ComSoc candidates hope to take a broader approach to careers in commerce and lead undergrads to less traditional paths.
In their platform, Alana Losier, Chris Dorsey, and Alexandra Whang, all Comm ’20, hope to “[maximize] the value of the commerce program” by expanding awareness of alternative career paths and exposing Commerce students to more electives.
If elected ComSoc president, Losier said this would be a top priority.
“I aim to accomplish this by working with the Career Advancement Centre to ensure more small-sized companies, tech companies, and entrepreneurial start-ups are on campus during the recruitment season,” she wrote in an email to The Journal.
Moving toward this goal academically, she outlined plans to collaborate with faculty and expand the range of electives available to Commerce undergraduates.
“Specifically, I want to advance ComSoc’s efforts towards ‘the Elective Initiative’ … allowing Commerce students to have the prerequisites to take interesting upper-year electives that may be of interest or required to complete a double-degree,” she said.
Aside from degrees, the said ComSoc can be more accessible. Vice-Presidential (Operations) candidate One example Whang suggested is putting ComSoc-related information on professional platforms like Dropbox, not Facebook.
Current channels are “saturated” and navigating various hiring applications and deadlines online is a major barrier for Commerce students, she said.
In order to implement their plans, the team is building off their experiences with the society.
The team comes from a diverse background of extra-curricular involvement. Presidential Candidate Losier served as ComSoc’s Talent Strategy Officer; Dorsey co-chaired Queen’s Self-Evaluative Learning Forum (QSELF), and Whang served as ComSoc’s Special Events commissioner and Professional Development commissioner.
Additionally, two out of the team’s three members served on the Commerce Executive on Orientation (CEO).
“My involvement with the CEO has allowed me to recognize my passion for ensuring all students feel welcomed and included in the commerce community from day one,” Losier said.
Whang shared the sentiment, adding, “My experience on CEO helped me realize how passionate I am about ensuring the student body feels welcomed and at home in the program.”
Vice-Presidential (Student Affairs) candidate Dorsey’s person background of leadership positions and involvement in ComSoc informs one of his top priorities.
He hopes to help committees on the periphery of the Commerce community develop a stronger presence, allowing for more awareness of careers outside Commerce’s traditional streams. He also proposes developing an informative co-chair guide to centralize committees and ensure they can access the same opportunities and knowledge.
When asked why they chose to run, the team credited the Commerce community’s inspiration and its impact on their career at Queen’s.
“We hope to help other students find their passion through extra-curricular involvement and ultimately enhance their university experience,” the team wrote in a joint statement to The Journal. “Having been inspired by this year’s Executive Team (Team JMT), we hope to continue building upon their initiatives and inclusive culture.”
ACA comes from a diverse background, and feels their different perspectives leave them equipped to run as a cohesive team.
“We all bring unique ideas and strengths to the table, which have allowed us to understand the needs of students from different perspectives,” they wrote. “This will ultimately allow us to work collaboratively to maximize the value that the Commerce Society brings to the student body.”
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