Nominee: Jennifer Abbott

Undergraduate Nominee: Jennifer Abbott, Political Science, Faculty of Arts

How have you been a leader at the University of Calgary? What qualities do all good student leaders possess?

All good leaders are able to motivate, inspire and empower those around them to create positive change. This change can be as simple as making a small lifestyle adjustment or as complex as saving the world. Regardless of the significance of the change, a true leader is able to inspire someone to do something differently than they otherwise would not have been able to without this guidance.

My most significant leadership role at the University of Calgary was my position as the Vice President of Student Life for the StudentsUnion. In this position, I represented the 30,000 undergrad students that attend UCalgary on student council and in the area of student life. Additionally, I worked with four other executives to oversee faculty representatives and commissioners in order to help them achieve their goals and make a difference on our campus.

My biggest achievement in this role was the clubs leadership conference for club executives and the implementation of the first ever club awards, recognizing excellence in student clubs in a variety of areas. Being able to inspire and motivate some of the most exceptional student leaders we have on this campus through these initiatives was one of the most positive experiences that I have had in a leadership role.

How have you been involved in the community during your university career?

Since my first day of university, the UCalgary community has been my home and has been where I have spent the majority of my time for the past four years. I have been very involved on campus; I have been an elected official for the Students  Union for the past three years as a member of the student legislative council, an executive and most recently, a senator. I have been an active member and held executive positions in many clubs, and have also lived on campus in residence for two of my years at this school. Even my free time has been spent on campus, whether it has been attending an event, working out at the gym or attending thursden. External to the campus community, I was the UCalgary student representative for Macleans On Campus, have volunteered in elections in all three levels of government, worked part time jobs and have volunteered for non-profit organizations.

As a student, it is essential to get involved both on campus and in the community in order to get the best university experience possible. Through these experiences, you learn things that you can t in the classroom. Some of my most memorable experiences at UCalgary have been in my extracurricular activities, where I have learned countless new things and have met great and inspiring people.

How have you balanced school with your other commitments on campus and in the community?

Particularly during my first year of university, I struggled with finding a balance between my schoolwork, my commitments and my personal interests. I found myself both putting school first and neglecting other important aspects of my life, or doing the opposite and letting my school come last. I was either too busy with school to fully focus on other areas in my life, or too busy with extracurricular work and social activities that my school work was an interruption. I had tried everything from deleting facebook to avoid distractions to banning myself from going to the den to learn that if it is not one thing distracting me, something else will, and that the only solution was to find a balance.

Learning to find a balance between school and other commitments was essential to my success as a student. Time management, prioritizing and making the time to fit both in my life have been crucial to balancing school and my commitments. Allowing myself to take an hour break from studying to do something I enjoy like yoga, or rewarding myself with a night at the den after a good mark on a paper has gotten me through university and has allowed me to succeed in both my academics and my commitments.

University is what you make it, so how have you been making the most of your university career?

Making the most out of your university career is the most significant thing you can do as a student. It is all about making choices. Whether they are good decisions or bad decisions, they all play an important role in the experience you have at university.

I have made the most out of my university career by getting involved in campus life as much as I can and by utilizing my ability to make choices. The best part about being a university student is the freedom you have to choose when it comes to everything from what area you want to study, the type of people you want to associate with or what you want to eat for lunch in Mac hall. I have done things like taken classes that are in an entirely different concentration than mine, walked into a random club event or danced on the stage at BSD.

Ten years from now, when I am looking back at my university career, I am not going to remember the American politics paper I wrote, or the midterm that I studied weeks for, instead I am going to remember the BSD with -20 weather or my favorite table in the library. The little decisions I have made have allowed me to make the most out of my university career.

Class Ambassadors are permanent representatives of their graduating class. What is the role of University of Calgary alumni in the community and how will you represent the university to alumni and future alumni?

The role of University of Calgary alumni in the community is to utilize the skills and experiences that they have learned at their time at UCalgary to represent the university in the community and to future alumni, and to contribute back to the university.

In order to represent the university to alumni and future alumni, I would get involved on campus even after graduation. Inspiring current UCalgary students is one of the most significant ways an alumna can contribute back to the university and has definitely had an impact on myself during my university career. Some of the most impressive events I have been to on campus are those that involve UCalgary alumni. The ability to speak to alumni in the same program as myself or to speak with those who work in other areas, have helped shape my plans for after graduation. Clubs are always looking for alumni to feature as guest speakers or to participate in mentorship programs. The university career services also have many networking events for alumni and programs that allow students to interact with alumni who have graduated from their same program. These are some of the most valuable resources students have to prepare themselves after graduation and I would definitely come back as an alumna to participate in this events.