Student Leadership

Melina Danesh, President

Hi! My name is Melina, and I’m the President of the York Secondary Catholic Presidents’ Council for the 2025-2026 year, as well as a Grade 12 student at St. Theresa of Lisieux Catholic High School.

I truly enjoy leadership that’s rooted in purpose and care, and I’m passionate about creating spaces where people feel heard, supported, and inspired to get involved. Being part of student leadership has allowed me to connect with so many incredible people and make a meaningful difference within our school communities.

Outside of school and council work, I love listening to music, watching TV, going to the gym, tutoring, and spending time with friends. I also have a strong interest in psychology and enjoy learning about people, what motivates them, and how we can better understand one another.

I’m always happy to connect, so feel free to reach out to me at melina.danesh26@ycdsbk12.ca 🙂

Farhad Sadig, 1st Vice President

Hello everyone! My name is Farhad Sadig, and I am really excited to serve as the First Vice-President of YSCPC for the 2025-2026 year. I am currently a Grade 12 student at St. Maximilian Kolbe CHS, where I focus on dedicating my time to extracurricular activities such as Eco Council and DECA.

I am a big believer in leadership driven by innovation and forward-thinking. I love collaborating with other passionate student leaders who enjoy looking at the bigger picture to create solutions that drive our communities and schools forward. I have a passion for learning and being in environments where I can gain new perspectives from enthusiastic people.

Beyond the council, I enjoy spending my time exploring my interests and staying involved in various activities that challenge me to grow and see things from new angles. Feel free to reach out to share ideas or to just chat!

Aksh Kanungo, 2nd Vice President

Hello everyone! My name is Aksh Kanungo and it is my honour to be serving as your 2nd Vice President at the YSCPC for the 2025-2026 school year! I am a grade 12 student at Cardinal Carter Catholic High School in the International Baccalaureate Program where I have also lead my School’s Councils, Morning Announcements, Relay4Life, and Clubs at local competitions!

I am a strong advocate for student leadership to make a change in our local and school communities and believe that by identifying our unique strengths, we’re able to come together as a community and make a lasting difference! I look forward to seeing your unique traits and working with you all!

Beyond this council, I am also an Air Cadet at the 94 Squadron and spend my free time going to the gym, watching TV, or hanging out with my friends and family!

If you have any questions, ideas or need advice, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Enithan Balendra, Director of Community Relations

Hi everyone! My name is Enithan Balendra! I am a Grade 11 student at Saint Brother André CHS. I am honoured to have the role of Director of Community Relations for the 2025 to 2026 School year. I am very passionate about using this leadership role to spread positivity and make the York Catholic School Board the best place it can be.

My core values are leadership, integrity and hard work. I am a very involved member of my school community as the president of the Tamil Student Association, Senior VP of the Anti-Racism Council, and the Treasurer of Science Club. I work towards connecting our school board with the world around us, to make a difference.

Outside of school and the council, I enjoy cooking, biking, swimming, and hanging out with family and friends. If you would like to have a chat about the council, anything I’m involved in, or just for fun feel free to reach out to me at my email:enithan.balendra27@ycdsbk12.ca,

Crystal Di, Director of Communications

Hi everyone! My name is Crystal, and I’m currently a Grade 12 AP and IRAP student at Sacred Heart. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve as your Director of Communications this year. That means anything photo, video, or design-related will most likely be created by me!

I’ve always loved media and communication, and I’ve dedicated much of my interests and extracurricular involvement to developing skills in these areas. I truly believe that communication is a core value both within and beyond leadership. It allows us to connect, collaborate, and share ideas, even when we’re in different schools.

I hope to strengthen our sense of community and make sure everyone feels informed and represented!

Feel free to reach out at crystal.di26@ycdsbk12.ca

Veanna Khalessi, Secretary

Hi! I’m Veanna, I am a grade 12 student at St. Theresa of Lisieux CHS, and I am super excited to be serving as your YSCPC secretary for the 2025-2026 school year!

I’m very passionate about leadership through community involvement because it empowers individuals to find and use skills such as their voice to make an impact. These opportunities help build confidence and foster a sense of belonging, which allow people to make a meaningful impact, and I believe that by engaging with others, we can continue to shape a better future together in our community and beyond.

Outside of YSCPC and School, you can probably find me at the gym, reloading the ticketmaster queue, or spending time with my friends and dog!

Feel free to reach out to me at Veanna.khalessihosseini26@ycdsbk12.ca anytime, whether it’s to share a very much-appreciated pet picture or just to have a chat :))

Victoria Hagger, Treasurer

My name is Victoria Hagger and I am a Grade 11 student at St. Maximilian Kolbe CHS. I am honoured and grateful to have the opportunity to serve as the YSCPC Treasurer this year!

From a young age, I’ve always enjoyed being involved in leadership as a way to inspire others to create impactful change in today’s world. I have enjoyed working alongside others to create environments where people are able to share their thoughts and ideas to strive for a better community.

I am looking forward to seeing what we will accomplish this year as YSCPC, and would love to hear and talk about any ideas or concerns you have!

Isaac Aide, Indigenous Student Representative

Hi, my name is Isaac and I’m a Grade 12 student at St.Theresa of Lisieux CHS and I am honoured to have the roll of the Senior Indigenous Student Representative for the YCDSB.

Outside of school I love snowboarding, and dirt-biking and I’m excited to see what this next year will bring for us students, and I’m so excited to listen and hear everyone’s ideas and experiences. My core values are integrity, and strength. If we can come together and harness all of our skills and strengths, we can all grow as a better community and strive for greatness.

Sabine Cuesta, Senior Student Trustee

Hey everyone! My name is Sabine Cuesta (she/her), and I’m honoured to be a part of student leadership at the YCDSB through the role of Senior Student Trustee!

I’m a Grade 12 student at St. Robert CHS, and I’m so grateful to be able to work alongside driven and diverse student leaders from schools across the board. The YSCPC brings together an amazing team of students united in enriching our YCDSB community, and it’s been an unbelievable privilege to continue representing your vital voices in the boardroom.

I’m excited to see what we will accomplish together and to grow with this team. Please don’t hesitate to reach out about any ideas, questions, concerns, or even just to chat!

Abby Shenouda, Junior Student Trustee

Hi everyone! I am so grateful to be representing our student body as a student trustee for the past and upcoming year!

I am a grade 11 student at St. Augustine CHS in Markham; I value YSCPC’s dedication to making students aware of their power as advocates for education and a better school community across our diverse board.

Aside from school and leadership, music is one of my main passions as I love to sing and play the guitar and piano.

I truly believe that education is the pillar of a successful life, in all forms, and I want to be intentional in this role in order to truly make a change.

Please reach out with any questions, comments, concerns, or just to chat! abby.shenouda27@ycdsb.ca