Meet the Senators
Executive Board
Hayden Johnson
President
Hayden Johnson is a Junior currently pursuing a B.A. in Political Science and Anthropology. Hayden is honored to take on the responsibility of serving as the 2023-2024 Student Senate President. Hayden has previously served as the Vice President, Member at Large, Housing and Residential Life Representative and Parliamentarian. On campus, Hayden also works as a Resident Advisor, in Chatsworth Suites, providing mentorship & guidance to the next generation of student leaders & agents of change. As a representative of his peers, he has worked to encourage students to speak up for what they believe is right and encourage self-advocacy for the experience that they want to have at their university and with the community. Through his work, Hayden hopes that students will continue to feel heard and encouraged to be engaged on campus to improve their overall experience as a member of the Wayne State community, and to make memories right here on campus. Being a part of the senate has allowed Hayden to grow as an aspiring student leader and as a person. Hayden strives to continue to fight for his peers and fellow members of the WSU Community, through advocacy and progression towards representing the student voices of our campus.
Sheva Khaimov
Huda Syed
Huda Syed is a Junior in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences and minoring in Criminal Justice. Huda is also pursuing a pre-medical track interested in infectious diseases and education for the public on numerous diseases. On campus, Huda spends her time working with other organizations on campus that include the Pre-Professional Medical Society (PPMS) as their Treasurer and creating new organizations for students to join and educate themselves about the medical field and its advances. Outside of school, Huda advocates organization the Detroit Justice Center, a non profit law firm that helps to reform the justice system and wrongly imprisoned Detroit citizens. Huda has also served in Student Senate in the previous year as the Extension Center Representative. In her free time, she loves to read books, bake and photograph city life.
Ridaa Khan
Treasurer
Ridaa grew up in Troy, Michigan where she graduated in 2021 from Troy High School. As a commuter at Wayne, she enjoys learning about anything and everything when it is from someone who is passionate about what they do. She is often pursuing social media sites like Twitter and Instagram for fun but with this, she wants to observe media and its surrounding issues from a critical lens- considering how it is impacted by capitalism and other dominant ideologies. In the past year as a member-at-large on the Student Senate, she served on the Accessibility Working Group committee as the senate representative to discuss issues pertaining to student and faculty accessibility needs. Ridaa also serves as the JEDI Project Group Chair, where she has started an initiative called Window Magazine for marginalized students to platform themselves in the shared space of a digital magazine. As the Treasurer on E-Board, Ridaa performs the necessary duties regarding the Student Senate's budget. Outside of senate, she works in the compost program for the Wayne State Office of Campus Sustainability. With the opportunity to have another term on Student Senate, she will be able to continue any work and communication she has established last term and use the knowledge she has gained to continue becoming a perceptive and devoted representative for the student body, addressing any pertinent issue within the scope at any cost.
Rabika Ali
Secretary
Senator at Large
Rabika Ali is a sophomore majoring in Nutrition and Food Sciences and minoring in Chemistry. She is currently pursuing the pre-med/pre-pharm track. She works as a pharmacy technician and has a lot of interest in the world of drug development and drug interactions with the human body. Along with the student senate, Rabika is also one of the coordinators for the Campus Activities Team (CAT), WSU Future Pediatrics Association, Pre-Professional Medical Society (PPMS), MSA, etc. During the summertime she has been a long-term volunteer teacher at the local Islamic School she used to be a student at. Outside of academics and work, she loves to bake, watch dramas, paint, read, and listen to podcasts (specifically Baking a Mystery and Rotten Mango by Stephanie Soo). Her main objective in her first year on senate is to lessen the financial burden and work to provide a wider range of resources and opportunities for the underprivileged students at Wayne State. As a Muslim, immigrant and woman, she wants to use her experiences to empathize, listen, and be a voice for her peers, as well as to give resources that will benefit Wayne State's minority population. Rabika aims to take advantage of this chance to learn how to make a difference for herself and others, as well as to network and establish relationships.
Fatima Yahya
Director of Government Affairs
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Representative
Fatima Yahya is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Wayne State University. Fleeing war and seeking refuge in the United States at only seven years old, Fatima knew she wanted to one day become the voice for many underrepresented and underprivileged people all throughout the world. Due to her interests, she decided to double-major in Political Science Honors and Philosophy with a concentration in Law, Ethics, and Justice while also completing a Co-Major in Peace and Conflict Studies. Fatima plans on applying to law school after completing her bachelor's to pursue a career in the legal field. Throughout her career, Fatima strives to stand out through her academic excellence, contribution to her local community, and goals for one day impacting the world on a global scale. Being an Arab-American Muslim woman, Fatima hopes to make Wayne State University a place welcome for all, grow the Muslim community within Wayne State, and provide more resources for minorities on campus.
Hassan Ezzeddine
Director of Community Affairs
Senator at Large
Hassan Ezzeddine is a second-year Honors student from Farmington Hills studying Environmental Science with a minor in law. His parents both graduated from Wayne State. As a result, Hassan grew up in a Warrior household. Since coming to Wayne State, he has gotten involved with the Lebanese Student Association, Pre-Law Student Association, and Club Water Polo. He has fallen in love with the university and Detroit as a whole. Hassan first got involved with student senate as a non-senator member of the Community Affairs project group. The project group was able to expand contraception on campus throughout resident halls in vending machines. Hassan was appointed to be a Senator-at-Large at the beginning of the Winter 2023 semester, and has now become the Director of Community Affairs after being elected for the new term. He is excited to promote Community Affair's work on campus, as well as Student Senate. He also works as a student assistant at the office of Environmental Health and Safety, and will be an Resident Advisor at Towers Suites starting in Fall 2023. Feel free to reach out to him if you have any questions or ideas for Community Affairs!
Mohamed Dabaja
Director of Student Services
Graduate School Representative
Cordelia Krajewski
Director of Public Relations
Senator at Large
Cordelia Krajewski is a junior majoring in Public Affairs Honors with a University Honors co-major and Urban Studies minor. Cordelia served as a member-at-large and Public Health Project Group Chair during the 2022-23 term. During the 2023-24 term, she will serve as a member-at-large and Director of Public Relations on senate. Cordelia is very passionate about civic engagement and the wellbeing of students on campus. She feels every student deserves a voice and she hopes to help make Wayne State a welcoming place for all. On campus, Cordelia also works as a Resident Advisor in Chatsworth Suites and she is a Campus Vote Project Fellow. Feel free to contact Cordelia via email any time with questions or concerns!
General Body
Veronica Fahmi
Veronica Fahmi is a fourth-year honors student studying nursing. Her passions include going to the gym, singing, and trying new things. She is a Canadian student living on campus, and is fluent in French and some Arabic. Veronica's main goal in the future is to give the world the best of herself while still taking care of herself. Nursing is a profession of a selfless nature, and she is looking forward to helping patients in their healing journey. Veronica's reason for choosing nursing is identical to her reason for joining the senate: to serve others. She is truly looking forward to hearing your concerns and helping you make the changes you want to see. Please send her an email if you would like to discuss any topic, and know that she is also a resource to you as a Resident Advisor on campus!
TK Khan
TK Khan is a WSU Alum and 2L student at Wayne State University Law School. He graduated in 2021 with a B.S. in Criminal Justice and a B.A. in Global Studies and Political Science. As a member of the Public Forum Debate Team, he won various awards for WSU in regional and national tournaments. Merging his academic and extracurricular experiences, TK decided to attend law school in hopes to fight for tangible solutions to the problems he studied during his undergraduate years. He currently serves as a Governor-at-Large on the WSU Law School Student Board of Governors, working to represent his fellow law students.
Noor Suleiman
School of Medicine Representative
Noor is a Muslim Arab American woman that was born and raised in Michigan. She is a life-long bookworm, tea enthusiast, and self-proclaimed philomath. She comes from a family full of proud Wayne State University graduates and has a passion for researching an array of women's health topics and topics pertaining to understudied sub-populations: Arab Americans and Muslim Americans. When she's not at her desk with her head in a book or pile of articles, she can be found baking, playing with her cat, painting, listening to music, or drinking tea at a local book store.
Joel Hammoud
Mike Ilitch School of Business Representative
Hello everyone! My name is Joel Hammoud and I am a second-year undergraduate student Majoring in Global Supply Chain and a minor in Biology. I am a proud daughter of a Lebanese immigrant and my city of Dearborn's first Arab American Female City Council President. Being raised by such inspiring figures in my community, I was molded into a life of selfless public service and giving back to society. I am striving for a career in Dentistry/Medicine as well as serving in government to help enhance the medical/public health sector in my community. Prior to my collegiate career, I served as an elected treasurer on my high school's student council where I worked diligently to appropriately manage funds and ensure fiscal transparency in the student council as well as a commissioner on my city's Youth Affairs Commission where along with my peers, I worked to promote youth civic engagement by providing a platform to empower young residents to be involved in municipal government. I am also a member of the Scientific Research Journal Organization as well as the Lebanese Student Association on campus and on the board of the Lebanese Student Association, Mission Possible Organization, and the Pre-Dental Society. My passions/hobbies outside of school include art, playing soccer, playing the piano, participating in campaigns, and scouting for local shops and farmers markets. At Wayne State, I hope to be an agent of change and a bridge between my fellow peers and the university's administration.
Nelson Glory-Ejoyokah
Irvin D. Reid Honors College
Hello, my name is Nelson Glory-Ejoyokah. I am a second-year Pre-Med student at Wayne State University majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Global Health and Social Medicine. After undergrad, I plan to go to medical school and then residency, where I intend to specialize in radiology/oncology. For hobbies, I play the guitar, I like learning about Science, History, and different cultures. I also like doing calisthenics and I can speak six languages. I also like listening to podcasts, and motivational YouTube channels, as well as watching self-help videos.
Dhruval Bhatt
Dhruval Bhatt is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Honors Psychology with a minor in Biology. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, he has enjoyed calling Wayne State his new home. As a Member at Large, he is passionate about creating a more inclusive campus environment and is eager to work with the student senate to address the challenges faced by the Wayne State community. Additionally, he is involved in research with the Brain Imaging Research Division of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. Outside of his academic pursuits, he also enjoys mentoring the Jerry L. White High School First Robotics FRC Team and connecting with the Detroit community. In his free time, he likes trail biking, playing ping pong, and gaming.
Robert Alexander-Jordan
Robert D. Alexander-Jordan is a second-year PhD student in Educational Leadership at Wayne State University with a background in residential living, college preparedness, and youth mentoring. He's a passionate advocate for mental health, politics, and education, currently serving as Graduate Ambassador for WSU's College of Education. With a history of youth development involvement, Robert is dedicated to amplifying marginalized voices and making a positive impact in his community and beyond.
Rupesh Kanna Kaviyasree Narayanan
Rupesh Kanna Kaviyasree Narayanan, originally from India, is a third-year student pursuing Electrical and Computer Engineering at Wayne State University. Rupesh is an awardee of the Research Opportunities for Undergraduates (ROEU) and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). Furthermore, he has been involved in helping his peers as a Student Assistant for three semesters. Additionally, he currently serves as the Vice President for the Wayne State Rovers. He is also involved in the International Business Association as the Secretary. As Rupesh continues his path at Wayne State University, he aspires to contribute meaningfully to the campus community. He is aiming to positively influence both the institution and the people he encounters during his journey. In his free time, Rupesh enjoys spending quality time with friends, and traveling. He also enjoys watching anime.
Amal Elsaleh
Senator at Large
My name is Amal Elsaleh and I am currently a junior studying Philosophy and Neuroscience with a minor in business, and I am interested in pursuing a career in patent law. I enjoy reading, tennis, anything horror-related (movies, games, etc), and the occasional retail therapy. My day-to-day life mainly consists of studying, however, I do find a lot of my breaks being spent with my pet bunny luna, with whom I've found the greatest console this semester! On my weekends, I enjoy spending time with my family and catching up on any books I've decided to start. I often find myself gravitating toward books that ponder the nature of metaphysical truths or the economy. I consider myself to be an extremely kind-hearted, hard-working, diligent, and collaborative person. I look forward to hopefully being able to cooperate with everyone in Student Senate this year.
Rachel John
Senator at Large
Rachel John is a second-year undergraduate student pursuing a double major in Global Studies and Political Science. She is also a member of the Irvin D. Reid Honors College. As demonstrated through her minor in Russian, Rachel loves learning languages and hopes to someday become fluent in at least five of them! Her long-term goals include working in the UN and traveling around the world to fight for socio-political change and equality for the unseen and underrepresented. Outside of academics, Rachel strives to emerge herself in the Wayne State community as a Resident Advisor at Towers Residential Suites. Her free time is usually occupied with traveling, working out, and eating cuisines from every corner of the globe. While in this position, Rachel hopes to grow in her leadership skills and launch initiatives which enhance the student experience for everyone in the WSU community.
Zaynah Jadallah
Senator at Large
Zaynah Jadallah is a senior graphic design student at Wayne State. She is a Palestinian American passionate about improving student life on campus. She is the Vice President of the Muslim Coalition and the graphic designer for the Yemeni Student Association. One of the main initiatives she is working on achieving during her time at the senate is an initiative focused on MENASA (Middle, Eastern, North African, South Asian) student success and comfort on campus. This initiative includes adding halal menus across campus, posting MENASA news on social media, advocating for their struggles/discrimination on campus, adding a Middle Eastern/North African race category on university forms, opening new reflection rooms across campus, and much more! For any suggestions or concerns, always feel free to email her.
Gabriel Shamam
Senator at Large
Hello everyone, my name is Gabriel Shamam. I am in m second year at Wayne as a biology major with my goal being to go to Wayne Medical School. When I finish my education I want to pursue a career in orthopedic surgery. A little bit about myself is that I am a brother of two younger sisters, I attended International Academy West for high school, and I love soccer so much, I named my Goldendoodle "Messi". I work full-time as a server and bartender at Uptown Grille in Commerce, and in my very little free time, I like to play video games like Hogwarts Legacy, Fifa 23, Overwatch, and many more. I would say 3 phrases that best describe me are hard working, goal driven, and life of the party. If you get familiar with my face, you will see me at the Student Center a lot, watching tv, doing homework, making Disney movie tier lists, and hanging out with friends, if you do see me though, definitely say hi! I think that I am the type of person that doesn't jump into decisions without hearing everyone out, and I enjoy being a leader who understands the people that they work with. I also really love watching movies, old, new, or any genre. I feel that if I couldn't live without any 3 things in my life, it would be my dog, music, and movies. I can't give up Godfather 2, and definitely not A Boogie! I really hope this election will help me learn about you, like-minded people looking to better the future, and I hope to better your experience at Wayne, too!
Mohamed Karaali
Senator at Large
Mohamed Karaali is a third-year senior currently majoring in Public Health with a minor in Business Administration. He hopes to pursue a career in the Dental field. Some of his hobbies when he is not studying for exams include working out, playing video games, hanging out with friends, and watching anime. He is both the son of a Lebanese mother who was born in the United States to Lebanese immigrants and the son of a Lebanese immigrant father who left his war-torn nation in search of a better life and to pursue the American Dream. Currently, he works two jobs as a Dental Assistant and also as a substitute teacher at all local metro Detroit school districts. He also serves as an event coordinator on Wayne State's Mission Possible board, and is a very active member in many other organizations like Lebanese Student Association, Pre-Dental Society, Club-Med Virtual, Arab-Student Association, and WSU Giving Hand. Through his time at Wayne state, online through COVID and back in person now, he has learned so much about the students that go here and how much their voices matter. During his time on student senate, he wants to make differences that improve our campus and community first hand by acting as the voice of the student body and making sure that everyone that goes to Wayne State feels heard and that their voices matter. By making our campus feel more inclusive and addressing the challenges faced by our community, Mohamed believes we can bring our campus together and further embrace our Warrior spirit. He is looking forward to representing our student body.
Vansh Bhardwaj
Senator at Large
Vansh Bhardwaj is a third year student, pursuing a Bachelor's in Public Health with a minor in Biological Sciences. With aspirations to work as a physician, his goal is to utilize his passion for Public Health to bring health equity to the forefront of medicine by advocating for disadvantaged groups. Vansh is currently the Public Health Project Group Chair and hopes to work with fellow senators to enact initiatives throughout the 2023-24 term. Outside of academics, Vansh is a tutor for elementary students from Detroit Public Schools and visits hospice patients, providing respite care for their families. Overall, Vansh aims to act as a liaison between the student body and administration to put forth sustainable and impactful initiatives that improve student life.
Amulen Rozmus
Senator at Large
Amulen is a second-year undergraduate student studying Business Administration and Urban Studies and Planning. Born in Uganda, East Africa and raised in the United States, Amulen relocated from California to attend university in Michigan. Amulen is humbled to serve on the Senate, where he plans to focus on creating a university community where students, faculty and staff thrive together. Additionally, he is a member of the Irvin D. Reid Honors College, and MPREP, at the Mike Ilitch School of Business. If you see Amulen on campus, please do not hesitate to say hello.
Finnley Culhane
Senator at Large
Finnley Culhane is a junior completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Romance Languages with a concentration in French and a minor in History. She was raised in Lasalle, Ontario, Canada, and is now continuing her education in the United States. She hopes to continue to law school post-undergraduate. She is interested in pursuing a career practicing immigration law, aiming to make North America more accessible globally. At Wayne State, she is a Forensics Speech and Debate team member, competing nationally on the Policy Team. Additionally, she is the treasurer of the Wayne Women in Law Project. In her free time, she volunteers regularly at the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families in Windsor, Ontario. Her hobbies include watercolor painting, calligraphy and hand-lettering, basketball, and tennis. As a member-at-large on the Student Senate, she is committed to fostering a healthy and welcoming environment and continuing to improve Wayne State University as a whole.
Issa Hosari
Senator at Large
Issa Hosari is a third-year undergraduate student at Wayne State University majoring in Finance and minoring in Biological Sciences. He is a Palestinian American who currently lives in Livonia, Michigan. Issa is excited to advocate as a voice of the student body on the Student Senate. Currently, he is an intern at Global Ties Detroit, a nonprofit organization focused on citizen diplomacy and creating an open dialogue about sustainable change on local and global issues. Additionally, he is involved with student organizations and serves as the treasurer for the pre-medical fraternity Delta Epsilon Mu. He has a deep-rooted passion, not only for being an active voice for the student body, but also for this university. He is committed to both his academic studies and extracurricular activities that enhance his college experience. As he approaches his third year at Wayne State, he finds that his fulfillment with the time he spends here can only come through his contribution and dedication to improving upon the space where all students strive for success.
Vacant: School of Social Work representative, School of Information Sciences representative, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences representative, College of Education representative, and College of Engineering representative
Faculty Advisor
David Strauss, Ph.D.
Dean of Students
David has served as Wayne State's Dean of Students since January, 2002. In this capacity, he leads the university's student affairs activities, including the responsibility for student and campus activities, student organization resources, fraternity and sorority life, student community involvement, Warrior Pride affinity programs, student senate and student conduct and care services. David chairs the Student Update and Information Team (SUIT), serves as the university's Title IX Deputy Coordinator, represents student life on the university crisis team, and serves as the Office of the Provost's representative to the Academic Senate's Student Affairs committee. Since 2011, David has been an adjunct lecturer in the WSU Department of Economics where he teaches a section of Principles of Economics each fall and winter semester. Prior to joining Wayne State, David served as the Associate Director of the University Honors and Scholars Center at The Ohio State University and the Assistant Dean of Students for Greek Life and Student Activities at Centre College. David received his Ph.D. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from The Ohio State University, his Master of Science degree in College Student Personnel Administration from Indiana University, and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Bucknell University. David is a member of NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education where he serves on the region 4 east board and is on the boards of the Farmington YMCA and the Lester & Jewell Morris Hillel Jewish Student Center at Michigan State University. David enjoys swimming, handy work projects around the house, gardening, and spending time with his wife Amy and children Nate and Caroline