758 votes cast out of 4995 potential SGPS members

Hi SGPS!

My name is Lara Aluko, a Master of Public Administration Candidate running to represent YOU as Vice-President Community. I bring diversity, creativity, inclusion, public interest and a strong desire to help you enjoy an exceptional academic year.

My main priorities are:

1. Office of the Student: I’m all for open door policies and I would like to work with SGPS leadership to ensure the voice of member students are heard through “Opinion Polls” on diverse issues. These polls will inform the foundation for my advocacy duties and help invoke approval of student-centric policies and projects.

2. Know Your Community: I believe ‘we are who we know’; I hope to strengthen the SGPS network by introducing “Stars of the Week” feature on the website and social media platforms. Interested students will be able to send their headshot, brief bio and contact information for features.

3. Career Socials (Long Term): With the help of SGPS commissions, I hope to deliver a “Coffee Chat” style recruitment event leveraging alumni connections. This will help students market themselves and network with potential recruiters in a relaxed manner.

4. Grad Games: I’ll work to deliver the SGPS’s promise for grad games consisting of creative intramural games e.g. dance-off, scrabble-battle, etc. Silly is non-existent in our intramural dictionary. Top performing teams in any category stand a chance of winning treats!

I had the opportunity to serve as class representative during my undergrad where I coordinated career, social and wellness projects. I promoted crucial student-related issues at various university committees. This role also afforded me the chance to organize fundraisers for community development projects, and I am confident this experience will serve me well to further enrich our community.

Thank you for your time, I’m counting on your support!

If you have attended SGPS events before, chances are that you might have met Uchitta Vashist, an International Master’s student in the Mining Engineering Department, currently serving the position of Supervisor at the SGPS. Uchitta has been in this role over the past four months, managing the events and activities conducted by the four commissions and organizing the SGPS Orientation week events like the SGPS Boat cruise, Hike to Rock Dunder and more. This position has given her tremendous time and people management skills that would make her the ideal candidate for the role of VP Community. Uchitta was the Deputy International Commissioner at SGPS for the 2018-19 school year and organized numerous informative workshops and events during that time. A staunch believer in equity and diversity, Uchitta, along with the then international Commissioner, organized the Diversity and Inclusivity Film Festival to showcase diverse cultures on campus. Moreover, being an International woman herself, she took the initiative to celebrate the equal contribution of women students in graduate studies led to the creation of the Queen’s International Women’s Conference (QIWC), celebrating Women’s Leadership in International Graduate Research.

You may also recognize her if you have been to QUIC (Queen’s University International Center) over the last couple of years where she works with students from all over the world, helping them transition in a new country. Uchitta has also been actively involved in numerous student clubs on campus and loves cultural dancing and networking.

My Vision for the role of VP Community and Key Promises
1. Focus on boosting student supports and wellness programs
2. Increase visibility of services provided by SGPS and community
3. Improve Faculty-SGPS relationship
4. Bring campus-wide graduate and professional student voices to the table
5. Elevate engagement of equity seeking groups on campus

Oversees the four Commissioners, who support the student body through event planning and committee-level advocacy. The VP Community, along with the President, represents the SGPS to the Canadian Federation of Students.

Salary: $1,000 per month