Patricia Kousoulas overview
Patricia Kousoulas - Life Sciences IV
Kousoulas is currently an Honours Life Sciences IV student and has a plethora of McMaster experiences on her résumé.
Kousoulas has served as Welcome Week Faculty Societies Coordinator, Horizons Conference Leadership Developer, Spark Team Leader and as a Student Representative Assembly member.
Kousoulas’ platform, branded as #CreateYourStory, centres around three pillars which Kousoulas believes should reflect the feelings of all McMaster students while attending this school.
The “Feeling Valued” pillar plants itself around the sentiment of celebrating student community. Kousoulas wants to create a large-scale event where cultural groups can come together and celebrate the diversity of McMaster from a holistic perspective.
Her second pillar, “Feeling Prepared” aims to take a larger stance in facilitating the transition of students out of university. While Kousoulas is appreciative of the services provided to help first-years get used to university life, she believes that there is lack of resources that serve to help graduating students be successful following formal education. She hopes that by partnering with the Student Success Centre, Alumni Association and department career initiatives, they can develop a one-stop system for all students getting ready for the working world.
“Feeling Well” is a pillar focused towards supporting students in everything they do here at McMaster. While in itself broad, one of the key points of this pillar is to make the stressful three-week exam period as centralized with student services as possible.
For instance, Kousoulas feels frustrated with the fact that although the university offers lots of services during exam time, the organization is hindering students from being able to fully benefit from them.
Opponent’s platform she’s fond of:
Chukky’s platform on Community Service and Civic Engagement
This platform, which is designed to reward and support students who volunteer their time in the Hamilton community, is something that appeals to Kousoulas.
“I think it connects Hamilton with the students, which is something I also believe is extremely important. Hamilton is our city and for many students, they have no idea how to feel more engaged in what the community has to offer”
Platform she’s most critical of:
Aquino’s platform on Enhancing Professional Development
Aquino Inigo’s platform envisions a conference that will encourage career options as students by working with groups such as Student Success Center and McMaster Alumni Affairs.
Speaking on behalf of her own experience, Kousoulas pointed out the redundancies that comes with Aquino’s plans.
“As someone who very much works with their own faculty society, I am aware that most faculty groups are already taking the approach of putting on a conference. [As a result], I do not believe that a conference is the best way to support graduate transition.”
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