Current Board Member for LUSU, former Vice President of the McMaster Graduate Student Association that reinstated and expanded mental health services, founding executive of the Empower Me support program, founding member of Graduate Clubs Committee.

I’m running to continue to represent the students of the Orillia Campus to ensure they receive the best quality and reliability of services for the fees they pay, and they have a voice that listens and makes their concerns and aspirations heard by the university and LUSU executive. Together, we move mountains.

B.Sc., M.Sc., B.Ed in progress, PMP Certified, National Program Director for NORS Peer Wellness Program, former chair of ACORN Hamilton, member of Unifor 5555, research team lead for 5 years studying thrombosis and leading international collaborative studies of COVID19 during lockdowns, and former instructional coordinator reporting to the Chair of the Biology Department at McMaster University, responsible for 2 courses, 900 students, and 30 part-time staff.

My qualifications and experiences have afforded me a wide array of skills and opportunities to network with experts in a vast range of specialties, each of which have helped me to accomplish things I did not at first imagine possible. This includes: passing the first anti-renoviction bylaws in Ontario, winning a fight with McMaster University to reinstate mental healthcare services after they were cancelled as a cost-saving measure, and running as a progressive candidate for city councilor.

I know how to navigate difficult controversial challenges with grace and collegiality, while ensuring we get things done and are mindful and open to the desires of students so we can get the best possible outcome for all LUSU members.

I want to ensure all students have the services and supports they need, without forcing unnecessary expenses on students for specific services they may never use. I will fight to ensure all students can be heard and the LUSU board will actively listen and adapt their approaches to accommodate as much student input as possible so we can build the highest quality student experience together.

For now, people can take a look at my former website for counsellor to see what I am all about: aballaghforward8.com