Student Scholarships and Bursaries

Lily is an incoming Master of Planning student with a passion for transportation planning, accessibility, and equitable community development. She currently works with MiWay Transit and the City of Mississauga’s Elections Office while contributing to youth poverty reduction initiatives in the Peel Region. Through her professional and community experiences, she has developed a strong interest in creating transportation systems that improve access to employment, essential services, and social connection. She hopes to build a career in public-sector planning, helping shape more connected, inclusive, and resilient communities. In her free time, she enjoys climbing, running, crafting, reading, and writing.

Eric Tran is a third-year Planning student at the University of Waterloo, specializing in land use, transportation, and infrastructure planning. From a young age, he has been curious about the world around him, particularly with how cities are designed and function. Through numerous leadership roles with the Institute of Transportation Engineers and OPPI’s Career Path Programming Committee, Eric has actively contributed to his academic community. Some of his accomplishments include organizing over 15 events ranging from industry talks, technical tours, and software tutorials, leading design team projects, and developing K–12 workshops introducing youth to transportation planning. With a deep commitment to creating communities that are people-centric, equitable, and sustainable, Eric is committed to making a meaningful impact to the field of planning.

Satnam Hehar is pursuing a Master of Arts in Planning at the University of Waterloo, where her research focuses on first- and last-mile transit access for mobility-impaired individuals in suburban Canadian contexts. Her work examines how people with disabilities and other mobility challenges move through everyday spaces and the small but significant barriers they encounter when getting from place to place.

Drawing on both academic interest and lived experience with chronic pain, Satnam aims to bridge the gap between planning theory and practice to advance more inclusive approaches to mobility and access. Her long-term goal is to contribute to planning policies and systems that make everyday travel more accessible, dignified, and practical for all users. 

Raniya Sethi is a Master’s candidate in Planning program at the University of Waterloo. Combining her planning education with a background in development studies, Raniya is interested in how planning can address systemic inequities through infrastructure, climate resilience, and community centered decision making.

Growing up in Pakistan shaped her understanding of how the built environment influences access to essential services and safe public spaces to long-term opportunities and well-being and continues to inspire her approach to planning. She has assisted in supporting research on expanding energy access in some of the Pakistan’s most underserved rural communities, worked in the public sector for flood recovery and climate adaptation projects in Punjab’s rural areas, and led research on environmental governance and corporate accountability In Pakistan. Through these experiences, she became increasingly interested in how planning decisions can either reinforce or reduce systemic barriers for communities facing social, economic, and environmental vulnerability.

Entering her final year at the University of Waterloo, Raniya’s Major Research Project aims to explore how infrastructure systems shape urban microclimates and how planning can reduce heat exposure while creating healthier, more climate-resilient communities. Her long-term goal is to bridge the gap between sustainable development, planning, and public policy and advancing evidence based solutions that make cities more inclusive, sustainable and equitable.

Auditiyo’s interest in advancing equity started as a child growing up in East Africa and the Middle East and was nurtured by his father, mother, and sister. During his undergrad at the University of Waterloo, he volunteered for the Student Refugee Program and helped settle refugee students from harsh political environments into Canadian life. After graduating, he started Community Kitchen Coop—a food business incubator supporting marginalized communities in Kitchener’s Downtown core. Today, Auditiyo is dedicating his graduate research at the University of Toronto to exploring the impact of community gardening on the food security of new immigrant communities.

Jeiden Iskandar is a third-year undergraduate urban planning student at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). She is dedicated to advocate for better policies and planning practices to develop a better living community and is aiming to take part in changing housing policies to allow for fair and equal living in Toronto. During her time at TMU, she has focused on creating a student-based community oriented third space as well as relieving the food insecurity in the planning program. Her long-term goal is to fight for affordable housing, advocating for low-income communities, and creating a space where community is integrated into the planning process.

Christina (Chris) Paola Carballo is a MPL candidate at Queen’s University. Her research interests include spatial equity, health infrastructure, and public policy, with a particular focus on how demographic change and the distribution of care infrastructure shape access to services and quality of life in urban areas. Her current research explores the relationship between population aging and health-care accessibility, examining how planning decisions influence equitable access to care and support systems. Chris also serves on the Youth Advisory Committee for a SSHRC-funded FIFA World Cup research project led by the University of Toronto, where she contributes youth perspectives on the social and community impacts of mega-sporting events.

Aimee Powell, MCIP, RPP is the Founder and Chief Planning Officer of Powell Planning & Associates, a land use planning consulting firm serving public and private sector clients across Ontario. With more than 18 years of experience, Aimee is a recognized leader and passionate advocate for mentorship, dedicating significant time to developing, sponsoring, and supporting emerging planning professionals. In 2023, Aimee was inducted into ULI’s Women’s Leadership Initiative in recognition of her commitment to advancing inclusion, leadership, mentorship, and excellence within the planning profession. She is a long-standing instructor at Toronto Metropolitan University, serves on OPPI Council, and is a Director with the Black Planners & Urbanists Association (BPUA) and the Ontario Black Contractors Association (OBCA).

Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Georgina developed an early interest in how geography, communities, and regional connections shape people’s experiences. After completing an undergraduate degree in Women’s and Gender Studies, she moved to Northern British Columbia, where her passion for northern and regional planning emerged. Over the past decade, she has worked in nonprofit and public-sector roles focused on community development, youth employment, governance, and public engagement. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in urban and Regional Planning at Queen’s University and serves as the Student Director on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Institute of Planners. Her work focuses on northern planning, affordable housing, and equitable community development.