Our Residence Life Team work hard throughout the year to provide community building opportunities, promote safety, provide support & ways for students to get connected here in residence! Read below to meet the team!
Amanda Luongo
Acting, Assistant Director, Residence Life
amanda.luongo@utoronto.ca
Amanda is a UTM alumna who is passionate about education and sharing in learning experiences with students and staff. Amanda has her Masters of Education in Curriculum with a Wellness Emphasis from OISE. She is also a certified teacher and received her Bachelors of Education from Queen’s University. She enjoys finding ways to bring learning outside of the classroom.
As the Assistant Director, Residence Life, Amanda works with the Residence Life Team to create safe, positive residence communities that foster a sense of belonging & co-curricular experiences that encourage holistic student development, and environments that promote academic success.
In her spare time, Amanda enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring new places and chatting with her book club.
Kamadchi Karunanandan
Supervisor, Residence Life
kamadchi.karunanandan@utoronto.ca
Kamadchi (she/her) has been working in higher education since 2013. Kamadchi started her higher education journey as a student staff in 2013, and 2 years later she transitioned into a professional role within the Campus Housing department at the University of Waterloo. Kamadchi recently joined the University of Toronto Mississauga team and she is excited to bring her experience from the University of Waterloo and University of Toronto – St.George to a new community.
She is currently finishing up her Master of Education degree at OISE and will graduate in June 2023. As the Supervisor, Residence Life, Kamadchi works closely with the Community Development Coordinator team to create learning opportunities outside of the classroom. In addition to fostering an educational environment, her practice revolves around her lens of curiosity and learning about people's stories. She is interested in who you are outside of your role at UTM and will ask questions about your journey to higher education and inquire further on how she can support you with your journey.
While she's not at work, Kamadchi loves playing volleyball, spending time with her friends and family, trying new recipes and looking for new adventures (i.e., travelling/hiking etc.).
Brian Tan
Community Standards Officer
bri.tan@utoronto.ca
Brian completed his Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education at Western University, during which time he worked in various roles as a student-staff in their Housing department. In 2019, he began working professionally in Western's Housing department, where he continued to grow his passion for residence life through his involvement in the development of their upper-year residence experience and the intentional programming and support for their international students in residence.
Brian joined the Student Housing & Residence Life team at UTM in 2021 as a Community Development Coordinator. In January of 2023, he has transitioned into the role of the Community Standards Officer. As the Community Standards Officer, Brian’s role is to work with students when they may require multiple university and community supports. Brian is passionate about fostering learning outside of the classroom and is actively pursuing a Master of Education in Higher Education at OISE.
Outside of work, Brian enjoys travelling, trying new foods and restaurants, and spending quality time with friends and family.
Bianca Anderson
bianca.anderson@utoronto.ca
Bianca earned a Honours Bachelor of Arts degree at Wilfrid Laurier University. During her undergraduate degree, she was a residence student staff where she found her passion for student housing! After graduating, she moved to the University of Guelph where she continued to work in student housing. In 2019, Bianca joined the Student Housing & Residence Life team as a Community Development Coordinator and later transitioned into her current role. Most recently, she earned her Master of Education in Student Affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University.
At UTM, in her current role, Bianca focuses on providing transition support to residence students. She supports a team of Residence Education Facilitators who help to facilitate academic workshops along with other programs. She also works to promote the academic success of residence students through the Academic Support Initiative. Her favourite part of her role is working with students to ensure they flourish in their academics at UTM!
In her free time, Bianca loves to spend time with her dog, Rosie, and go for walks along trails around UTM. Please feel free say hi if you see her on campus!
Charesma Biaspal
Residence Education Coordinator
charesma.biaspal@utoronto.ca
Charesma’s journey in residence life began during her undergraduate years at the University of Toronto Scarborough, where she worked in multiple residence student staff roles, amongst other roles in student affairs. Here, she discovered her infinite love for learning, human connections, and student support. Charesma joined the Student Housing & Residence Life team at UTM in 2021, where she works currently as the Residence Education Coordinator.
In her role, Charesma oversees programs and projects within the living learning communities while coordinating residence programming for the Academic Culture and English students. She enjoys helping students thrive in their programs while creating a memorable residence experience for them.
In her spare time, Charesma loves to read, listen to podcasts, practice yoga, play with her bunny, cook, and eat all kinds of food (she is a huge foodie)! If you know of any good restaurants near or far, let Charesma know!
Julia Goudreau
Community Development Coordinator
julia.goudreau@utoronto.ca
Julia is a UTM Alumni and is very excited to be back at the campus that she considers home. During her undergraduate degree, Julia found a passion for student support and working in residence. She spent time working at the University of Waterloo, and the UofT St George’s campus before moving back to UTM.
As a Community Development Coordinator, Julia’s role is to support students as they navigate their residence experience. Julia also supports one of the Don teams as they support students and create intentional programs for our residence community.
Outside of work, Julia enjoys reading, figure skating and hanging out with her cat.
Megha Manvi
Community Development Coordinator
megha.manvi@utoronto.ca
Megha is a proud UTM alumna and considers this campus her home. At UTM, she was an international student who worked as a Residence Don and Residence Services Assistant (RSA) while she was earning her Bachlor's in Arts in Economics and Sociology. She has worked at the University of Calgary and McMaster University as a Residence Life Coordinator and is excited to foster a warm, welcoming and growth-oriented environment at UTM.
In her current role as South Side Community Development Coordinator, she hopes to create meaningful connections and good memories. Outside of work, Megha is a trained singer and loves playing with her dog. She is also currently working on a master’s in business administration (MBA) at the Rotman School of Management. If you see her around, don’t hesitate to say hello!
Katie Bea
OISE Intern, LLC Curriculum Development Specialist
Katie is currently completing her Master of Education in Adult Education and Community Development at U of T OISE. Katie has a passion for promoting a strong sense of community through special programming for students. In her current role as the LLC Curriculum Development Specialist, Katie hopes to apply her group facilitation experience and to work with the UTM community to create meaningful learning opportunities for students to connect with their peers.
On the weekends, you can find Katie going for walks in the park, camping and hanging out with her cats. Katie loves meeting new people and learning from them! If you see her on campus, feel free to come and chat!
Sukhmani Khaira
OISE Intern, Academic Intervention Specialist
Sukhmani is completing her Master of Education in Higher Education (Student Services and Student Development) at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. She graduated from UofT in summer 2022 with a degree in Economics and is joining SHRL as an Academic Intervention Specialist. In this role, she will work with data collected under the Academic Support Initiative.
In her free time, you can find her doting over her plants and trying out new dessert bars. If you need thriller movies or TV show recommendations, Sukhmani is your person!
Farah Noori
OISE Intern, Mental Health Programming Specialist