OUR TEAM

Shirley Y.

Co-Founder

Shirley serves as the Co-founder of Youthful Spark, an organization deeply aligned with her passion for providing educational opportunities to underprivileged communities. Through her work with Youthful Spark, she aims to expand access to tutoring, courses, and competitions for students of all grades, helping them reach their full potential. Beyond her leadership role, Shirley enjoys biking, playing soccer, and reading in her free time. 

Riley J.

Co-Founder

Riley is the Co-founder of Youthful Spark, an organization driven by her deep commitment to expanding educational access for underprivileged communities. As a passionate learner and social changemaker, she is dedicated to both acquiring knowledge and empowering others through it. Riley demonstrates a strong devotion to volunteer work, particularly in supporting children in need. 

Kathie J. 

Marketing Manager

Kathie Jiang is a grade 10 student at Western Canada High School. She enjoys volunteering and helping those around her, and her hobbies include playing the clarinet and sketching. She loves badminton, dancing and sports.

Michael L. 

Vice President

Michael Lee is a Grade 9 student who loves music, robotics, sports, and giving back to his community. He has been playing piano since the age of six and has won awards like the Ann Southam National Award, the ARMTA Silver Medal, and placed 1st in Canada (3rd internationally) at the 2024 & 2025 IPPA.  As core member of his FTC robotics team, Michael helped lead the team won league awards. Outside of music and robotics, Michael is a dedicated triathlete and a young leader who shares his talents through youth-led concerts and community projects. He’s always up for a challenge and loves being part of teams that make a positive impact. 

Frank Y. 

Program Development Manager

Frank Yuan, a dedicated teacher who loves inspiring students in and out of the classroom. His background in sports and music allows him to connect with his students in unique ways, fostering creativity and teamwork. He believes in creating an engaging learning environment where every student feels valued and motivated to explore their interests. Whether it's through athletic activities or musical projects, he aims to encourage personal growth and a lifelong love of learning 

Karen L. 

Vice President

Karen is a student going into University of Calgary. She’s determined and hardworking. She enjoys volunteering and new opportunities. She promotes and coordinates the events and helps expand the organization! Karen has passion for Science.

Patricia Y. 

Program Development Manager

Patricia Yuan is a diligent university student who goes to University of Waterloo. She used to pursue higher level mathematics and computer science in the IB program, highly passionate in a career involving both subject areas. Looking forward to working with you! 

Cheri D.

Biology Instructor

Cheri is an 11th-grade student living in Calgary, AB. She is passionate about STEM and is eager to share her enthusiasm and knowledge with other students. She has over three years of teaching experience and has strong academic skills. Cheri enjoys volunteering in her community, but in her free time, likes to read and paint.

Caden X. 

Music Instructor

A dedicated guitar player for the past four years, Caden has been an active member of my school’s house band, regularly performing in school events and concerts. In addition to performing, I’ve also been teaching guitar for about six months, sharing my skills and passion with others. 

Avery L.

Math Instructor

Avery is a ninth-grade student with diverse interests and a deep passion for learning. When not reading books, you can often find him on the basketball court, where he loves challenging himself. He finds joy in the strategic aspects of the game and the teamwork involved.

Alisa L.

ModelUN Instructor

Alisa will be a junioir at Bishop Carrol this Sep. She is passionate for all STEM subjects especially science. Following her Passion, she has exceeded in all her STEM courses including Math 20, Chem 20, Bio 20. If you want some tips and tricks from her, feel free to let her know!

Daniel P.

Programming Instructor

Passionate in programming, Daniel has taken two computer science courses, with both achieved over 90% average, alongside a finishing product of Monopoly featuring automatic file saving and random events in the game. Living in both China and Canada for the past 15 years, mastered both Mandarin and English in reading, writing, and speaking skills..  

Tom S.

Gauss Math Teacher

Tom is a soon-to-be Grade 9 student living in Calgary, Alberta. He enjoys solving math problems, playing the piano, and going to Rubik’s Cube competitions. Tom is a Sea Cadet at RCSCC Undaunted, and is also a Co-Founder of the QingCong Volunteer program. 

Keina J.

Chemistry Instructor

Keina is a University of Alberta student. She has a passion for science including Biology and Chemistry, and wishes to share her experience with others.  

Max Z.

Gr9 Math Teacher

Max is a dedicated student at Webber Academy, preparing to enter 10th grade this coming September. He has already demonstrated an exceptional aptitude for mathematics, having completed ninth and tenth-grade math in grade nine. His passion for geometry and problem-solving has set him apart as a remarkable student at Webber Academy.  He would like to share his knowledge with more kids.

Angelina 

French Teacher

Angelina is a French IB student at Western Canada High School who has a strong passion for language arts and writing. In her free time, she enjoys playing badminton and the piano. She aims to assist students in further developing their English skills and discover the beauty of language. 

Jonas H.

Math Teacher

Jonas is a high school student at western canada high school with a strong passion for mathematics, track and field, coding, and chess. Through sharing his knowledge and offering tutoring, Jonas hopes to help children from diverse communities gain free learning opportunities and discover their interests. In his free time, you may see him delving into a book or an anime, or attempting to play the piano and guitar. As a math tutor and track and field club coach, he takes pride in helping others develop their skills, build confidence, and achieve their goals. Whether in the classroom or on the field, Jonas is dedicated, energetic, and always eager to inspire others to do their best. 

Jennifer W.

Regional Director and Business Case Teacher

Jennifer Wang, who is going into grade twelve at the University of Toronto Schools. She has participated in a wide range business competitions since grade 9 including DECA(first regional) Wharton Investing Competition, Ivey Case Competition (second international) and others. 

Richard B.

Previous Vice President & 

IT Director

Richard is a computer science student at University of waterloo. He is experienced with both science and mathematics. He used to teach Python/Science/Math in our organization. He is looking forward to working with you all!

Kaden L.

Gr 4 Math Teacher

I am a 14-year-old student in Canada, I have a deep passion for mathematics,languages, photography, and sports.I love sharing my enthusiasm for math with others, which is why I volunteer to teach grade 5 math. Seeing younger students grasp new concepts and gain confidence in their skills is incredibly rewarding for me.

Dea Yu.

Assistant Teacher 

Dea is a grade 12 student with a passion for scriptwriting and creative writing. She also has experience in teaching and editing and loves sharing her knowledge with younger kids. She is excited to see her script played out in class! 

Victor Cao

Math Teacher 

Victor is a UBC science student who greatly enjoys math and science. He has a great passion for pedagogy, demonstrated in his extensive experience as an instructor and tutor for math, science, chess, english, and music in both in-school and extracurricular settings. Victor is always seeking to closely connect with his students and help them develop not only academically, but as strong, well-rounded students. 

Skyler S.

Skyler is a Grade 12 student who has a great interest in language learning and teaching. She has participated in SHSM and a Co-op at a packaging company as a data manager, thus she has strong English communication skills in both oral and writing, moreover good learning ability and leadership skills. She’s a positive person who has an enthusiastic outlook on life. She loves teaching elderly people English and gets a sense of achievement from seeing their oral English competence develop! 

Janet S.

Janet is a grade 10 student who is outgoing ,educated and responsible. She is a friendly person who enjoys helping others. In school, she has achieved good academic performance With her diligent study habits, .Janet is hard working student who is willing to learn more. 

Tim G.

Math Teacher 

Tim is a Grade 10 high school student at Holy Trinity CSS in Oakville, Ontario. He has a good knowledge of science and mathematics. He is now exceeding in mathematics at the AP level. He is always enthusiastic about working with others as well as helping others with their problems. 

Patrick L.

Math Teacher 

Patrick is a grade 12 IB student in White Oaks Secondary School in Ontario, who is eager to teach math in an engaging way. He also hopes to share some studying strategies for tricky concepts. His hobbies include playing the piano and creating YouTube videos.

Samantha C.

3D Modelling Instructor

Samantha is a university student who loves to inspire thought and emotion. Having done visual arts for 9 years, contributing to her community with a variety of projects, exploration of new skills has become a staple in her life.  She wants to help others take initiative and pursue whatever they find newly fascinating.

Charles C.

3D Modelling Instructor

Charles is a high school student that loves to find skills to improve at. Through his passions of team games and sports, he has been working with and helping improve others his entire life. By gamifying learning and practicing, he can often find a way to keep himself and others interested while still staying productive. 

Nancy Z.

Speech Teacher 

Nancy is a 17-year-old student. She is interested in language speaking and teaching. 

She has a such good command of English that there is no problem for her to communicate with others both in English and Chinese. What's more, She likes to get along with the elderly. She has enough experience that she can do a good job, she has participated in the Elder People Care program.

Finally, she is outgoing and leadership.  She can play a role significant role in teaching the elder generation English.

Jayden L.

Teacher Assistant

Jayden is a high school student who enjoys learning and teaching. He is interested in sports, music, and various extracurricular activities.

He loves working with and helping others. With past experience in math contests, he is willing to offer a helping hand to those wishing to pursue success.

Calvin, a French tutor passionate about teaching! While he didn’t grow up in Quebec, he completed high school in a French-speaking environment, so his French is

strong.He is passionate about helping students improve their French in a fun and practical way—whether it’s for conversation, grammar, or writing. Let’s work together to make French more approachable and boost your confidence in using it!

Ziwen is a grade 9 science enthusiast at White Oaks SS - he's super passionate about biology and all things disease-related. He loves how science can tackle real-world health issues, and is dedicated to improving free and accessible education. He crushed it in his science courses, and he founded a podcast called Disease Decode. On top of that, he's the co-host for a pre-health shadowing program. Oh, he also loves playing basketball on the court. He's a triple threat - science, healthcare, and hoops! 

Carmel W.

I am currently a 9th-grade student attending Lo-Ellen Park Secondary, where I have a strong passion for writing, public speaking, and learning. I love to run, volunteer, play piano, and dance outside of school. As a person, I am very open to more teaching and volunteering opportunities. Finally, I am so excited to teach, learn, and grow as a person and student at Youthful Spark! :) 

Jessica H.

Vice President & Social Media Specialist

Jessica is a University of California student.  She is excited to grow YS social media presence and get our voice out into the world.  She will be attending SC Governor’s School for Science + Math.

Maddie S.

DECA Camp Instructor

Maddie is a 12th grader in South Carolina.  She is a member of the DECA club at her school.  She placed 3rd at State twice for the Team Decision Event and qualified for the international competition ICDC.

Ian Yang

Senior Board Executive

Volunteer Coordinator