EDITOR-IN-CHIEFS
John Vo (he/him) is a fourth-year journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University also pursuing a minor in fashion studies. His passion for writing, fashion, film and the arts is what enticed him to become this year’s co-editor-in-chief for CanCulture alongside Kinza! This will be his fourth and final time working for the publication. We’re in the final stretch! When he isn’t editing pieces or stressed out to the nth degree, you will most likely catch him watching movies and television, jamming out to music or scrolling through 80 Pinterest boards for inspiration.
Kinza Zafar (she/her) is a multimedia creative and final-year journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University. With a background in fine art and an interest in community reporting, Kinza is thrilled to lead CanCulture Magazine this year alongside John! Bouncing between mediums, she’s worked in broadcast radio, photography, art direction and campus news. In her free time, you can catch Kinza curating oddly specific music mixes, deep in conversation over a cold bevvy and tending to her growing collection of uncommon houseplants.
Managing Editors
Grace Henkel (she/her) is a third-year journalism student at TMU and has grown her passion for media by writing stories that amplify critical and challenging conversations, often through the lens of artistic discourse. She is excited to be back on the CanCulture masthead as one of two managing editors and looks forward to collaborating with writers and section editors to tell stories that represent CanCulture’s vibrant audience. When she isn’t inundated with work from the countless other little projects she took on aside from school, you might find her writing atrocious notes app poetry or trying to make friends with the dogs in the Kerr Hall quad.
Originally from Vancouver, Sena Law (she/her) is on her way to earning a Bachelor’s of Journalism, alongside a minor in fashion studies, at Toronto Metropolitan University. With a personal background in fine arts and a passion for all things creative, Sena is dedicated to uncover the under-covered — underground artists, designers and other creatives that deserve the exposure, she will be sure to dig them up. You can likely find Sena admiring fashionable outfits around the city or filming OOTDs for her TikTok account.
SECTION EDITORS
Arts
Sharon Arulnesan (she/her) is a second-year journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her love for everything arts and culture related — from perusing the latest art exhibits to hunting for Toronto’s best bookstores — is what makes her beyond excited to be this year’s Arts Editor. In her spare time, you can find her taking strolls in Kensington Market, sipping on (overpriced) artisanal lattes and marathoning Sofia Coppola films.
Fashion
Lauren Watson (she/her) is a third-year journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University who is obsessed with all things fashion, environmental health and pop culture. She’s an aspiring fashion columnist who studies runways during fashion month for hours, is always counting down the days until seeing her favourite celebrities at the Met Gala and is constantly experimenting with her sewing machine and knitting needles. This is her first year at CanCulture and she’s very excited to see where this year’s fashion section goes! When she’s not busy managing her ultra-busy school schedule you can find her roaming the streets of Kensington Market on the hunt for new second-hand clothes with a vanilla matcha in hand.
Features
Anna-Giselle Funes-Eng (they/them) is in their third year of TMU’s journalism program. They’re passionate about finding and telling stories that shake up the way we look at things. Also? Big fan of live music, book suggestions and humans’ capacity to hope!
Film
Hania Noor (she/her) is a fourth-year journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University, who’s also pursuing a cinema studies minor. Film has been her lifelong obsession — some of the first films she watched were horror flicks (yikes, what does that say about her?). This passion has shaped her worldview and turned her into a pop culture-obsessed freak. This year marks her debut as the film editor for CanCulture. When she’s not marathoning shows and movies (it’s a miracle she hasn’t turned into a popcorn kernel), you can find her cuddling with her cat or passionately ranting about films to her sisters and friends who really couldn’t care less (but she’ll tell them anyway). Or you can find her on her Twitter (boooo X) stan account — just don’t expect to locate her; you’ll never find her. IG: @hania.noor X: @thisishanianoor
Food
Zarmminaa Rehman (she/her) is a fourth-year nutrition and food student at Toronto Metropolitan University with a love for writing. Before joining the CanCulture masthead as Food Editor, she served as Fun & Satire Editor at The Eyeopener. When not sending out pitches, Zarmminaa loves reading, baking, creating custom wallpapers for her laptop, making Pinterest boards and indulging in all things K-Pop or Mortal Kombat.
Literary
Lama Alshami (she/her) is a second-year journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University minoring in politics. As a Syrian-Canadian, Lama hopes to shed light on pressing issues in both Canada and the Middle East. With a passion for storytelling, she aims to amplify underrepresented voices in her work. If she’s not writing, she’ll definitely be reading a book or crocheting something cozy.
Multimedia
Sarah Grishpul (she/her) is a third-year journalism student with a deep love for the arts, pop culture and media. She’s been writing for CanCulture since her first year and hasn’t been able to keep away since. You’ll likely find Sarah attempting to live off movie theatre popcorn, trying to keep her plants alive and removing Oxford commas from her sentences.
Music
Andrea Zayan (they/them) is a writer and journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University, pursuing a minor in film. They’re passionate about all things art, music, film, philosophy and are always aiming to best serve their queer and trans kin of colour in all their work. Beyond academia and writing, you’ll catch them strumming a guitar, attending local indie shows, creating esoteric playlists, logging their latest arthouse watch on Letterboxd or plotting a way to bring about the revolution! Most of all, they think it’s essential to know they are a Bengali dyke with impeccable taste and an inflated ego.
Social Media & Graphics Director
Edward Lander (he/him) is a Toronto-based journalist, graphic designer, photographer and third-year journalism student at Toronto Met. He’s passionate about feature writing, reporting and visual storytelling. Edward has been on the CanCulture team for two years and is excited to be returning once again. When he’s not plugging away on Adobe Illustrator, he can be found shooting street photography or reading from the tall stack of magazines on his nightstand.
Media Editors
Mel Nava Urribarri (she/her) is a fourth-year journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University studying psychology as her minor. She has a passion for multimedia storytelling and diving into the depths of history to tell the best stories. Coming from a long love of the addicting edits on Instagram and TikTok, video is her favourite format of storytelling, hence the multimedia editor role. When she isn’t racking her brain for pitches or stressed about deadlines, Mel can be found eating sweet treats as “rewards” or drawing when no one is looking.
Teresa Valenton (she/her) is a fourth-year journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University pursuing a double minor in music & culture and public relations. Her passion for visual and community-based storytelling led her to this year’s position as media editor for CanCulture. You can often find her at local coffee shops around the city keeping up to date with the latest trends, ordering overpriced iced mochas and streaming her endless amount of sad playlists.
Graphic Designers
Khadijah Ghauri (she/her) is a graphic designer at CanCulture, currently in her third year of journalism studies. This is her second year on the team, where she brings her unique flair and creativity to every project. With a passion for fashion and photography, Khadijah combines her love for aesthetics with her storytelling skills, creating visually compelling designs that resonate with readers. When she’s not crafting eye-catching layouts, you can find her exploring the latest trends or capturing stunning moments through her lens. Khadijah is excited to continue her journey at CanCulture, where art and narrative come together beautifully.
Nageen Riaz (she/her) is a third-year journalism student at Toronto Metropolitan University who’s constantly chasing the perfect photo and the best boba in the city. She’s an aspiring writer and photographer who spends half her time exploring Toronto’s chaos and the other half convincing herself that doodling counts as work (right?). With an insatiable need to explore every creative medium possible, Nageen is forever bound to her camera or notebook, always waiting to cover the next big story. When she’s not obsessing over anything journalism-related, she’s usually overanalyzing every Jessie Reyez song while redecorating her room for the nth time.
Samantha Riga (she/her) is a fourth-year graphic communications management student minoring in marketing. Since she was young, Sam has had a strong love for design and graphic arts. This will be her first year at CanCulture, taking on a graphic design role, and she is EXCITED! As an art lover, Sam spends her days designing for school, work or drawing at home. Sam spends her free time at home playing the piano or watching reality TV with her friends. When she’s out, you’ll likely catch her at a coffee shop doing work, or at the mall (satiating her shopping addiction).