Guided Engineering Academic Review Sessions (GEARS)

GEARS Mentor Bios

Ayushi Agrawal (she/her), Year 2 CompE

Hi everyone! First year is amazing, but keeping up with academics can be challenging at times (I’ve been there). I'm excited to help you through those times so that you can make the most of your experience.

Outside of classes, I like to dabble in art and graphic design, and you would’ve found me at UTFOLD origami workshops or Hart House Get Crafty sessions last year. I also loved being on the Spark design team and working on an arcade rhythm game!

 

 

 

Dante Capobianco (he/him), Year 2 ECE

Hello world! I'm a second-year ECE student & member of the UTAT drone racing team. My greatest motivation to be a GEARS Academic Mentor is to give back to the engineering community, being blessed with incredible support during my first year. I find immense value helping peers.

I recently founded my own company, working on full-stack mobile & web applications - our first app is currently underway! Ask me to learn more about my passion for development & entrepreneurship.

 

 

Dylan Lam (he/him), Year 3 ChemE

Hi everyone! I'm a 3rd year ChemE student pursuing a bioengineering minor. I am thrilled to be a GEARS Academic Mentor because I'm passionate about helping others navigate their engineering journey and hope to ease academic stress along the way.

I'm active in tennis intramurals and will be one of the incoming Mentorship Directors for Chem Club. In my free time, I enjoy rock climbing with friends. Looking forward to connecting with you!

 

 

 

Grace Lin (she/her), Year 2 IndE

Hi I'm a second-year Industrial Engineering student hoping to minor in AI and Engineering Business! Having just completed my first year, I am excited to be joining the GEARS team to hopefully share my love for studying and provide moral support to ease your first-year experience.

Outside of academics I enjoy connecting with my community and like-minded individuals who share similar interests of engineering! I highly recommend joining WISE if you are passionate about women's involvement in engineering or HiSkule if you want the opportunity to work with high school students!

 

Hridhay Tejura (he/him), Year 2 CompE

Hey everyone, I look forward to being a GEARS Academic Mentor and getting to know, guide, and share my experiences with junior students—something I have always enjoyed doing, even through high school.

I am an aviation enthusiast, which led me to join the UTAT UAS Autonomous Drone Racing Team in my first year. I enjoy playing badminton and football (soccer), and in my free time, I like playing the guitar and listening to music.

 

 

 

Joe Dai (he/him), Year 3 ECE

Hello! I'm a third-year ECE student, enrolled in the Robotics minor and Business certificate. I was a GEARS mentor last year and I know first year is hard, especially if you're like me and had to move to a new, unfamiliar city—so I love being able to at least help academically through GEARS sessions.

In my spare time (if any...), I work on a self-driving car @ aUToronto design team and a remote control fixed-wing plane with friends. I also enjoy hiking in the forest and rock climbing. Hackathons like Hack the North and MakeUofT are fun too. I hope to see you at GEARS—where we make first year a little easier, one GEARS session at a time!

 

 

Justin Fang (he/him), Year 2 CompE

My favourite course in first year was programming and was a big part of my decision to study computer engineering! I'm very excited to be a GEARS Mentor and hope that I can help you develop your best study technique(s)! Fun fact, I've taken almost every single first-year course available because I transferred from Civil to Computer (didn't like concrete that much).

I like to bike around Toronto and explore new places during my free time.

 

 

 

Laura Lin (she/her), Year 3 ECE

I'm excited to meet first year students and help them with my favourite courses from first year. I found first-year engineering to be a huge step up from high school, so I'd love to help others facing similar challenges and share tips I found to be helpful in the past.

Something I like to do in my spare time is sewing and embroidery. I'm also a part of the Robotics for Space Exploration design team, which is lots of fun!

 

 

 

Tahseen Shaan Leon (he/him), Year 2 MechE

I am the Marketing & Events Jr Lead at RSX (Robotics for Space Exploration), and a Social Media Director at the TrackOne Club. I'm an international student, and my first year had a rocky start when I had to arrive a bit late due to a family emergency. I was feeling lost when I arrived, in this huge world of possibilities. But the GEARS mentors helped me catch up to speed both academically and in terms of U of T's culture.

I hope I can give back as much as I have received and more!

 

 

 

Mahreen Naila (she/her), Year 2 ECE

Hey everyone! My motivation to become a GEARS mentor comes from my love of explaining concepts to my peers. It helps me solidify and remember information, and it's a great way to re-contribute to the SKULE community.

Outside of academics, I enjoy baking, taking care of plants, and spending time with my cats—feel free to ask me for photos of them! I also love going for walks and catching up on shows/movies. As a GEARS Academic Mentor, I hope I can make first year not seem so daunting!