Environment Officer

 

Preksha Panchamia

Hey! My name is Preksha Panchamia. I am running for the post of the Environmental Officer. I am studying the Masters of Environmental and Resource Economics at the Crawford School of Public Policy. I am in my second semester. I did my undergraduate degree in Economics and in my last semester of the course, I fell in love with environmental economics. That is when I knew I wanted to choose this as my subject for my masters.

I feel like I am in a great position to make a positive impact with respect to devising and leading the organisation’s work on environmental issues which are of high priority. The current global scenario calls for help, considering the kind of changes in the climate alongside the development each country is working towards. I would not only like to be part of the organisation but also be in a position which would make a difference for current as well as future generations.

I believe that every bit counts, so while I want to make larger initiatives happen, I would also encourage people to do the best they can, however little it may be. When I was new and alone, people from PARSA really helped me. I also want to be that person for anyone who needs me. There is not much we can achieve alone; PARSA boasts a valuable sense of community, and I hope to keep it going. My academic knowledge along with my prior volunteering experience would help me fulfil the duties of the Environmental officer with much more efficiency and finesse.

 

Equity Officer

 

Sharrada Segeran

Hello everyone, I am Sharrada Segeran, a third year Doctor of Medicine and Surgery student at ANU and I am elated to be running for Equity Officer!

As we navigate through the new norm, it is undeniable that the mental health and wellbeing of many have been compromised. Now more than ever recognition and treatment of mental health should be on the forefront of our agenda. I strive to open up more conversation around mental health, initiate free mental health screenings and leverage the power of peer-to-peer outreach to change campus culture.

It was with this very idea that I started Mind Matters Network in 2020, a mental health initiative by youth guided by professionals and co-authored the Handbook on Youth Mental Health which distributed over 2000 copies in the first month to educational institutions and community centres for free to improve mental health literacy (I might know a thing or two on mental health that i can bring to the table). Currently I serve as the Director of Mind Matters Network and Chair of the Youth Task of National Coalition of Mental Wellbeing (NCMW). During my undergrad years, I have been the President of the Community Service Club and an ambassador for the Asian Medical Student Association (AMSA). My active participation in volunteerism since young in my home country, Malaysia through Girl Guides (we do a lot more than selling cookies I PROMISE), representing internationally in the ECOSOC youth forum and speaking at UNICEF provided me the opportunity to explore different areas of advocacy from gender based violence to diversity which gave me a better perspective to all the different issues affecting our community not just locally but globally.

I am a strong believer that it is never the case to be “the voice for the voiceless”, everyone has their voice, what I strive to do is to respect, empower and amplify that voice. As the Equity officer I would do my very best to bring students together by organizing amazing community building events, advocacy platforms and further strengthening the peer support network. I will also strongly advocate for inclusion and representation so everyone, especially those in the Women, Disabled, Queer, International, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander postgraduate students sectors are well supported and get the best possible student experience at ANU.

 

Abhijith Gopakumar

I am currently pursuing my second year of study as part of the Master of Science in Nuclear Science program. Although I hail from India, I have lived the majority of my life outside the country. As such, I have seen, interacted with and understood people belonging to different nations, cultures, sexes and gender identities. When I volunteered with an NGO that dealt with underprivileged children and those with disabilities, I was introduced to an environment drastically different from my own upbringing. The time I spent there allowed me to connect with the students there as well as understand and advocate for their issues. My undergraduate studies and subsequent industrial experience in India introduced me to the ethnic, lingual, and cultural diversity within the country. I believe that all these exposures that I have had will allow me to empathize with the problems faced by the groups represented by the equity portfolio and deal with matters that concern these groups giving utmost respect to their wishes and supporting them. This instills me with the confidence to represent the diverse groups under this portfolio and to make decisions that would support them and improve their experience at the ANU.

An equity-based system aims to provide all required resources as per the needs of an individual to achieve their objectives, considering their personal circumstances and situations. I shall strive to achieve and maintain this key principle of the system if I am chosen to helm the PARSA Equity Committee.

 

Aayush Nema

Hello! My name is Aayush and I am standing for the position of Equity Officer in PARSA. Currently, pursuing a Masters in the field of Engineering at ANU, I am an engineering graduate by profession and have worked closely with renewable energy sectors.

Since I was young, I have been seeing various cultures and have had experienced them very closely, developing into a very unique trait in my personality which is Understanding. Being able to understand each other creates a sense of empowerment in the community, I wish to exercise this in our Postgrad and Research Community.  

My attitude towards my work is fuelled by the notion that very individual has a story and has a capability that is unique to him, it is up to us how efficiently we can utilize those qualities to the best interest of our society.

During the pandemic I learnt a valuable lesson that is, having a positive attitude about a situation may not make the problem go away, but it does give you the confidence to find a proper solution and overcome it.

Post pandemic I got this opportunity to work as a volunteer for PARSA in the O-week and I realized PARSA has genuine leadership empowering and respectful environment, which attracted me to serve in it more.

I look forward to serve the postgraduate and research community as an Equity Officer with the best of my abilities.

 

Queer Officer

 

Katarina (Kat) Stewart

My name is Kat Stewart and I’m running for Queer* Officer because I would like to help queer* voices on campus be heard, while making postgrad an enjoyable experience. I think it’s important to give voices to everyone, acknowledging that intersectionality is crucial when it comes to queer* identities. I acknowledge that I have certain privileges as a white, American looking to take on this role. However, I think I benefit greatly by my adaptability and desire to learn from others so that I can represent everyone’s wants and needs more accurately. I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by queer* communities with voices very different than my own. I grew up in a rather conservative environment, but have also lived in places that are more open and accepting of queer* voices. Additionally, I participated in queer* affinity groups and organizations throughout highschool and undergrad. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend and march for Pride across a range of places including: New York, San Francisco, Boston, Seoul and my hometown in Oklahoma. I have also demonstrated for other causes (such as BLM, Women’s March, and March for Our Lives) because I believe in being active in avenues of change and supporting people who are struggling to be heard. I am hoping my experiences will help me support PARSA’s diverse queer* body in having a safe, fun, and fulfilling postgrad experience.

 

Social Officer

 

Gurisha Gupta

G'day, Namaste & Ni hao

I am Gurisha Gupta (India), and I am excited to announce my candidacy for the post of social officer in the upcoming PARSA elections. I am an international student studying Master of Finance at ANU College of Business & Economics.

Being a merit holder in my under graduation, I got the opportunity to represent my university (Symbiosis International) in Germany in a semester exchange program. It helped me understand different cultures and diversity and made me aware of the challenges and problems of international students. Furthermore, I organised many social and multicultural events during the exchange and created a vibrant international community at DHBW Heidenheim.

I firmly believe that "Your network is your net worth". Volunteering at PARSA events in O-Week allowed me to know students from various cultural and academic backgrounds; I would like to take this legacy forward by creating safe platforms for students to engage in multiple activities.

As a social officer, I would aim to bring the community together through events and advocacy. I will effectively deliver the suite of revamped social events that are covid safe, and last but not least, I would maximise the engagement of parents, queer community and disabled students.

With this vision in mind, I look forward to your support in empowering PARSA and making your student experience more memorable at the Australian National University.