Editor’s Note: This page was updated on Feb. 7 to include two more platforms for student director.
Thea Biallas – President, Publisher & Chair
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Hi, my name is Thea Biallas, and my passion is drawing psychedelic art. Outside of my passion, I am in my final year at Laurier for Communication Studies with Leadership as my Option, and Spanish as my Minor. Not only do I study how to be an effective leader and communicator, but my experiences within WLUSP have allowed me to practice these skills in a professional environment. This involvement began with two years volunteering through Radio Laurier as a colour commentator for the Laurier Basketball games and as the co-host for Talk-the-Hawk Sports Podcast, eventually leading me to earn the award as Radio Laurier’er of the year in 2021! During this time, I also became the Editor-in-Chief for Blueprint Magazine. The last two years as Editor has provided me with so much great experience and memories. I would love to continue excelling within WLUSP, and I believe the next step for this is as WLUSP President. As the President, I will ensure I continue to lead effectively and positively, always celebrating the small wins while also continuing to aid WLUSP publications towards success. Some things I will do as President include further promotion of WLUSP among future and current students, ensuring the Code of Conduct and guidelines are widely adopted, maintaining two-way communication with the Board of Directors and the key partners within Laurier administration, and most importantly be a positive representative of WLUSP. It is my hope that I will be considered a worthy candidate as WLUSP President.
Umaymah Suhail – President, Publisher & Chair
I have spent four years at Wilfrid Laurier University — and an equal amount of time dedicated to our student publications. I learned and grew immensely in each unique role I took on over the years. It was hard work, but I also thoroughly enjoyed my time collaborating with amazing individuals. I am now proudly running for President and I strive to nurture the very reasons I joined this organization at the beginning.
Throughout my first year, I ran a radio show with a co-host on Radio Laurier, called Let’s Talk Local. Our goal was to give community members nearby a voice through our research. During my second year, I became a volunteer news writer for The Sputnik, where I spoke with Laurier professors and students, highlighting their perspectives in my reporting. In my third year, I was The Sputnik’s Senior Copy Editor where I worked with a volunteer and different writers to ensure we were always publishing well-polished and credible pieces. For my final year at Laurier Brantford, I am incredibly privileged to manage a team of phenomenal writers and creators as The Sputnik’s Editor-in-Chief.
WLUSP platforms have always been a welcoming space for all types of students in any year to work together and produce a diverse range of content. It is through these channels where I have always and will continue to represent students and the community’s views accurately, as well as advocate for each publication’s awareness across both campuses.
After all, this is “your voice, your media.”
Nate Dawes – Student Director
I’ve been privileged to volunteer my time with WLUSP’s only non-print publication, Radio Laurier, for two years now, and this semester I’ve been honoured to serve as its Music Director. If elected to the Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications Board of Directors, I will maintain the high standards of WLUSP’s history, but in doing so, I will also keep three ideals in mind. The first of these is the editorial freedom of the individual publications, which should need no qualifier. The second of these is inalienable respect for volunteers; WLUSP would not function without its ground level volunteers, I want to advocate for them as a point of principle. The third of these is transparency; general meetings can be alienating affairs filled with rituals and jargon, and I want to make sure that to the greatest extent possible, Board activities are easily understood by outsiders. Thank You.
Elisha Felician – Student Director
Hello everyone. My name is Elisha Felician and I’m a third year Law and Society student with a minor in Media Studies. I am deeply honoured to be considered for this opportunity and grateful to share with you my vision for a bright publishing community. I will be committed to promoting a progressive, updated publication by enhancing our online presence to engage the student population and the general communities around our campuses. I also would like to invest in the training and skills of our members to improve and expand their competencies to ensure that Laurier becomes known within the journalistic world.
Jacob Segal Rice – Student Director
Over the past three years, I have had the pleasure of serving on the WLUSP Board of Directors as Vice-Chair, and it would be my honour to serve the board again for the 2024-25 school year. I believe that this would be a great opportunity for me to continue developing my professional skills as a part of the board while also assisting the organization in its goals and aspirations. After serving the board for three years while abroad, I hope you will consider me for this position on the Board of Directors as I return to Canada for my final year at Laurier.
Sincerely,
Jacob Rice
Watch the Open Forum from Jan. 30 here.
Listen to each candidate’s interview with Jackson Wells on Radio Laurier here.
