Our Team – BioCARE

Presenting

Our Executive Team

President

Samuel Smith

Pronouns: He/Him

Program: Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering

Year: 4th Year

Why I joined BioCARE: After the first year of being President, I was able to see how many people loved and participated in BioCARE activities. This motivates me even more going into 2025-2026 to make BioCARE even bigger and better. I want to keep our momentum going for all Biomedical Engineers at Carleton! Plus it is a lot a lot of fun!

Fun fact about me: I get made fun of for saying “Fun Fact”.

VICE PRESIDENT EXTERNAL

Chloé Davidson

Pronouns: She/Her

Program: Biomedical and Electrical Engineering

Year: 3rd Year

Why I joined BioCARE: I figured it would be nice to meet some of my peers from my program and participate in biomedical design!

Fun fact about me: I once had a grizzly bear decide what day hike I was going on (e.g. not the one with the grizzly bear).

VICE PRESIDENT INTERNAL

Lana Alrayyes

Pronouns: She/Her

Program: Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering

Year: 5th Year

Why I joined BioCARE: I joined BioCARE because prosthetics are the best mix of engineering & creativity, all while having a real-world impact. I became VP Internal because I enjoy keeping things organized and neat (someone’s gotta do it). Also, I might not be able to build a full arm on my own yet, but I can schedule a mean meeting and make a great spreadsheet.

Fun fact about me: I love to play basketball, however I miss 100% of the shots I do take.

VICE PRESIDENT FINANCE

Gabriel Ferron-Bouius

Pronouns: He/Him

Program: Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering

Year: 3rd Year

Why I joined BioCARE: I joined this team in its first year as a club as I saw an amazing opportunity to put into practice many of the skills learned in the classroom. Furthermore I believe that together we can begin to push the boundaries of what prosthetics are capable of and improve the lives of millions of people around the world!

Fun fact about me: I am a coffee connoisseur ☕️

e-Nable LEAD

Kayla Pierroz-Wong

Pronouns: She/Her

Program: Industrial Design

Year: 4th Year

Why I joined BioCARE: After starting the e-NABLE Ottawa chapter I was introduced to BioCARE and we decided to team up! As two new initiatives I’m excited to see our projects grow together.

Fun fact about me: I still have an iphone 8

mechanical lead

Ilhaam Barrow

Pronouns: She/Her

Program: Mechanical Engineering

Year: 4th Year

Why I joined BioCARE: I joined the team to take on a challenge and develop something new! Always loved prosthetics and robotics and I’m very excited that we have a team starting up at Carleton.

Fun fact about me: Arthur is my favourite TV show!

Electrical lead

Jessie Trudeau

Pronouns: She/Her

Program: Biomedical and Electrical Engineering

Year: Co-op Year

Why I joined BioCARE: I joined BioCARE to lead the electrical team and get real experience in creating medical devices. It is a great opportunity for myself and others who are interested in this exciting field.

Fun fact about me: I transferred schools from Western University!

Software lead

Jacob Reyes

Pronouns: He/Him

Program: Electrical Engineering

Year: Co-op Year

Why I joined BioCARE: BioCARE is a perfect balance between competition and impact: As we look to compete in future competitions, we’re constantly challenged to innovate, and to improve as engineers. And since partnering with e-NABLE, we’re now able to make an even bigger impact on the lives of others.

Fun fact about me: I can take any tagalog word and freestyle it (neither my tagalog nor my freestyle makes sense).

Testing lead

Valerie Xie

Pronouns: She/They

Program: Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering

Year: 4th Year

Why I joined BioCARE: I joined BioCARE to explore prosthetics design, apply my engineering skills in a biomedical setting, and be part of a community.

Fun fact about me: I have 8 tattoos and 11 piercings and counting!

research lead

Kayleen Ruda

Pronouns: She/Her

Program: Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering

Year: 3rd Year

Why I joined BioCARE: I joined BioCARE to apply my biomedical and mechanical engineering concepts in real life situations and to learn more about prosthetic development through hands-on experience.

Fun fact about me: I have an addiction to Chai.

research lead

Tala Haweeleh

Pronouns: She/Her

Program: Neuroscience and Mental Health

Year: 4th Year

Why I joined BioCARE: I am passionate about all the different applications of biomedical engineering and how my background knowledge in neuroscience is way more related to this field than I thought it was, which is so new and interesting.

Fun fact about me: I am deathly afraid of worms 🙂

Presenting

Our Director Team

DIrector of integration

Raskshi Ramana

Pronouns: She/Her

Program: Biomedical Mechanical Engineering

Year: 3rd Year

Why I Joined BioCARE: I joined BioCARE because I wanted to explore what it takes to build a prosthetic and understand the engineering behind it. I also saw it as a great opportunity to learn new skills and collaborate with others who share similar interests.

Fun fact about me: My favourite sport is basketball, Curry is the GOAT

DIrector of MANUfacturing

Tom Sun

Pronouns: He/Him

Program: Industrial Design

Year: 4th Year

Why I Joined BioCARE: I felt I can bring valuable input to help BioCARE towards its goals, moreover, it will be a great opportunity for me to practice my skills and meet new professionals.

Fun fact about me: I make music

DIrector of electronics

Jorge Rangel de la Tejera

Pronouns: He/Him

Program: Biomedical and Electrical Engineering

Year: 3rd Year

Why I Joined BioCARE: I joined BioCARE to apply my Biomedical and Electrical engineering background to real-world challenges and gain hands-on experience in prosthetic development. I’m excited to continue learning and contribute to innovative solutions that make a meaningful impact.

Fun fact about me: I play the guitar in my free time. In my free time, I also enjoy playing sports and building Lego sets. It’s a great way to unwind and get creative.

DIrector of hand

Hammad Shaikh

Pronouns: He/Him

Program: Biomedical Mechanical Engineering

Year: 5th Year

Why I Joined BioCARE: I joined BioCARE to apply my engineering skills toward meaningful, hands-on projects that improve lives through prosthetic innovation.

Fun fact about me: I am super social and I love to cook

DIrector of wrist

Ziad Sholook

Pronouns: He/Him

Program: Aerospace Engineering

Year: 4th Year

Why I Joined BioCARE: Clubs are fun and biocare is the best one.

Fun fact about me: I’m learning how to backflip

DIrector of e-nable outreach and communication

Shania Tubana-Dean

Pronouns: She/Her

Program: Neurosciecne and Biology

Year: 4th Year

Why I Joined BioCARE: I joined the team because the idea of using 3D printing to give free prosthetics to those who need them absolutely touched my heart. Helping people regain something as important as hand function feels incredibly meaningful, and I’m so grateful to play a small role in that. I love bringing people together and keeping things organized, so the outreach and coordination role felt like a natural fit. It’s a joy to be part of a mission that’s all about kindness, creativity, and making a real difference

Fun fact about me: I once ordered a pizza with every topping on the menu—absolute chaos, but I loved every bite!

DIrector of marketing

Miriam Hajiyeva

Pronouns: She/Her

Program: Bachelor of Commerce – Management

Year: 3rd Year

Why I Joined BioCARE: To help the world discover BioCARE.

Fun fact about me: I have a twin sister

DIrector of administration

Amina Hajiyeva

Pronouns: She/Her

Program: Electrical Engineering

Year: 3rd Year

Why I Joined BioCARE: I joined BioCARE because I was passionate about using my engineering skills for something meaningful and designing technology like prosthetics felt like the perfect way to do that. The idea of working on real, human centered problems really drew me in. I wanted to be part of a project where I could both learn and contribute to improving lives.

Fun fact about me: I have a twin sister