Action happens with student voices.
Students at Humber college and the University of Guelph-Humber vote yearly for the Board of Directors to represent them throughout the school year. And with the term coming to a close, we thought you might like to hear each member’s favourite moments.
So without further ado, your 2022-2023 Board of Directors!
Jessica Urzua Cordon-Carrera Valle
Chair, Board of Directors | North
“My favourite moment this term would be witnessing the first female CEO, President Dr. Ann Vaughan, at Humber College. She really inspires me and hopefully many other women at Humber College & [the University of] Guelph-Humber. I look forward to getting to know and learn from her and everything she’ll bring to our post-secondary studies.”
Fiona Mahadeo
Board of Directors | University of Guelph-Humber
“My favourite moment during my term was our first board meeting! I experienced every emotion going into the meeting. I was excited, nervous, but most of all, ready to get to work. Our first board meeting was interactive, productive, and engaging. It set the tone for our future board meetings. I look forward to what the rest of the term holds for myself and my fellow board directors!”
Marisa Ulloa-Cornejo
Board of Directors | North
“Throughout my journey as a BoD, I got to showcase my leadership skills, listen to others’ ideas and share some of my [own]. However, my favourite moment of the term so far was participating in the team-building activities with the members at the Humber Arboretum. It gave me a chance to get to know the members prior to our meetings. So far, this experience has been incredible, and I love working with the rest of the members of the team! I look forward to more opportunities to get involved and to continue to work with IGNITE in the near future.”
Aksnoor Kamboj
Board of Directors | North
“It has been a great experience working alongside a team that works for the needs and welfare of the students. Assisting all the students and making their student life wonderful. I also got a chance to advocate for student issues and concerns being a provincial advocacy representative.”
Parul Yadav
Board of Directors | Lakeshore/International Graduate School
“Serving at IGNITE as a board director for the 2022 – 2023 term has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences. I personally enjoyed our training, team collaboration and leadership development sessions. IGNITE is deeply invested in the growth of all nine BoDs and they made sure that we were provided with all the right resources, tools and mentorship support to make the best of this experience.”
Lauren Abela
Vice-Chair, Board of Directors | University of Guelph-Humber
“When thinking of my favourite moment, I am immediately brought back to the day of our first mock board meeting. Prior to it, we engaged in several team-building exercises, which were both fun and frustrating. I realized from these activities that this is a team I can count on and that our roles as advocates on behalf of the student body are extremely valuable. If we can make a positive difference in the lives of the people around us, imagine the scalability of that impact when working with a team in pursuit of those same goals.”
Neha Singh
Board of Directors | North/ International Graduate School
“One of my favourite moments with IGNITE would include some team-building exercises we did in training during the summer, as it has helped me strengthen my relationship with my fellow members and has made me a more productive member while working on the board. It has taught me the importance of communication and difference in opinion, and how different perspectives can work towards a greater good.”
Azi Afousi
Board of Directors | Lakeshore International Graduate School
“Through IGNITE, I’ve had the chance to lead the College Student Alliance (a provincial advocacy group) and meet with MPPs and Ministers to enact real change and bring student issues to the forefront at Queen’s Park. As far as favourite moments go, those meetings discussing student issues with the people who can bring about change would certainly take the top spot for me.”
Feeling inspired?
We hope that these experiences inspire you to become a leader in your community, or run for the IGNITE Elections for the 2023-2024 term. Election season will come up faster then you know, so make sure to stay up-to-date with us on social media so you don’t miss your opportunity to become a future board director!
*All interviews have been edited for length and clarity*
Here’s IGNITE chat with student leaders on campus and why getting involved matters.
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