Lydia Li

Position you are running for: Vice President of External Events

What do you believe are the main concerns for students in SAF right now? How would you like to approach fixing them?

I believe that the primary concern for students in the School of Accounting and Finance at this time is the pursuit of a co-op job. As a second-year student about to embark on my first co-op term, I am experiencing feelings of anxiety and nervousness as I anticipate entering the professional world. To address this challenge directly, I am committed to creating additional external opportunities for SAF students, similar to my previous success in organizing the AFSA x KPMG event last winter. This event attracted over 140 students and provided them with the chance to network and build valuable connections with more than 20 recruiters.

Why are you running for this position? (experience, background & motivation)

As the Deputy Vice-President of External Relations last winter, I've worked closely alongside the Vice-President to learn and understand the responsibilities of this position. Throughout my journey, my deep-seated passion for assisting charitable organizations has been a driving force. Together with my dedicated team, we successfully expanded our support to various charities, including Sick Kids, Operation Smile, and Free Little Pantry, among others, by actively raising donations. I've had the wonderful opportunity to see how AFSA operates from the inside and out and I would love to be able to continue leading this team to provide more external services and support more charitable organizations!

Place your platform for your position here:

"I am the best candidate for this position due to my leadership and communication skills and my extensive involvement within the club. With a term of experience as deputy vice president already under my belt, I am certain that I can lead the team as a community while performing more exceptionally than before. I will be able to use the connections I've developed in my time as deputy to facilitate the liaisons between students and professionals in the industry. I am confident that I will be able to bring more valuable options and opportunities for the School of Accounting and Finance if elected.

I will continue to organize enjoyable charity events and further diversify the causes and foundations we support in accordance to the needs of the students. In the past winter, we were able to organize a never-seen-before Ramadan event thanks to the input and opinions of individuals from the SAF community. I will continue to strive to be someone that can advocate for the needs and voices of a more diverse and inclusive environment! "