Howdy OUSA!
I'm Kate (Katie) Traynor, pronouns (she/her), and I'm currently the VP at the University of Waterloo and OUSA’s new VP HR.
I'm currently pursuing legal studies and a specialization in urban design. After a year or so of being an active community volunteer both overseas and within the Waterloo region, I was provided with the opportunity to join our very own WUSA delegation at the Spring 2023 General Assembly. A few weeks prior, I was running for the VP position at the University of Waterloo. Ever since then I have been working alongside our current president Rory Norris, our wonderful WUSA staff, students, and board members to create a positive, impactful change on students attending post-secondary institutes. Additionally, I will now work as the new Chair of UCRU (Undergraduates of Canadian Research-Intensive Universities) so I hope to apply what I have learnt from OUSA, WUSA, and UCRU towards improving the lives of students attending post-secondary institutes.
From a young age, I had the privilege of gaining a cross-cultural experience through growing up in Singapore from the age of 4 and then attending university in Canada. Through these experiences and interactions, I learnt the importance of community, relationship-building, and understanding the importance of recognizing different lived-experiences. I pride myself on the idea that volunteering and advocating for student rights and welfare is as much an honour as a privilege.
While working on the Steering Committee with OUSA, I hope to align myself with OUSA's mission statement of being dedicated to the practice and implementation of constructive dialogue between full and part-time undergraduate student governments in Ontario. I will strive to represent the views, beliefs, and needs of its respective members, and articulate these views to all levels of government. Lastly, I will also consistently advocate for OUSA's fundamental principles of accessibility, affordability, quality, and accountability in Ontario’s post-secondary education system.