Shervin Akhlaghi

Re-elected by Students - September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2027

Shervin Akhlaghi is an undergraduate student in the Civil Engineering program at Toronto Metropolitan University, specializing in the transportation stream. He was first elected to the TMU Board of Governors for a one-year term beginning September 1, 2025. Following the completion of his first term, Shervin was re-elected to serve a second consecutive one-year term, beginning September 1, 2026, and continuing until August 31, 2027.

Prior to joining the Board, Shervin gained over two years of hands-on experience in the engineering sector, working part-time during the academic year and full-time during the summers at a firm specializing in cathodic protection within the oil and energy industry. His work involved drafting engineering and commissioning reports, as well as conducting field inspections of pipelines and refineries. This early exposure to technical and high-responsibility environments taught him discipline, time management, and the importance of balancing academic and professional commitments.

At TMU, Shervin has held several leadership roles. He previously served as Co-President of the TMU Model United Nations Club, having started as a delegate before progressing through the organization’s leadership. During his time with the club, TMU Model UN earned recognition as one of the top 75 university Model UN teams in North America, competing on a highly competitive circuit alongside students from leading academic institutions. These experiences strengthened his public speaking, diplomacy, and negotiation skills while broadening his understanding of global affairs and diverse perspectives. Through Model UN and his broader university involvement, he has also had opportunities to meet with Canadian Members of Parliament, Members of Provincial Parliament, ambassadors, and other public officials, gaining firsthand insight into leadership, diplomacy, and public service.

Shervin is the founder and president of the TMU Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Club. A blue belt in the sport, he established the club to make high-quality martial arts training more accessible to TMU students. Under his leadership, TMU BJJ has grown from a recreational student club into a broader university jiu-jitsu program with both recreational and competitive divisions. The recreational side provides accessible training and community programming for students of varying experience levels, while the competitive side was established as the first university Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitive program of its kind in Canada. Together, the two divisions have created a pathway for students to participate in BJJ recreationally, or develop as athletes, and represent Toronto Metropolitan University in competition.

His work at TMU inspired him to found the Canadian Universities Jiu-Jitsu Association (CUJA), an organization dedicated to developing and connecting university-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu programs across Canada. In March 2026, under Shervin’s leadership, CUJA organized the inaugural Canadian Universities Jiu-Jitsu Championship (CUJC) at TMU’s Mattamy Athletic Centre. The competition brought together 170 competitors representing 15 universities and colleges from across Canada, with Toronto Metropolitan University finishing first overall and becoming the inaugural Canadian university jiu-jitsu champion.

In June 2026, Shervin represented Canada internationally as the leader of Team Canada’s university jiu-jitsu delegation at the FISU World University Championship Combat Sports in Brasília, Brazil. The event marked the first time ju-jitsu was contested as a FISU World University Championship, making the Canadian delegation part of the sport’s inaugural appearance at this level of international university competition. In this national leadership role, Shervin helped establish Canada’s presence in the new championship and connect the emerging Canadian university jiu-jitsu system with international competition under FISU, laying a foundation for future Canadian participation at the world university level.

Following the Championships, Shervin was selected by U SPORTS Canada as one of only two Canadian FISU Student Ambassadors for the 2026–2027 year. In this role, he represents Canada within FISU’s international student network and contributes to the promotion and development of university sport, student engagement, and the values of the international university sport movement.

Throughout his time at TMU, Shervin has also contributed to the broader university community through roles including Student Ambassador with TMU’s Student Recruitment Office, where he represented the university to prospective students and shared his experiences of TMU’s academic and campus environment.

Shervin’s service on the Board of Governors is driven by a desire to strengthen transparency, accountability, and engagement in university governance. Following his re-election for a second consecutive term, he remains committed to contributing to the university’s highest level of governance and ensuring that members of the TMU community have meaningful opportunities to understand and engage with major institutional decisions. Looking ahead, he plans to attend law school after completing his undergraduate degree, with the goal of developing the knowledge and skills to contribute to public life and society more broadly.