SMUSA Board of Directors Candidates 2026-2027: Part 2
SMUSA Board of Directors and President Interviews
Written by: Leah Oake
This week, we have the Board of Directors and SMUSA president elections. I had the pleasure of meeting with some of the applicants this past week. I interviewed them to understand their interest in the upcoming position. I interviewed four candidates for the Board of Directors and one candidate for the SMUSA President position.
First Candidate: Hanna Johnston
This interview was conducted on behalf of Jacob Butler. Hanna’s composure in this interview was extremely welcoming and open-minded. She had a clear vision. Hanna is a 3rd year accounting and finance student. She is originally from Lunenburg and has lived in Nova Scotia her entire life. I asked her to share an interesting fact, and she shared that she is a huge lover of board games:
Hanna: “a big, big board game, card game, person -- especially Crib.”
Her love comes from its ability to bring people together.
Hanna: I find that it really brings people together, and you can play a game and get to know people, but also feel like you're doing something productive at the same time.
To follow, Jacob asked her what her passions were. This could pertain to anything purely recreational, personal, or professional. Passions come from all areas of love.
Hanna: Aside from personal stuff, one of my biggest passions, which I actually actively do here on campus, is community work. I work with Square Roots here, which addresses food insecurity across Nova Scotia. I’m actively involved and have been working to ensure everyone has access to healthy, affordable produce. I've always wanted to ensure that everyone has something affordable and can eat a meal a day.
She went on to explain that she's been doing food community initiatives for years. During high school, she volunteered at Food Banks and worked with the Girl Guides of Canada. Next, Jacob asked her about her involvement on campus, and what we would see Hanna doing if we spotted her there.
Hanna: Honestly, you’ll probably see me on my laptop, but I'll definitely be around the entrepreneurship center. I'm always there talking to people, attending Enactus meetings, maybe doing homework or procrastinating doing homework, but, besides school, you'll definitely see me going to the C store to get their cookies. They have the best cookies, and I don't know what they put in there, but that's what eats up all of my money.
Next, Jacob asked Hanna why she thinks she’d be suitable for this role. Hanna began by noting that this is a question she’s thought about a lot, as for a while she wasn't sure whether she’d apply for it.
Hanna: However, I realized that with my involvement, especially in societies and on campus and getting to know all the students, I think that I could be somebody who could advocate for the problems that I've seen. Like student issues I've seen through involvement and societies. I want to be a voice people can turn to with their problems and see what I can do to help.
The following question focused on what Hanna wanted to hone in on if she is elected.
Hanna: One of the main ones is finances. I've noticed that board spending isn't published, and some students don't know where their fees are going. I really wanna work on getting that published and having that transparency to students because every year you're paying almost over $200 to the student association. I think it's valid to know, like where your fees are going and kind of advocating for students to understand how that's being allocated. Secondly, there's no anonymous way to contact the board. You can go to public meetings. You can go and write an email, but it's attached to your name. One of the main things that I really wanted to advocate for was having an anonymous feedback platform so that all students can come to the board and express their concerns confidentially and securely.
Hanna then discussed how she would proceed. She stated that it would primarily involve gauging students. The first step would be ensuring the student body agrees, then working with the board to implement the change. She suggests the changes can occur if the board is transparent on Instagram and through other statements.
Second Candidate: Daniel Walsh
I met with Daniel to discuss his goals for this potential position. Our conversation was very engaging and highlighted his passion and commitment to the role. Daniel is from Nova Scotia, grew up in Pictou County, and is majoring in finance and marketing. When asked an interesting fact about himself, he replied with: I’m half South Korean—another example of the diverse campus that SMU and SMUSA contain. To follow, I asked Daniel about his passions.
Daniel: I'm really passionate about the world of finance, you know, in my off time, I spend a lot of time doing my own research, managing a personal portfolio. I also really like basketball!
Next, I asked Daniel what we’d likely see him doing around campus. SMU offers a wide range of activities for students, so it’s interesting to get a small glimpse into their personal lives.
Daniel: Honestly, just talking to people, I would say I'm a pretty social guy, you know, I go out of my way to just talk to people and make friends. I take pride in that, getting to know people. So, likely just socializing with people.
Then, I asked Daniel why he thinks he’d be suitable for this role.
Daniel: You know, I could sit here, and I could list credentials. I could sit here and try to tell you things about my resume that would make me a good candidate, but I think the thing that's most important is being proactive and truly taking the time to try to make SMU a better place.
We then discussed Daniel’s main priorities if he were to be elected.
Daniel: If I were to be successfully elected, there are 3 main things that I would like to focus on, among other things, but the first being financial clarity. I think that when students enroll in SMU, it's kind of difficult for them to navigate the financial side of things. Many students are auto-enrolled in programs that aren't really applicable to them—for example, the health and dental insurance. A lot of people are covered, and that can just cost them extra money, and they don't know that they're auto-enrolled in. There are several different things that I could list, but I think giving students more financial clarity so that they know where their money is going and what is gonna be worth it for them. Some of the students who are in financial need don't really have the extra money to be sparing on things if they don't have to.
Daniel and I continued discussing his ideas, and he began explaining his vision for starting a program at SMU that would bring together student-led teams, including marketing, bookkeeping, and volunteers. The teams would work to solve issues for local businesses, charities and nonprofits. With his efforts, students would apply for these projects; they’d hold big meetings where progress reports would be presented for in-progress projects, and someone from the teams could submit project proposals. Students would gain experience and receive reference letters, which they can add to their resumes. The final words Daniel wanted to leave voters with were his promise.
Daniel: I'm gonna care. You can always strike up a conversation with me. I'm a person that you'll see in passing plenty, and anytime you wanna talk to me about any sort of advocacy or anything that you're concerned with, you can always reach out to me. I'm always available, whether it's on social media or in person, and I'm gonna do everything in my power to try and make SMU a better place.
Third Candidate: Samad Ganjal
The next interview I conducted was with Samad Ganjal. Our conversation was natural and very interesting. Samad had many ideas and hopes for his upcoming endeavours. He is a Bachelor of Commerce student majoring in accounting and finance. An interesting fact about Samad is that most of his work experience is in customer service. In addition, he loves meeting new people, which has helped him become more confident and a better conversation starter. This has allowed him to learn more about different people and hear many perspectives beyond his own. I asked Samad about his passions.
Samad: Leadership, student advocacy and community building. I also enjoy fitness, event planning, and exploring my creative side.
To follow, I asked Samad what someone would likely catch him doing around campus! Eating, studying, mingling?
Samad: You would probably see me in classes or studying with my friends at the commons. I would likely be talking to many different people there. You can find me at the gym and at various events on campus. Basically, I like to be connected and involved on campus.
There are many opportunities to be involved on campus, so Samad definitely has a packed schedule. Then I asked him why he believes he is a suitable fit for the role he is applying for.
Samad: I think I'll be suitable for this role because I'm approachable, I'm organized, and I actually care, genuinely care about student needs. I also had a lot of roles that involved engagement with different people, as well as some leadership roles, which have helped and taught me that I should listen carefully and communicate clearly if I get elected.
To conclude our interview, I asked Samad what his main priorities would be if he were elected.
Samad: My main focus would be improving student engagement, then increasing transparency and communication between the student body and SMUSA. I also want to make sure that the student voices are actually brought to the board so that the decisions that are made reflect student needs.
Fourth Candidate: Kristan Anthony
Kristan (also known as Chris) and I had a productive Zoom interview in which he expressed his passion and ambition! Kristan is originally from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. He is a Bachelor of Commerce major in business administration and accounting, and a graduate of NSCC through the 2+2 articulation program. Kristan explains that for most of his life, he has held various odd jobs to earn enough money to attend postsecondary education. I asked Kristan for an interesting fact about himself, and he provided a few. He’s worked in three countries, has flown a plane, and has saved over 50 lines in his line of work. I asked him next what his passions were.
Kristan: My passions are advocacy, justice, culture, religion, and mythology. For me, Canada's foundation lies in immigration and the extent to which culture is integrated into our society. I never really got to experience that back home in Cape Breton. My family is from a small town of 1000 currently, but 300 when I was born. I didn't really experience much culture until NSCC, and then a lot more during my time in Halifax. I really like hearing everyone's story and the culture surrounding that.
Then I asked him what people would typically see him doing around campus.
Kristan: You will see me panicking around campus. I'm not gonna lie, I am always busy, and always kind of behind. You'll see me either carrying a jug of water and getting it filled, or in the library or the EC (Entrepreneurship Center), especially.
For those who don't know, the Entrepreneurship Center is “A dynamic community where students find their passion, purpose and their people. Surrounded by like-minded students, mentors, alumni and business leaders, at the centre, students learn skills, gain experience, take chances, try out ideas, make connections – all in a supportive, energetic, ‘anything is possible’ environment.” Then I asked Kristan why I believed he would be a good fit for this role.
Kristan: I think I'm suitable for the board of directors because I bring a unique stance and perspective to the table. I've earned every cent of my own. I come from severe poverty, and I'm an at-risk youth. I had to spend my first six years of my adult life trying to get enough money for college. I'm also a federal-level advocate, so I've already fought for over 400,000 students' voices across Canada. I'm used to this sort of scene. I've been around for a little while, and I know what it's like not to have your voice heard. That's my main goal: to understand what it's like not to have a voice and to get back to the students by making sure they are heard.
To conclude my final interview of the day, I asked Kristan what his priorities would be if he were to be elected.
Kristan: My policy is kind of tied to one real thing, which is giving back to the students and adding more lifeblood to this campus. Most of my policies come from over 200 opinions I've gathered over the course of the year, some of them being the anonymous student drop-box, updating certain foreign policies, continuing on with hiring secondary SMUSA roles, and then, of course, adding a lending library and maybe even potentially working with Dalhousie. This would give us access to the idea maker space for engineering students or anyone who likes working with their hands to get free access to power tools if they want to make anything for their startups or nonprofits.
Fifth Candidate - Liza Zahid
The final candidate I interviewed was for the upcoming SMUSA President position, who is currently unopposed. This is an extremely prestigious position. Liza is a 3rd-year marketing and management student, and an interesting thing about her is that she was accepted to SMU at 16 years old! To follow, I asked what Liza’s passions were.
Liza: I'm really interested in startups, entrepreneurship, SMU, books, pop culture and Formula One.
Next, I was wondering what we’d find Liza doing around the SMU campus.
Liza: If I'm not at the entrepreneurship center, then I'm either at the debate society, with the Muslim Society or with the MIA Society or with one of the other societies, lots of societies! I can be found in the commons with my friends or volunteering in the food room.
Finally, considering the weight of this role, I had to ask Liza why she thinks she’d be suitable for this role.
Liza: So, I ran last year, and I thought I had a lot of experience because I had been a part of societies, and that's basically it. Once the election was over and Tina (Augstina, the current President of SMUSA) won, I built over the next year on my experience outside SMU. With external businesses and other organizations outside of SMU. I also worked across SMU departments outside societies, as I believe it's important for the president to collaborate with different departments. Like with the residents in the student life department, I gained all of that experience. Now that I'm running, I feel I have the internal and external experience, as well as the soft and hard skills needed for this role. I also care deeply. I know many people would take it as a major win that I have no competitor, but I think it's very concerning. It shows that people are disengaged and don't necessarily care, even though this is such a prestigious position. Yet no one cares enough to run. I think that's why I'm really sold on the role, because I've spent the last two years building myself up specifically for this and tailoring all of my experience.
Then I asked Liza what her main priorities would be if she were elected. Liza had a couple of main points: she thinks we (SMUSA) are currently stuck dealing with bureaucracy, internal politics, and HR issues.
Liza: When you're stuck in that, you're not looking beyond that, and you don't have a long-term vision. I want to set a big vision. I plan to pursue partnerships and sponsorships with the community and leverage the network I've built, which is invaluable. I can use it in meeting rooms to bring the concerns of students, and then get those resources and support, be it financial or any other way. Then I also wanna partner up with local businesses so that they have specific quotas where they prioritize SMU students.
Then Liza’s next point dealt with food insecurity. She wants to partner with the Loaded Ladle from Dalhousie. She states that it not only deals with food insecurity, but also helps to build the community. In addition, she wants to loop Enactus in to utilize Square Roots. Liza also wants to partner with Dalhousie on their events.
Liza: I want to see where we can partner up to get the community involved because there's obviously more we can utilize. I also want to partner up with the entrepreneurship center. We have an AI playground with a range of tools that students can benefit from. When they graduate, experts can help them develop the necessary skills and navigate the career world. Having those skills will increase their employment rate. We've seen a lot of CEOs, startups, and students coming out of the Sobey School of Business and the entrepreneurship center that have been really, really successful. When we know something works, why not expand on it?
Next, Liza discusses how she plans to cater events for different groups, including mature students, graduate students, and Indigenous students. She uses the welcome week events as an example. She said there's a disconnect, so linking these groups back together will hopefully make them feel more represented. Finally, we discussed finances.
Liza: When it comes to tuition, I want to have a long-term plan and then also work on advocacy. The issue is we don't have a long-term vision right now, so each president comes in and kind of does whatever they think the students benefit from, but stuff like advocacy is not a 1-year plan; it's a long-term plan. If all the presidents share the same vision and the board of directors does, you can keep building the house. But if everyone starts building a new house, you won't get anywhere, because one year isn't enough. The housing crisis is significant. There are already organizations like Alma Housing that provide housing exclusively for students, and it starts at around $700. It's very, very affordable.
The last thing Liza left me with was this powerful, confident statement.
Liza: I'm looking at all of this from a third person perspective, I can think of all of these things and I can, I'm able to execute them because of my experience.
After concluding these interviews, I have high hopes for the future of SMUSA! Please exercise your right to vote this week. In addition, please read Keyara’s article, as she interviewed the other half of the board of directors candidates.