The McMaster Neuroscience Society (MNS) is a student run organization that is committed to enhancing the neuroscience program experience for each student. The MNS gives the opportunity to all of its executive members to work in collaboration to organize academic and social events that embody the interests of neuroscience students. We hope to spread the word about this program to the McMaster community and illustrate the integrative nature of this field that fosters innovative and fascinating neuroscience research.
MEET THE SOCIETY:
Layla Bakaa, Co-President
Hello everyone! My name is Layla, and I’ll be one of your co-presidents of the McMaster Neuroscience Society. I am entering my fourth year in the Neuroscience program and hope to explore a career in research and policy development. Outside of academics, I love meeting new people, finding out random facts and going outside for a hike or picnic! I am SO excited to work alongside our AMAZING team on the MNS this year. We hope to make your experience in the Neuro program as wonderful as possible. So please, if you have any ideas, questions or just want to chat, feel free to contact me 🙂
Pouya Raeisinafchi, Co-President
Hi everyone. My name is Pouya and I’m one of the co-presidents of MNS for this year. I usually don’t have much free time but if I do, I try to read books or watch youtube. Recently I was introduced to pickleball and I want to spend more time on that. If you needed help with anything, feel free to reach out to me on facebook.
Enola Sllogu, VP Academic
Hello everyone, my name is Enola and I am your VP Academic for this year. I am in my fourth year of Neuroscience program, and I am minoring in Math. A little bit about me: I enjoy travelling; I like photography, shopping, and chocolates. I am currently working in a Multispecialty Clinic and in a Diagnostic Imaging Center. I am interested in gaining clinical experience and I hope to pursue a career in healthcare. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about your academic plans.
Chris Ko, Co-VP Internal
Hi! My name is Chris and I’m going to be 1 of 2 VP Internals for this year! I’m excited to be a part of your experience during your time as a neuroscience student! I love neuroscience because of the tight-knit community and access to a variety of different courses spanning many fields. Just a little about myself, I’m a fan of discovering new music and artists, so drop some suggestions below! Also, I spend an exorbitant amount of time shopping and putting together fits, but never buying because I need to pay rent ☹. As for my future, I am hoping to become a clinical psychologist since I quite enjoy listening to people’s problems and helping them out where I can. Anyways, I’m looking forward to getting to know you guys more in the future and feel free to reach out or just to chat!
Stephanie Li, Co-VP Internal
Hey guys, my name is Stephanie and I’m excited to take on the role of Co-VP Internal in my last year at Mac. Recently I’ve been expanding my portfolio, learning to weightlift, and freelancing for webdev. In my free time I like to café-hop (last seen at Rustle and Still), bake cakes for friends and family , and watch King of the Hill . I’m always down to connect and love meeting new people so just strike me a message whenever for whatever. See you soon~~
Cadence Opoka, VP Promotions
Hello! My name is Cadence Opoka and I am the VP of Promotions for the MNS 2022-2023 year. I have been the VP of promotions for the MNS since 2021 and run the social media for our society! I am currently in my fourth year of neuroscience and I am working under Dr. Andrews for my thesis. My goals as the VP promotions are to help bring the neuroscience program together and create a community in the program. My hobbies include baking, yoga, running, and fashion! Feel free to reach out to me anytime, stop me on campus to say hi or ask to make a tik tok (shameless self-promotion: follow our tik tok @mcmasterneuroscience)!
Natasha Szulist, Co-VP Finance
Hey everyone! My name is Natasha, and I am super pumped to be one of your VP finances this year! I’ll be going into my final year, so I’m looking forward to making this year a great one:) When I’m not doing school stuff, you can find me wasting time playing music (I play alto sax/piano) or watching youtube (I’m currently into game theory/cracking the cryptic)! If you guys ever have any suggestions of what you want to see from us or even just want to chat, feel free to reach out.
Rebecca Lee, Co-VP Finance
My name is Rebecca, and I am one of the VP Finances this year! I am currently a fourth-year student in the Neuroscience program. I decided to specialize in neuroscience because I’ve always enjoyed math, psych, and every other branch of science. The interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience allowed me to pursue all my interests while also exploring how the nervous system functions, which has always fascinated me. Outside of school, I enjoy knitting, listening to music, and I occasionally play piano when I am bored. I’m not sure where I’ll end up with this neuroscience degree, but I just want to be happy and living my best life! If you ever want to talk about neuroscience, or even just life in general, feel free to reach out 🙂
Sierra D’amico, VP Administration
Hello everyone! My name is Sierra D’Amico and I’ll be going into my 4th year of Neuroscience this fall. I will also be joining the McMaster Neuroscience Society executive team this year as VP of Administration. In my free time, you can find me binging Netflix and doing paint-by-numbers or hiking to one of Hamilton’s beautiful waterfalls! To the second-year cohort; welcome to the Neuroscience program! Through the MNS, I hope to help make your transition into our amazing program as smooth as possible. I’m excited to work with the MNS to coordinate events for the upcoming school year. Please reach out if you have any suggestions, ideas, questions, or even just to chat. I look forward to meeting you all in person soon!
Shakshi Saini, Co-VP External
My name is Shakshi Saini and I am a third-year Honours Neuroscience student. In my free time, I love to read, go for long runs, and watch several movies/shows. I look forward to being your VP External this school year!
Anish Puri, Co-VP External
Hi! My name is Anish Puri and I will be entering my third year in the coming year. During my free time, you will either catch me at the gym or at Hamilton Health Sciences exploring my research interests!
