 12. I attended Lord Dufferin Public School, Sprucecourt Public School and graduated from Jarvis Collegiate in 2008.
My siblings and I also grew up using local community spaces, including the Toronto Public Library at Gerrard and Parliament.
Today, much of my professional and community work continues to be based in downtown Toronto. I work with families, youth, schools, community organizations, faith communities and government representatives throughout the area.
My connection to this ward did not begin with this election. I grew up here, went to school here, work here and continue to serve communities here.
3. What do you see as the most important role of a school trustee?
To represent families and students and help them navigate a system that can sometimes feel difficult to access.
Parents should not have to understand every level of a large school system just to have a concern taken seriously. A trustee should be someone families can reach, someone who listens, follows up and knows how to bring concerns to the right people.
I have already seen how important that role can be. Parents have contacted me for years asking for help communicating with principals and administrators or figuring out where an issue should go next.
The trustee title helps because it gives that advocacy a formal voice and greater access, but the work itself starts with being present and willing to help.
A trustee also has to look beyond individual cases. If the same issue is coming up repeatedly across different schools, that may point to a larger policy or system problem that needs to be addressed.
4. What issues do you think need to be addressed most urgently?
My priorities are centred on putting families first.
Student mental health: Students need timely access to counselling and mental health supports. Schools should also be better equipped to respond to trauma, bullying, hate and difficult circumstances outside the classroom.
Healthy and safe schools: Students need environments where they can actually focus and learn. That includes proper building conditions, reasonable classroom temperatures, access to drinking water, physical activity, outdoor time and safe facilities.
Support for students with special needs: As a parent of children with special needs, this issue is personal to me. Families should not have to constantly fight the system to access assessments, accommodations, supports or services their children need. The process should be easier to understand, more responsive and centred on the student.
School safety and belonging: Bullying, racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hate can have a serious impact far beyond the individual student involved. My work in this area has included helping lead training with the Toronto Police Service for police agencies and Crown attorneys on hate crimes, community impact and respectful responses.
That experience has reinforced for me that schools need to take concerns seriously early, communicate clearly with families and make sure students know where to turn when they feel unsafe or targeted.
Communication with families: Parents and caregivers should know who is responsible for an issue, how to raise a concern and what happens after they raise it. Families should not feel like their concerns disappear into a system.
5. If elected, how much time are you prepared to dedicate to this position? How do you anticipate spending this time?
I am prepared to make the trustee role a major commitment.
I do not see the role as simply attending board meetings. I would dedicate regular time each week to meeting families, attending school council and community meetings, visiting schools, responding to constituent concerns, reviewing reports and policies, meeting with staff and following up on issues raised by families.
I would also make a point of being physically present throughout Ward 7. This is a large and diverse ward, and I do not think you can properly represent it from an office or boardroom alone.
Even while trustee authority is limited under the current supervision of the TDSB, there is still important work that can be done by listening to families, staying connected with school communities and being prepared to take on the full responsibilities of the office when those responsibilities are restored.
6. Is there anything else that electors should know about you before election day?
I was doing this work before I became a candidate, and I will continue doing it whether I win or lose.
Parents have been reaching out to me since the COVID period for help with school-related concerns. I have dealt with principals and
administrators, attended and observed PIAC meetings, and helped families understand how to raise issues within the system.
Becoming a trustee would not create that commitment. The title would help give that work a stronger platform and a formal voice, but the commitment is already there.
Public education also shaped my own life. I went through the TDSB from JK to Grade 12. My siblings and I grew up using our local public schools and public library, and those institutions gave us opportunities regardless of our background.
Now I am a parent myself, including a parent of children with special needs, and I want families to feel that their school system listens to them and works with them rather than making them fight to be heard.
I will not agree with every parent on every issue, and I do not think a trustee should pretend they can solve every problem. What I can commit to is being accessible, listening carefully, doing the work, following up and making sure families have someone willing to raise their concerns.
My campaign is about Putting Families First, and that is the approach I would bring to the role.
Thank you again for providing candidates with this opportunity and for making these responses available to families.