Ayesha Talreja

Ayesha Talreja grew up in Toronto, Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Development Studies from McGill University, located in Montreal, Canada. Her upbringing as a first-generation Canadian in a diverse and highly changing neighborhood in the multicultural city of Toronto helped spark her passion for equity and social justice. She continues to be actively involved in many different local community initiatives, including in the realms of food security and affordable housing, as well as in advocating for global peace efforts at the local level.

Recently, her role as Project Manager at Canadian nonprofit Park People saw her coordinating community engagement efforts to support diverse communities from Toronto in accessing their local urban green spaces to bolster physical and mental health. She also completed the 2-year Teach for India fellowship in 2020 in Mumbai, India, working extensively with children of migrant laborers, which was an immensely powerful learning experience. Her travels and lived experiences have taught her that meaningful community engagement is crucial to sustainable development and peacebuilding.

Ayesha is very excited to be a part of Class 24. She hopes to use her UNC Global Studies degree to learn more deeply about the mental and physical health implications of children worldwide impacted by war, state violence, and displacement to contribute to efforts to supporting them. She is also interested in understanding how cities and urban centers can become more hospitable to children, especially to those who have been forcibly displaced, as well as children with disabilities.