Senait (pronounced Sen-Night) is a born and raised Calgarian of Eritrean descent. She has an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Mount Royal University and her motivation to joining law school came from her sense of duty to advocate for vulnerable people, especially new Canadians. Senait has a general interest in employment and labour law, and immigration and refugee law, but is still keeping her options open. Prior to embarking on her post-secondary studies, Senait spent many years working in remote oil and gas camps in Northern Alberta.

Semhar Abraha is currently a 3L student and a Co-VP mentorship for the 2023/2024 academic year at BLSA Calgary and a member of the National Professional Development Committee. By serving in these roles, Abraha hopes to improve the quality of mentorship available to black students, research ways to help them secure summer jobs, and advance their academic and professional careers.

Shaye Erskine completed her undergrad at the University of Calgary and obtained a B.A. in Sociology. After school she started an anti-racism consultation company with her sister called Arie Consulting. She has always been passionate about advocating for others and is excited to continue on this journey throughout law school. Shaye enjoys doing Escape Rooms, baking, and watching true crime documentaries - any recommendations are welcome.

Malik is a 3L law student at the University of Calgary. Malik is also the Vice President of Finance of our BLSA chapter.

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Outside of the classroom, you can find Malik doing the following:

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1) Watching or playing basketball 
2) Lamenting the state of the Toronto Raptors or
3) Learning a new language - il parle  français maintenant!

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Chyna was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. She did her undergraduate degree at the University of Calgary in Political Science and Business, with the dream of continuing on to law school. While completing her undergrad, she was a varsity athlete on the UofC track and field team. As a sprinter she competed in the 60m, 300m, 4x200m, and 4x400m, and was part of a team that won the CIS Championship in 2020. Currently she is a 2L with a strong interest in corporate tech law and international law. Outside of law school, Chyna has a passion for art, specifically painting and sketching. Over the 2021 summer her artwork was featured in a Calgary restaurant.

Miete Penedo was born in Angola, moved to Canada at a young age, settled in Toronto for 6 years before moving to Edmonton. And that is where she completed her undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Alberta. The reason Miete decided to do law school started with a small module course in law she was forced to take in high school. She quickly fell in love with law and decided fairly quickly that law was her passion and she spent the next few years chasing that dream. Everything in law school excites Miete. She finally achieved her dream and she’s keeping an open mind towards any field of law that calls to her and will allow her to help people especially people of minority groups finding their footing within a unjust system.

Hameedah Baruwa completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Alberta where she majored in Psychology and minored in Sociology. Growing up, she spent her early formative years in Nigeria before moving to Canada at the age of ten. Her interest in law began when she sat on a youth advisory board with her local MP in 2019, and grew to become fascinated by the law-making process, its effects on society, and particularly, the role of advocates in that process. She is not yet married to a specific practice area and instead, is excited to explore and figure out exactly what aligns with her interests and passions in law. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, and watching cheesy rom-coms.

Tami Oguntona completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Alberta and obtained a BComm (with distinction) in Business Economics & Law. She enjoys reading fiction novels and finding new food spots in Calgary. During her undergrad, Tami was very involved in student affairs both within the University of Alberta's Residence Services and the Nigerian Students' Union, where she gained hands-on experience working with underrepresented groups and advocating for their needs. Right now, she is enjoying learning about Torts and Contracts. She is looking forward to taking more specialized upper year courses and being more involved in the BLSA community!

Amira is from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She recently received her undergraduate degree in anthropology from the University of Manitoba. She is looking forward to learning about all areas of law, and is especially enjoying criminal law and torts so far!

Born and raised in Edmonton Alberta, Isaiah spent much of his youth playing baseball at a high level, and played for both his Midget AAA club team and his High School's Baseball Academy. Isaiah is a 2019 graduate of the University of Alberta and holds a BSc. in Chemical Engineering. Although passionate about STEM and the energy sector, Isaiah was initially drawn to law after taking a business law elective in his fourth year. After having enjoyed the course so much, Isaiah decided that he wanted a career in law, but one that would allow him to build on his experience working for engineering consulting firms in the petrochemical and environmental sectors. Isaiah hopes to practice law in the energy, corporate, and environmental areas, and to use his law degree to help energy companies make the push toward net-zero emissions. 

Tasia was born in Saskatchewan and grew up in Calgary, AB. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce with distinction from the Haskayne School of Business. After completing her undergraduate degree she moved to Montréal to work in Supply Chain consulting. Tasia is fluent in English and French and has worked professionally in both languages. Navigating environments that are not always diverse or welcoming was a key factor in Tasia’s decision to pursue a career in law. Tasia aspires to be an advocate for individuals who do not always have a voice and seeks to drive change in the legal community. Her legal areas of interest include corporate, international, and immigration law.

Shana Cesaire is a current 2L at U of C. She is the Marketing Support Director for BLSA Calgary and a National Communications Committee member. Shana was born and raised in Calgary to Haitian parents. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at the University of Calgary, followed by a Master of Arts in English and African Studies at Carleton University. Shana lived in Ottawa and Toronto for 5 years before moving back home to attend law school. Prior to law school, she worked at IBM, worked in marketing for a small software company, and worked as a freelance writer. Shana’s always had a passion for social justice and advocacy for the black community is a top priority of hers.