Introducing Your 2024-2025 Recommended Board
Get to know the Recommended Board ahead of the Annual General Meeting on Thursday, March 21, 2024!
Published: March 12, 2024
Join us on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at 12:00pm in the Corner Lounge (E133) in Ottawa for the Algonquin Students’ Association’s Annual General Meeting. All fee-paying members of the SA are welcome to attend and vote for your 2024-2025 Recommended Board of Directors. A valid student card is required for entry.
Find out more about who your Recommended Board candidates are below!
Submit your proxy votes by Monday, March 18, 2024, at 12:00pm.
The proxy voting period for the 2024-2025 SA Board of Directors is now closed.
Yannis Affoum
Hometown: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Campus: Perth
Program of Study: Business Agriculture
Yannis is excited to help students make the most out of their college experience and get them more involved in student life. He was drawn to the board by the opportunity to help build that community experience and to develop personal skills in leadership and public speaking.
Yannis moved from Côte d’Ivoire in 2021 to Montreal, where he spent some time at Concordia University before pursuing the Business Agriculture program at the Perth campus. It’s been difficult to be separated from his friends and family back home and he misses the food, but he has found his program to be very rewarding and enjoys the connections he has made with classmates.
Josh Ansaldo
Hometown: Davao, Philippines
Campus: Ottawa
Program of Study: Business Management and Entrepreneurship
As a Class Representative, Josh has an active voice in helping his fellow students. He had the chance to meet members of the current Board of Directors during a Class Representative meeting and was immediately drawn in by the engagement. He was inspired by this interaction to be the one to provide that same level of connection for other students and to help the diverse groups within the student base to grow closer together.
Josh is a coffee lover who likes to explore the city to find the small community coffee shops and immerse himself in their atmosphere. He has also recently taken up rock climbing and has admired how welcoming and helpful that community has been and hopes he can help bring that into work with the student community.
Francois Belanger
Hometown: Gatineau, Quebec
Campus: Ottawa
Program of Study: Paramedic
Francois wants to bring a different perspective to the Board of Directors. His experience as a paramedic student gives him a focus on safety and draws his attention to different areas of campus and the student experience that may get overlooked or go unnoticed the background, but are vital to maintaining a positive, productive, and safe campus.
He was thrown into dance lessons at a very young age, but quickly learned to love it, eventually focusing on Scottish Highland dance. He appreciates the National Capital Region for its access to nature, whether it’s walking along the pathways from Dow’s Lake to downtown, crossing the locks at Rideau, hiking in Gatineau Park, or rollerblading through the experimental farm. He believes that while Ottawa can at times live up to its reputation as a boring city, you get out of it what you put in, and there is always something just below the surface waiting to be discovered.
Emily MacDonald
Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario
Campus: Pembroke
Program of Study: Social Service Worker
Emily applied for the Board of Directors because advocating for students is something she wants to continue beyond her schooling. She wants to create an environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and grow at Algonquin College, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Emily grew up with her head constantly in books, which led her to spend a lot of time at the neighbourhood library. Despite this love for books, she still considers herself more of a movie person and with childhood bedtime stories anchored by the Lord of the Rings books, she was naturally drawn to these movies. She views Tolkien’s stories as an excellent example of art enabling someone to grow through their trauma, and the ability of artists to create and inspire others is something she holds dear. She hopes that she can bring this idea forward to help other students find connections with new opportunities.
Marilena Postolache
Hometown: Iași, Romania
Campus: Ottawa
Program of Study: Interactive Media Design
Marilena was pushed by one of her professors to apply for the Board of Directors and it quickly became an opportunity that she was excited to pursue. She wants to be as involved with as many aspects of her student experience as she can and hopes to bring that passion and her experience as a mature international student to help create greater engagement within the student body.
Her experience as a quality assurance tester for various software and development companies in Europe has taught her how to operate under constant pressure and has also allowed her to develop a lower-stress approach to issues, blending structured organization and going with the flow. She’s currently working on developing her skills as a cinematographer and hopes to one day shoot her own music video.
Kaitlynd Richard
Hometown: Dunrobin, Ontario
Campus: Ottawa
Program of Study: Bachelor of Digital Marketing and Communication Kaitlynd is a digital marketing and communications student who previously took the culinary arts program. She’s excited to use her time at Algonquin College to branch out and have as many interesting experiences as possible. She turned her attention towards the Board of Directors in an effort to be more actively involved in her school experience and to help drive change that will improve the experience for all students.
She really valued the freedoms that growing up in Dunrobin brought, whether it was biking to go see friends, hiking in the countryside, or enjoying a quiet summer evening. She likes to look for the small details in projects that might get overlooked but can have a large impact on the bigger picture. She’s also not afraid to go against the grain and pursue an activity she enjoys — even if it’s not popular at the time.
Maria Silveira
Hometown: São Paulo, Brazil
Campus: Ottawa
Program of Study: Business Management and Entrepreneurship
Maria wants to inspire people to use their education to further themselves and improve the lives of those around them. She has lofty goals and the passionate determination to see them become a reality. Originally a student of the sciences with a bachelor in chemical engineering, Maria found herself developing an entrepreneurial mindset where her focus became more on how she could use her work to help develop and elevate those she works with.
Her favourite part of Brazil is spending time in the Amazon rainforests. Upon her arrival in Canada, this quickly contrasted with falling in love with skating and picking up an enjoyment for hockey. She hopes to continue to develop her leadership skills so she can help bring the best out of students and those around her.
Tran Ngoc Linh Phuong
Hometown: Nghệ An, Vietnam
Campus: Ottawa
Program of Study: Bachelor of Technology
Phuong is an international student from Vietnam who would love to see a greater connectedness between all students. She hopes to help with creating resources to ease the difficulties that international students can face when entering a new culture so they can build and grow new relationships.
She is a quiet but approachable person who is very happy to learn about people and get different perspectives. Her ever-changing interests and hobbies have brought her down many pathways, including learning to play the piano, violin, cello, and drums, as well as two national swimming medals.