who are we?
The Student Design Association represents current undergraduate students and alumni of the University of Alberta, who have taken design courses during their degree. We actively work to stimulate community involvement, create partnerships with other organizations, and host events for students and staff, with the goal of providing the support and opportunities necessary to help design students find success.
leadership
DIRECTOR
Hafsah Mohummed (she/her)
Hafsah is in her fourth year of BDes in the engineering route, focusing on Industrial Design. She loves incorporating fun and playful elements into her work, bridging together creativity and practicality.
Her role in the SDA is ensuring everything runs smoothly throughout the year, and creating an opening and welcoming space for all design students. If you have any questions about the SDA (or just want to chat) don't be afraid to go up to her or send her an email!
vice DIRECTOR
Faith Adra (she/her)
Faith Adra is in her final year BDes student specializing in both Industrial Design and Visual Communication. She is passionate about art, print/layout design and 3D modelling. Outside of school she enjoys doing her nails, illustrating and playing video games. You may also catch her around local cafes trying out new sweets!
As vice director, she hopes to engage with our community and help those with their design journeys! If you have any questions regarding the BDes program, the SDA, or would just like to chat, please do not hesitate to contact her through email or in person!
operations
treasurer
Mushaira Habib (she/her)
Mushaira is in her fourth and last year in BDes program. She’s strongly passionate about industrial design and wants to extend her interest to architecture and interior designing.
Apart from her busy university life, she likes to go to the gym, bake, and find new food places with her friends around the city!
Her main goal as a treasurer is to maintain budgeting and tracking the expenditures throughout the year. If you see her around, come say hi! You can also reach out with any questions/inquiries about the finances of the SDA through her email treasurer@thesda.ca.
external liaison
Diane Casaje (she/her)
Diane is in her fourth year of the BDes program. She’s passionate about architecture, furniture design, sculpture, and disability studies. She hopes to create spaces that accommodate and connect people from all walks of life.
Outside of school, she enjoys playing sports, discovering new food spots, meeting new people, and spending time with friends.
Diane is in charge of building external relations to help students engage with the broader design community. She’s always a friendly face and ready to lend a hand. If you have any questions—or just want to say “hi”—don’t hesitate to reach out!
event designer
Elisse Canaynay (she/her)
Elisse is a fourth-year Bachelor of Design student in the Business Route who loves bringing nature into her work and exploring sustainable ways to design. She also enjoys finding playful ways to connect design with everyday life.
Outside of school, she loves spending time with her dog, recharging with naps, and picking up new hobbies.
As the SDA’s Event Designer, Elisse focuses on creating a welcoming atmosphere for Built by shaping its look, flow, and overall experience. She’s always happy to chat so if you have ideas or questions about Built or the SDA, feel free to reach out!
project manager
Sheryn Baldas (she/her)
Sheryn Baldas is a fourth-year Bachelor of Design student specializing in both Industrial Design and Visual Communication Design. Her interests center on design research, sustainable practices, and incorporating her Filipino-Canadian perspective into her creative work. Outside of design, she enjoys yoga and early morning runs!
As Project Manager, Sheryn oversees the coordination and organization of events such as the annual pop-up showcase Built and other upcoming events. She is always happy to answer questions about Built and encourages anyone to stop by and say hello!
media
graphic design lead
Marielle Abad (she/her)
She is a 4th year BDes student in the Business and Marketing Route. She's interested in product design and graphic design.
In her free time, she likes to play video games, crochet and draw digitally. She can also be easily persuaded to go get lunch and boba.
She’s one of two graphics leads who created this year’s visual identity and makes SDA materials such as posters and social media posts. Get in touch with her through her email (graphics-1@thesda.ca) if you have any questions, comments or concerns about the SDA’s graphics or other visual material!
graphic design lead
Aindriele Lomboy (he/him)
Aindriele is a third-year BDes student focusing on both industrial and visual communication design, with an interest in publication design, typography, as well as urban design and architecture.
Off campus he can usually be found enjoying slasher flicks or experimenting with film and digital photography.
Within the SDA he is ½ of the graphics team, in charge of the visuals on the SDA's Instagram as well as the posters seen around campus. If you have any suggestions or want to get in contact with him, feel free to shoot him an email or find him in person!
website coordinator
Yania Zhou (she/her)
Yania is in her fourth and final year in the BDes program with a strong interest in UI/UX, web design, and information design.
Apart from school, she enjoys spending her time in solitude by playing video games and reading her most recently bought book.
She’s in charge of keeping the website up to date with all the events and resources available through the SDA. If there are any questions, comments, or concerns with the website, please reach out through email or fill out our web forums!
communications officer
Seancarl (Sean) Hernandez (he/him)
Sean is a third-year BDes student specializing in both Industrial Design and Visual Communication Design, with a strong passion for research and the creative process. Outside of school, he enjoys bouldering with friends, exploring cafes, and spoiling his cat, Houdini. He approaches design like cooking—researching, testing, planning, creating, and enjoying the outcome.
He serves as the Communications Officer for the Student Design Association, managing our Instagram @hellosda. He handles social media engagement, marketing, and content creation. You’ll often find him filming reels or doing interviews at events—come say hi, and you might end up in one! Reach out anytime!
copywriter
Joanna Tachie-Menson (she/her)
Joanna is in her third year in the BDes-Marketing route with an interest in sustainable product design and visual communication.
When she's not in school, she enjoys running, watching movies, volunteering, and hanging out with her friends.
As a copywriter, Joanna is responsible for drafting sponsorship emails, scripts, and captions for the SDA’s social media. Additionally, she serves as the note-taker for SDA meetings.
Please reach out to her through copy@thesda.ca if you have any further questions or concerns!
membership
membership coordinator
Jaxon Hume (he/him)
Jaxon is in his final year of the BDes program studying Industrial and Visual Communication Design.
Outside of school, he is a passionate football coach who enjoys painting, animating and, like every other designer, making.
He is in charge of event coordination for our mixers and events throughout the 2025/26 year, so if you have any questions or suggestions for what you’d like to see in future events, please reach out! You can generally find him on campus in the ID building dancing on the tables.
400 level vcd representative
Adam Goertzen (he/him)
Adam is in his fourth year in the BDes program and is focused on using the skills acquired in the program to become an architect once he graduates.
Apart from school, he is a lover of sports, movies and runs a successful youtube channel as an outlet for all his creative desires.
He is a part of the membership team who works to inform and incorporate students of the program into events put on by the SDA. If there are any questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out through email.
400 level id representative
Sophia Chalyguina (she/her)
Sophia is in her third year of the BDes program, studying both Industrial and Visual Communications Design. She’s focusing her studies on Industrial Design and Urbanism, with hopes of pursuing architecture in the future.
Outside of design, she enjoys casual café hopping, browsing flower markets and trying new food.
As part of the SDA team, she helps with outreach and represents the third year students in the committee. If you have questions about upcoming events or want to share feedback, feel free to reach out through email or find her around the BDes grounds—she’s always happy to chat!
300 level vcd representative
Evan Phan (he/him)
Evan is a third-year student in the Bachelor of Design focusing on Industrial Design. He is interested in architecture and furniture design, as well as 3D modeling and the process of craftsmanship. In his free time he likes rock climbing and golfing.
As the 300 VCD representative, he connects VCD with the ongoings of ID, and the SDA as well as answering any questions one may have about the SDA. Feel free to reach out to him via email or in person for any questions or concerns for/about the SDA.
300 level id representative
Sama Al-Hayani (she/her)
Sama is a third-year BDes student in Industrial and Visual Communication Design who loves bringing craft, culture, and community together. She has a soft spot for making tiny, detailed miniatures, weaving stories through her illustrations, and getting lost in the patterns and geometry of Islamic architecture.
As the bridge between students and the SDA, she’s here to listen, help, and connect you with the design community. If you’re looking for her, you’ll probably find her hammering away at a piece of wood in the ID Building.
If you have any questions you can reach out to her by email.
photo & video committee
photo and video committee
Joy Jia (she/her)
Joy is in her fourth and final year in the BDes program in Engineering Route (ID/VCD) with a passion in the 3D rendering aspect of product design.
She does have a life outside of 3D modeling. She travels, networks, takes photos in the woods, plays dodgeball tournaments, and designs for an Edmonton local Home Goods Company called OMAM Collected.
Her contribution to SDA mainly focuses on taking photos, videos, capturing the great moments designers shared together in all the SDA events.
Reach out to her if you are also passionate about Sony! She’s always available through her account: @joyjia.design
photo and video committee
Kristen Klein (she/her)
Kristen Klein is in her third year in the BDes program, focusing on Industrial Design and Sculpture, with a strong interest in artistic expressionism in functional design.
In her free time she enjoys painting, watching horror movies, and playing pool with friends.
She is one of the members who takes care of the photos and videos for the SDA's events and projects. For any media related inquiries you can contact her at photo-2@thesda.ca.
grad committee
vcd grad chair
Raquelle Castil (she/her)
Raquelle Castil is in her fourth year of the BDes program with an interest in digital illustration, editorial magazine design and brand designing.
In her downtime, she loves to play video games on her computer, digital illustration, do her own nails, and sewing!
She is the VCD grad chair for the BDes grad show and oversees the entire operation alongside with the ID grad chair. If there are any questions, comments or concerns for the grad show, please reach out to gradchair-vcd@thesda.ca.
id grad chair
Simone Bruneau (she/her)
Simone is in her fifth and final year in the BDes program, specializing in furniture and product design. She is passionate about how design can be a connector in bringing communities together and fostering meaningful interactions.
Outside of academics, Simone enjoys staying active and exploring new hobbies, with pottery being a recent favorite.
Her role as the ID Grad Chair consists of managing and overseeing the production of this years’ grad show! If you have any questions about graduation, she can be reached through email or you’ll most likely find her somewhere in the ID building.