My name is Polina; I’m a Term 3 CST student who’s been working hard to support our community as a Set Rep since my first term. I’ve always made it a point to go out of my way to ensure BCIT staff hear our voices, and I’m committed to doing more for all of us.

Outside of representing my cohort, I’m an executive in several clubs. I serve as Vice-President at Coding for All and Computing Club, and I’m proud to be the President of Women in Computing. The events that I worked on as an executive at those clubs have given me plenty of practice in organising events and handling responsibilities – skills I know will be useful as Chair of the School of Computing and Academic Studies.

I’m planning some changes that I am confident will really improve our student life.

For instance, I want to bring back the energy of our Hackathons. I plan to reinstate the usual BCITSA March Hackathon, which was unfortunately cancelled this term, and also to team up with our computing clubs to help them host an additional hackathon earlier in the year! I believe this dual approach will create more opportunities for everyone to get involved, create some cool projects for our resumes, and learn lots of new things!

I also want to strengthen the connection between our campuses. It’s been disappointing to see students from the Downtown Campus miss out on events held at Burnaby, because of distance and inconvenience. I have many great friends at Downtown, and together we can integrate their campus more into the overall student life.

Another big thing that I will work towards is bringing back Spring Break. With no break after midterms, at the end of the school year the semester just feels endless, and I’ve heard from many students that the new, breakless schedule SoCAS staff implemented is just too gruelling. I’m committed to advocating for the return of a much-needed Spring Break so we can all recharge, relax, and come back with renewed energy to ace those finals next year.

Another idea I’m passionate about is reviving the mentorship program. The Computing Club had tried something similar before, but it didn’t take off because of some avoidable shortcomings. I believe in the idea, and with what I’ve learned from their experience, I’m ready to start it again, this time done right. The program will connect seniors (year 2 and above) with first-years to make the transition into studying at BCIT a lot easier and less stressful, and most importantly, to help build lasting connections among the intakes.

I’m also interested in collaborating with other Chairs to create more cross-school events. There are plenty of opportunities to connect with students outside our immediate circle. This year I’ve found that there are a lot of exciting experiences and opportunities that come from connecting and collaborating with students from other schools and I’m excited for everyone to experience that too!

In voting for me, you are voting for someone who is dedicated to making practical, positive changes for all BCIT students. Please feel free to reach out to me at polina.socas@gmail.com or ytyz on Discord if you have any ideas or questions! I am excited to join the Student Executive team and work towards BCITSA’s mission to serve all BCIT students to the absolute best of my ability.

Thank you for your support and consideration,

Polina Omelyantseva