Keep checking back for new blog posts this summer! And follow the SLC on Twitter and Facebook to stay updated on all the happenings of the 2014 Student Leadership Conference!

Did the 2013 SLC blow your mind? Are you eager to be a part of the largest student-run conference in North America? Join the 2014 SLC Planning Committee and make your year infinitely better!

The application deadline for Director positions has been extended until Sunday, February 3rd. Apply NOW!

Applications are now OPEN!

3rd year, Arts

Abhinav is the current President of the UBC World University Service of Canada, an organization that provides education and training to international refugees. Abhinav led WUSC-UBC in sponsoring the post-secondary education of 5 Kenyan refugee students, one of the largest cohorts at a Canadian university. He is also VP Internal of UBC Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), a project that seeks to educate students about the North Korean crisis. Abhinav is currently an International Peer Advisor where he provides assistance to UBC students in a wide variety of issues. He has represented UBC at the National Model United Nations in New York and worked as the Venue Manager for the 2012 WorldMUN. Abhinav has held many other leadership positions around campus, including Imagine Day Squad Leader, Residence Advisor, and President of the Economics Student Association.

Andrea Palmer

3rd Year, Applied Science

Andrea is the Student Coordinator of the Women in Engineering program, an organization that supports and mentors female engineers throughout their time at UBC. She has been involved with Engineers Without Borders as a Fair Trade Liaison and been a technical lead on the UBC Thunderbots robotics soccer team, which competes internationally each year. In addition, she has been a MUG leader for the Faculty of Engineering and hosted the Imagine Day Meet the Dean session, helping to introduce new engineering students to the faculty. She also works at the UBC Aquatic Centre and trains as an amateur mixed martial artist in ju-jitsu and kickboxing.

Quinn Runkle

4th year, Arts

A student in the Environment and Sustainability program, Quinn’s passion for sustainability truly motivates everything she does. She was the Student Coordinator for the goBEYOND campaign through the Sustainability Office and the Student Coordinator for the environmental activism group UBCC350. Quinn is also the Director of Common Energy UBC, a group that promotes sustainability through community outreach and events such as the annual Do It In the Dark inter-residence energy saving competition. On the global scale, Quinn sat on the Vancouver Youth Advisory Group on the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, offering insights and advice on environmental issues. She also works as a Senior Student Ambassador, facilitating campus tours for prospective students from around the world.

Zahra Khamisa

4th year, Kinesiology

Zahra was the co-chair of the first annual UBC Relay for Life, a 24-hour fundraising event for the Canadian Cancer Society. The event was a huge success, drawing out 300 participants and raising over $47,000 for cancer research. Zahra was able to further help individuals living with cancer through her co-op position at the Live Well Exercise Clinic, where she helped set up exercise programs for chronically ill patients. On campus, Zahra has been an Assistant Director with UBC REC and Vice President Social of the Kinesiology Undergraduate Society. She has also been heavily involved in Orientations, holding positions as a Mug Leader, Squad Leader, Pod Leader, and Gala Orientations Leader.

Sefanit Habtom

4th year, Kinesiology
Through her various roles on campus, Sefanit has shown a passion for helping students of all backgrounds find their place in the UBC community. Sefanit is a Committee Member in the Global Lounge, the international student hub on campus, offering professional development sessions and training to Network members. She has also supported students, facilitated programs, and built an on-campus community through her two years as a Residence Advisor in Fraser Hall and Ritsumeikan-UBC House. She has helped to welcome new students to campus as the Orientations and Transitions Coordinator and as an Advisor during the international student orientation program, JumpStart. In addition, Sefanit was the President of the Caribbean and African Student Association, a group that allows Caribbean and African undergraduate and graduate students to connect with one another.

Can Pöge 

2nd year, Arts

While attending high school in Istanbul, Can organized and led an initiative to renovate a local school for Iraqi refugee children. He was also the head of the Model United Nations club and his school’s student council. Now at UBC, Can is heavily involved in the international student community. He has worked as a Jump Start Student Leader and held various positions within the International Students Association. In addition, he was the Assistant Chair of the Economics and Financial Affairs Council in the 2012 WorldMUN conference. He also works as a Student Ambassador and a UBC Global Lounge Assistant.

JDC West is Western Canada’s largest event for Business Students. It is the Olympic Games for business students, a competition featuring the 12 largest schools from Manitoba to British Columbia. Students compete in academics, debate, athletics, and social challenges but what sets JDC West apart is the unbelievable spirit of the event.

Each year 600 students come to the weekend filled with energy and leave 3 days later hoarse from constant cheering and exhausted from dancing, performing, and meeting countless new friends from across the West. For the first time since 2007 this event is being hosted at UBC. It is being organized by a committee of 22 people with help from over 300 volunteers for the weekend of the actual event. Each year 50 students from UBC compete at JDC West no matter where it is being hosted. Our mission statement is “Creating holistic young business professionals”

“The amount of teamwork and camaraderie present is unrivaled by any other student group. Fifty people coming together for one common goal makes for a pretty special year.” – KYLE GIBSON, two-time competitor