1. Why are you running for councillor?
I am a first-year student at Victoria College. I think Vic is such a warm and caring community, based on my experience during the orientation week. I have enjoyed talking with every student that I have talked to and I will continue to talk with more students at Vic. I think everyone is precious and deserves the best for their university life, so I want to be a councillor to represent their voices and improve all students’ lives at Vic. I am also passionate about equity and love to advocate for my fellow students. I was the ESL [English as a Second Language] rep in the high school’s equity council, so I want to continue to represent other students in my university career. Last, I want to work with others and get to know more students at vic so I want to get involved in VUSAC.
2. What sets you apart from other candidates?
I have to say, everyone is great and unique. As an individual, the following nouns make my personality: patience, teamwork, dedication, helpfulness and equity. I was an ESL representative at the Equity Council during high school. I understand ESL students might find it hard to adapt into Canadian teaching and lifestyles at first, so I believe equal representation and equal access to resources are crucial. Moreover, I work as a piano tutor for young children, which makes me a very patient person. Also, I was the goalie in my high school’s ice hockey team. During those years, I learnt a lot in terms of cooperation and teamwork. Sometimes, when I face a breakaway, I do feel extremely nervous, because I don’t want to fail my teammates. However, the core value in playing hockey is teamwork. Team members should not only enjoy the happiness of success together, but also reflect on their faults together. During my leisure time, I enjoy soprano singing, and playing piano at an advanced level. Learning music makes me a dedicated person. As the time you have dedicated will eventually lead to a good result for you. I was also the orientation leader during high school, because I want to try my best to help my peers. Above is what makes me unique as an individual.
3. What commissions would you like to work on and why?
I want to work with VOCA and the Mental Wellness Commission. I am a commuter student myself so I want to work with VOCA. Moreover, commuter students have less chances to get involved in student activities on campus compared to residence students. Commuters have to spend extra time traveling, which exhausts both our mentality and bodies. They have to plan their routes everyday to avoid rush hours, and find places to do online sessions for not having enough travelling time in between. As a commuter student, I certainly know the concerns, so I want to improve the life of commuter students at Vic, as well as myself. In terms of mental health and wellness, I think most first years are overwhelmed by the workload so they stay up late to finish their work. They are also stressed about getting higher GPAs in order to apply for programs by the end of this year. Therefore, mental health might be impaired by the high-stress and unhealthy lifestyles. Mental health is very important that needs to be concerned by all, so I want to try my best to help students maintain healthy mental states.
4. Do you have any personal ideas or projects that you would like to take up as a part of the VUSAC Council?
First, I want to provide some accessible services to ESL students. For example, to help ESL students transition, lower-year ESL students can be paired with upper-year ESL students and language interpreters can be placed in lectures. Moreover, I want to address mental health and hybrid learning. For mental health, VUSAC can have more casual and relaxed conversations with students to hear their concerns. Also, I will request an internet accessible space with less noise controls for commuters to do online lessons on campus, when they do not have time to travel back home. Last, I want to design a program for students to find walking partners, so they feel less intimidated when travelling home alone from their late night courses. Students who share the same routes can travel together to ensure safety.
5. What will you do if you do not win?
I will say “congrats” to those elected candidates. Then, I will try to look out for other opportunities to get involved at Vic and wait for other rounds of elections late. For example, joining other great commissions, clubs, and levies at Vic or even funding a club of my own. It is just my first year, I can discover a lot more too.
6. Give your personal review of the Northrop Frye McDonald’s.
Everyone says it is a good place to grab snacks between lessons, but still people have to check it out on their own ;)
