GCSU Elections: I’m Running for President!

In September, I wrote about one of the most exciting times of the year, GCSU elections! Check out my post here for more information about elections.

The difference between my post then and my post now is that I am running for President!

Making the decision to run for President of the Glendon College Student Union wasn’t as easy as you would think. Although I had been on council for 3 years and presidency seemed like the only option for me, I still was nervous to run.

In those three years on council, I served as:

First Year Representative (2012-2013)

VP Social (2013-2014)

VP Finance (2014-2015)

Being a member of the GCSU council has been amazing. You get to meet some really awesome people, gain valuable experience for future jobs, and give back to the community.

I have been on the GCSU almost as long as I’ve been a student at Glendon. When you’ve been part of an organization that long, you can’t help but want it to excel and become something special. But that can only happen with the right team. And believe me, I thought day in and day out about whether or not to run for council again this year.

The “road to elections” went something like this:

1. GCSU elections are being advertised; do I want to run?
2. I think I should take it easy my last year and not run
3. I have been a part of GCSU for so long I am going to run
4. So, President?
5. But what about school, do I want to be taking a full course load and be President?
6. Bilingualism; peux-je parle français? I know I can get by, but how well?
7. I can’t even French, so I should just let someone who can better represent all students at Glendon be the President
8. I am not going to run
9. If I am not President I could focus on my future and maybe find a business-esque summer job
10. But I’ve planned this path for so long (Be VP Social, then VP Finance so I know everything about the GCSU and then run for President)
11. return to step 3

/endless loop

Needless to say, I put a lot of thought into running for President. I wasn’t indecisive, I knew I wanted to run. I just had to be sure that I believed I would be the best person for the position. I do think I am, but that’s beside the point.

When I graduate, I want to be able to say I was here (- Beyonce). No that doesn’t mean I want my face on the wall. I want the people I’ve met in university to know that I genuinely cared about their needs while I served as a member of the GCSU council.

I think what pushed me to decide to run was the fact that whenever I went home, or was hanging out with friends/family, all I could think about was “If I was President I would…”

With all those thoughts rushing through my head, I decided I could not go a year without being on GCSU. What was stopping me was that I didn’t know if I would be the “perfect” candidate. It took me a long time to realize that there will not always be a perfect person for a position. But I know that I am passionate about leading the GCSU to a great year, and if elected, I hope to interact with a lot of you next year! To get a little taste of what to expect if you ever want to run in elections below is my poster and here’s a link to my campaign page.

If you visit the campus next week, you’ll be able to see all the fun election posters around too!

 

5 Ways to Keep in Touch

Last week my post was about how I need to start appreciating the people in my life a lot more than I currently am. I find it really hard to juggle time spent with family, friends, and my other commitments. Finding the right balance is key to keeping the people you value most in your life.

For some of you, it’s your grade 12 year. The reality is, after graduation you may never see some of those people ever again. I know from experience some of the people you meet in high school you don’t ever want to see again. But I also know that we all have that group of friends, big or small, that we’ve made countless memories with.

Throwback to my high school graduation, where I was co-valedictorian of my graduating class

I still remember my last full day of classes at my high school, SATEC @ W.A. Porter in Scarborough. It was the end of the day and I was with a group of my friends and we were reminiscing the past 4 years. It was all smiles and laughs until one of my friends said they were really sad because we wouldn’t be able to see each other every day.

I was really involved in extra curricular activities at my high school so I got to know everyone in my graduating class to some extent. That’s when it occurred to me: as soon as summer vacation starts, I probably won’t see some of these people. We were all going to different places and I knew it wasn’t possible to keep in touch with everyone.

Keeping in touch with people when you don’t see them regularly is not easy. You live two completely separate lives but make time for each other because that’s what friends do. You’re there for them, just as they are for you. So with that, I wanted to highlight a few tips and reminders on how to keep in touch with those people you rarely see but know will always be there.

1. Scheduled get-togethers

It is super easy to say you will hang out with your friends, and you may think that just because you were inseparable in high school means it will follow through in university. But the truth is, getting a group of friends in the same place at the same time is a lot harder than you think. The only time I actually see my high school friends now is at their birthdays or at our annual little get-togethers around Christmas.

So try to establish weekly, monthly, or yearly traditions so you can make time for your friends.

2. Constant Communication

Constant communication is key to keeping in touch. Whether it’s texting them every now and then or calling them, try to stay in the loop about their lives; gossip about things, talk about the future, their new friends, etc.

One thing that works really well for my group of friends is a Facebook group chat. You get to inform your inner circle about things all at the same time, and it rarely dies down because you are all sharing things about your lives.

4. Grab a coffee/lunch/dinner

I find you catch up with someone a lot better if you’re with them. So take your friend or friends out to dinner, or even a study sesh at a coffee shop. It’s productive and brings you closer even if you aren’t always by each other’s side.

5. Spontaneous hang outs

This actually works a lot more effectively than you’d think. A lot of the time finding a perfect date for everyone is next to impossible. Whenever you get a text or call from your best friend asking “what are you doing right now?” and you aren’t actually doing anything, that is prime time to meet up with them.

Pretty much me whenever I have to do anything.

Spontaneity works especially well against your friends who don’t like to go out much (aka me). It works because they do like their friends and want to hang out with them — even though they want to be in bed, they would much rather be hanging out it you.

6. It takes two.

Lastly remember that if you are on the other end of the friendship — getting the messages, phone calls, and invites — you need to put in some work too. I’ve lost friends because I’ve had to prioritize other things over texting them back.

Be persistent. I have one friend that texts me at least once a week, and sometimes I am a horrible person and forget to reply to her. But that doesn’t stop her from texting me again the next week.

There’s also this really dumb unwritten rulebook of texting… This doesn’t apply to your best friends. You can’t justify not talking to your bffl because they “didn’t text you first” or because they “posted an Instagram photo and didn’t reply to your message.”

I hope this post encourages you to be proactive about your friendships or any relationships in your life. Maybe the next thing you can message your bestie about is how hideous this white and gold dress is:

 

I Need to Stop Taking Things for Granted

Initially I was going to write a post about something completely different. However, I had a short but super eye-opening conversation with my mom the other day that made me question what kind of person I am.

Growing up living with my grandparents, I was always surrounded by family. In elementary school, every morning after my parents left for work, my grandma made sure I was awake and would make me breakfast. She did this same morning routine literally everyday until I was in about grade 11 or 12. I was a momma’s boy and for that reason I was always expected to be at home and never had much freedom.

My grandma and I on her 81st birthday

From being with my family a lot when I was younger, to spending so much time at Glendon now, I am kind of caught between two things I love. My mom has 11 siblings, so I have 38 cousins from her alone. This means tons of family gatherings — birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, etc. In the gaps between those events, I spent weekends at my cousin’s. My life was very family-centric.

Now, having this new-found freedom in university I was able to do anything and everything I wanted to do in my first and second year. I was on residence so much that the DONs thought I lived there. I was always around campus whether or not I had classes. In short, Glendon became my second home.

With that said, my family was put on the back burner. I was never really at home. I never really wanted to be at home. And when I was at home, I was in my room. Despite all of this, whenever I was home my mom always asked me how I was doing, my grandparents always asked when I was coming home, and my mom wouldn’t hesitate if I ever needed anything.

This past summer I was working in the Principal’s Office and was the Vice-President Finance of Glendon College Student Union. So naturally, even though I wasn’t taking any classes at Glendon, I was at Glendon.

On a Friday morning I got a phone call saying that my Grandma was taken to the hospital. On Sunday, June 22, 2014 my grandma passed away. It was the most devastating news I’ve heard in my life. Even in light of this horrible event, my family became a lot closer than we were before.

My grandparents and I before my high school prom.

Which brings us to the conversation I had with my mom the other night. To give some context, my grandpa was put on new medication and he found out he was allergic to it and we had to take him to the hospital. When I was talking to my mom, I told her it was just an allergic reaction, there was no need to overreact. She told me that my grandpa had thought he was going to die that day in the hospital. I realized that someone can be there one minute and be gone the next. It doesn’t matter how healthy they appear, anything can happen. Appreciate what you have when it’s here — not when it’s gone.

 

I’ve been taking a lot of things for granted recently: friendships, academics, and most importantly my family. I guess I am super fortunate… No I am super fortunate for the people in my life. I have said in previous posts that I am sort of shy and a natural introvert. I rarely reach out to people, and hardly keep in contact with the people that matter most in my life.

In a sense I think the world revolves around me, and it doesn’t. The important people in my life today may not be the important people in my life tomorrow if I keep expecting more from them then I expect to give.

“One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself.”

Coming to university is a big step towards your future. Whether you like it or not, big or small, you will change. Yes, you’re growing up but you no matter where you go from here, one thing will never change: the people who brought you up. Respect them, cherish them, and show that you appreciate them. One day they won’t be here anymore and all those things you thought “went without saying” will be the things you regret telling them most.