The elected executive term will serve for 16 months from Winter 2021 to Winter 2022, being the on-term exec for Spring 2021 and Winter 2022.
Should you have any questions about the election process, feel free to reach out to our Chief Returning Officer, Claudia, cro.a@engsoc.uwaterloo.ca, and Deputy Returning Officer, Claudia, dro.a@engsoc.uwaterloo.ca.
For more information on each of these roles, reach out to the current executive team with your questions or review the slides and notes from Exec info Night.
Timeline
Exec Info Night on Zoom – September 14, 8:00 pm
Nomination Period – September 14 – September 23
Prez Campaign Period – September 24 – October 1
Prez Candidate Q&A at Council – September 30
Prez Voting Period – October 2 – October 5
VP Campaign Period – October 22 – October 29
VP Candidate Q&A at Council – October 28
VP Voting Period – October 30 – November 2
Meet the Candidates:
VP Finance:
Claire Thompson
Anita and Helen
As VP Finance, we will be:
1. Reliable – Help get services running safely such as Novelties, the CnDs and Ridgidware running again, while building the infrastructure needed to keep these services going in case the University needs to close again. We will be looking to expand the online store, as well as increasing Ridgidware’s selection and seeing how to best support FYDPs.
2. Responsible – We have great attention to detail and will ensure the budget is accounted for and everything is running smoothly.
3. Inclusive – We will work with other VPs to encourage first year involvement, and make sure POETS is a safe, inclusive, and accessible space. We will also look into increasing the range of activities that POETS offers upon reopening, such as a table with craft supplies.
4. Communicable – We will make funding opportunities easy to access and create comprehensive documentation, so that you have the best chance of success.
Anita’s previous directorships in EngSoc include: Involvement (Scunt), First Year Engineering Conference and WEC. Furthermore, she is a Novelties director and a member on the sponsorship committee. Anita also likes to play piano, work on side projects and learn about biology.
Helen’s previous directorships in EngSoc include: Inclusivity, Board Games, Arts and Crafts, Speaker Series. She has also been the secretary for Board and member of the sponsorship committee twice. Helen loves music (she plays violin and guitar), whitewater kayaking, and chemistry.
Please consider voting for us as your next VP Finance team! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask at council meeting 3, email or message us. Thanks for reading, have a great term!
VP Academic:
Ahmad Kamal
Hi! I’m Ahmad, my pronouns are he/him, I’m in mechatronics ‘23, and I want to be the next VP Academic. I believe in the society’s role in helping students succeed, am committed to supporting my peers, and enjoy working with others. I’m someone that is enthusiastic, dedicated, friendly, and always hype. I’ve been heavily involved with EngSoc, am currently the Mental Health Commissioner, and have held 6 directorships over the past year. I’ve also been a part of 2 committees that focused on mental health and long term planning. If elected as VP Academic, my goals for the position would include: 1. Advocating for a long term plan for COVID resources and setting achievable goals for online education. 2. Increasing career support by partnering with existing corporations to deliver workshops to all students. 3. Advocating for an improved WaterlooWorks search algorithm and improved co-op support. 4. Bringing mental health to the forefront of the society and advocating for a wellness coordinator for every department. 5. Creating a guide for academic representatives to enable them to advocate for their class’s needs. Check out my website to see how I plan to accomplish all this: http://bit.ly/Ahmad4VPA . And please remember to vote!
Andrea Chakma
Hi everyone!
My name is Andrea Chakma (She/Her/Elle) and I’m in my 2B Term of Mechatronics Engineering. I am running to become EngSoc’s VP Academic.
VP Academic is a role that I’m extremely passionate about because it involves advocating for change that will improve the engineering experience for the entire student body. With many years of experience with leadership, advocacy and running initiatives that have had direct impact on people of all ages I have the skills and dedication to advocate on behalf of the students.
As Outreach Commissioner for the last two terms I have had a firsthand opportunity to see where we need to create change and to start driving that impact. This can be seen through the creation of the first WiE Student Council coming January 2021.
I want to continue advocating for and finding ways to support the engineering students here at Waterloo because we all deserve to have our voices heard at the table.
My platform revolves around the pillars of Communication, Support and Advocacy with focuses on:
– Diversity
– Resources for Co-Op and Beyond
– Continuous Feedback
– Education Preparedness
– Accessibility
Please visit bit.ly/vpandrea to learn more about me, my experiences, and my vision for VP Academic! I cannot wait to represent and advocate for all of you!
Kevin Jiang
Hi, I’m Kevin Jiang, a 2A Management Engineering student. I’m fighting to fix the elephants in the room.
I will make EngSoc help you. You might not care about EngSoc, and I get that. If you’re willing to spend the 30 seconds to vote for me, here are some things that I’ll be focusing on for next term:
COVID-19 recovery
Whether online or offline, there’s lots of work to be done.
If online (😫), advocating with profs and departments to create better online courses.
If in person (😍), helping to move activities back into a safe in person setting.
First-year experience
There are a bunch of complaints about how many first years feel just dropped into the deep end and robbed of their first-year experience. Needless to say, this shouldn’t happen.
Strengthen widely used programs
More resources and focus directed to programs like EngSoc resume review where many people will benefit.
Transparency
I am here to serve you. Anything you need to have done or want to know about will be done to the best of my ability.
Please visit https://kevinjiang.ca to learn more about my platform, and if you’re bored https://www.latlmes.com/opinion/a-time-for-growth-1 to learn about what inspired me to run.
VP Communications:
Zoey Zhang
Hello hello! If we have not already met, my name is Zoey (she/her/elle), a 2A Biomedical Engineering student and a VP Communications Candidate!
Having been a cohort rep since my 1A term, EngSoc has always held a special place in my heart but I know that is not true for everyone. For some, their community lies in Design Teams, Departmental Societies, Athletics and so many other amazing extracurriculars that our university has to offer. I found my friends and support system in A Cappella, EngSoc and even just in my own cohort. Community starts with communication and that’s where me and my platform come in!
As VP Communications, I want to highlight and support everything that makes Waterloo Engineering such an amazing place to be. Do you want to know the secret? It’s YOU! Let me help support the things that allow you to thrive at Waterloo. I want to:
Build stronger relationships with Departmental Societies, Design Teams and other Faculties
Improve the transparency of Society decisions, changes and advocacy work
Highlight student achievement
Increase the scale of the Employer Relations portfolio
Revamp the EngSoc website resources and user experience
Sound like big promises? Check out my website at http://bit.ly/Zoey4VP for more details. Please feel free to reach out, say hi and ask me questions. I would love to share more about my goals with you!
Alania Hansen
Hello! My name is Alaina and I am running to be your next VP Communications!
Since starting my time at Waterloo I have been involved as the VP Technical for the Ontario Engineering Competition run by ESSCO, First Year Commissioner, WEC and Educational Outreach director for EngSoc, and Team Lead for the UW Robotics Design Team. I have also been involved through engineering ambassadors, orientation, and the Waterloo Ready program.
I decided to run for VP Communications because I am passionate about my community here at UW and would like to do my part to make this society more accessible, inclusive, and supportive. I want to get people more involved in student life and advocate for positive experiences and effective communication to create a welcoming community for engineering students.
My goals for this position include increasing outreach and networking with industry sponsors to provide more opportunities for learning and growth in the workplace. I would like to improve our online advertising presence and communication platforms, and use these to better communicate with students as well as academic and industry sponsors. I would also like to continue increasing awareness of what EngSoc does for students, and get more feedback about how we can better represent and advocate for you both internally and externally with ESSCO, the CFES, PEO, and OSPE. Furthermore, I would like to continue to promote mental health, diversity, and sustainability with our external partners, and make conferences more accessible and transparent for all students.
For more information about my platform, check out my website bit.ly/Alaina4VPComm and my instagram and Facebook @alaina4vpcomm
VP Student Life:
Jose Montoya Cabrera
Hello everyone!
My name is Jose Montoya Cabrera, and I am running for VPSL. I have always believed that getting involved is a great part of our university experience, and now I want to be the one making that a reality for others. Whether it is through supervising events or by maintaining initiatives like our Mentorship Program, I will do my best to create a sense of community, which we will need now more than ever.
I look forward to talking more about my platform during the campaign period. See you there!
WEEF Coordinator:
Yuvraj Walia
Hey all, my name is Yuvraj Walia and I’m running for WEEF Director in the upcoming EngSoc elections.
I am a 2nd year Management Engineering student who’s committed to delivering a positive experience to our students through the betterment of the engineering faculty at our school. I’m willing to do what it takes to meet the needs of our engineering student populace, whether it be new equipment for labs or allocating funding for the engineering machine shops across campus. I’ve been involved with WEEF since my first year, having been elected as WEEF representative for the 2024 Mgmt Eng cohort twice. I see WEEF as a great avenue for creating change within our school and faculty and believe it is a tool that can take the student experience further than ever before. Under me, WEEF will put students first by funding the groups and events directly supporting them, financially supporting the creation and maintenance of engineering design days for all first year classes, and enabling equipment upgrades for crucial labs throughout all engineering disciplines, to name a few.
Given my experience with the organization, progressive ideas, and willingness to listen to representatives of all engineering cohorts, I consider myself an ideal candidate for the position. If you like my ideas, please consider voting for me as WEEF Director.
And remember, a vote for YUV, is a vote for YOU!