Meet your 2016-2017 USC Executives

Eddy Avila - USC President

Jamie Cleary - USC Vice-President

What program did you graduate from or are currently enrolled in?

I just finished my four years at Western, attaining my Bachelors of Medical Sciences with and Honours Specialization in Physiology.

How did you become involved in the USC?

My involvement with the USC began when I was in 3rd year. Due to my personal struggles with the province's tuition and financial aid programs, I was motivated to become a research intern with the USC. While I had no experience in analyzing policy or conduction research, this was an incredible learning experience for me, allowing me to apply many skills I learned in the classroom and apply them to post-secondary topics that I was passionate about. From there, I was drawn to the position of Associate Vice-President External in my 4th year. This was an amazing opportunity to further my policy knowledge and advocacy experience in municipal and provincial affairs. Also, I have been involved with the USC's early outreach program since my first year of university.

What interested you in running for an Executive position?

I think that my USC experience, specifically advocacy related, allowed me to have the opportunity to see what it means to be a true advocate. If used properly, we can greatly influence those around us to create the change that students deserve. My experience also showed many of the unfortunate realities that students on our campus face. While I thoroughly enjoyed my post-secondary experience, I noticed many who struggle to feel the same. This resulted in me wanting to see all of students have the best time in university, and I thought the best way to do that was seeking election as the USC Vice-President.

Tell us something interesting about yourself:

Growing up as a child I always thought I would be a musician. I have played the piano since the age of 3 and the violin since 7. Before pursuing a degree in science I initially wanted to come to Western to become a conductor. I also am London born and raised and still live at home with my family and many pets (dogs, birds, bunnies, guinea pigs etc.)

What do you plan to do after your term in office?

I am quite a short-term thinker. So for now I am really just focusing on the year a head. Maybe ask me in 6 months what my plans are. Always open to opportunities as they present themselves.

What are your priorities for your portfolio?

I am very excited to set the ground work for what this new Vice-President's portfolio is going to look like. It is going to be a very interesting year trying to define this centralized advocacy position and this new executive structure that we are working with. It's going to be challenging taking on both the internal and external roles, but a challenge that I am excited to be a part of. In terms of priorities, I am very excited to look into the implementation of a pass fail credit system here at the university, as well as advocating for increased collaboration between the health and wellness units on campus. Provincially, I am honoured to have been elected President of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance and look forward to working on the new funding formula and tuition framework for the Province.

Anything else that you would like to add?

Please reach out whenever. I love to meet new friends and who better to get advice about the role than previous USC alumni. I can never say no to conversations over coffee.

Allie Adamo - USC Student Programs Officer

What program did you graduate from or are currently enrolled in?

I am a recent graduate (by a few days!) from Western with a Bachelor of Arts. I was enrolled in the Honours Specialization in Political Science and Criminology Program.

How did you become involved in the USC?

I was a club president for 2 years, which motivated me to apply to the Associate Vice-President (now Associate) Program. Last year, I was the Associate Vice-President of Clubs.

What interested you about running for an Executive position?

Last year, I worked quite closely with some of the members of the Executive. I was inspired by their willingness to help students and truly better the student experience. I was actually a bit nervous to run for my role, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to say I left Western with no regrets if I did not.

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

I am quite proud of my Greek and Italian family heritage. I have travelled to Europe and become quite fond of Italian culture. I spent a month studying abroad in Italy, and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I have not been to Greece yet, so any travel recommendations are welcome!

What do you plan to do after your term in office?

Originally my plan was to attend law school in Ontario, but I joke at the office that I am going on a year of “self-discovery” during my term in office. I intend to meet with as many professionals in various fields as possible to see what the next few years of my life could look like.

What are your priorities for your portfolio?

My priorities stem around peer support. If our students aren’t happy, healthy, and don’t feel safe on our campus, everything else from my portfolio is irrelevant. I am also quite excited for Orientation Week!

Emily Ross - USC Communications Officer

What program did you graduate from or are currently enrolled in?

I recently graduated from the Faculty of Information and Media Studies where I studied Media, Film, and Writing.

How did you become involved in the USC?

I became involved in the USC initially through my position on WesternTV as the Executive Producer.

What interested you about running for an Executive position?

The position of Communications Officer caught my interest early on because it was a mix of a lot of different things I was interested in. I also had the opportunity to meet with Kevin (the former Communications Officer), who came from a very similar undergraduate academic and extra-curricular background that I did. He loved his job and got me very excited about it. I also really liked the idea of working with a team of like-minded people towards change at Western.

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

I've been acting my entire life. Ever since I played a swan in the march of the animals in my elementary school, acting has always been something that makes me happy.

What are your priorities for your portfolio?

This year we are really trying to emphasize the people behind the logo, and increasing communication on everything we're doing. Making sure that we're the ones in charge of our messaging and that we are doing everything we can to make sure students know what the USC is, and understand what purpose we serve.

Isaac Jacobi - USC Secretary Treasurer

What program did you graduate from or are currently enrolled in?

I’m currently enrolled in the DAN Management and Organizational Studies program with a focus on Consumer behaviour.

How did you become involved in the USC?

I applied for the Board of Directors in my first year (for my second and third years) and was selected. In my first year on the Board I ran for Chair and was successful. I must have done something right because I was also elected for a second term as Board Chair in my third year at Western.

What interested you about running for an Executive position?

As Board Chair there were many areas of improvement and many Finance and Governance initiatives that I had wanted to incorporate during my term, but didn’t have the time. The role of Secretary-Treasurer seemed like a natural progression from the Board, and a role that would allow me to focus on areas of improvement that also interest me. Also, my term on the Board was expiring and I panicked about what I could do to stay involved in the USC.

Tell us something interesting about yourself.

Spent my entire life growing up in Paris... Ontario. Also, I spent a summer working as a kayak tour guide on the Grand River (Cambridge, Paris, and Brantford) and Big Creek (Near Long Point).

What do you plan to do after your term in office?

Finish my degree and enter the tech industry, or found a successful tech company and drop out. Either way I’ll be happy.

What are your priorities for your portfolio?

Finance Priorities:

Find areas to increase student and Councillor participation in our budget. Increasing focus on aligning budget with long-term strategy. Increasing and building on existing financial literacy opportunities for students.

Governance Priorities:

Increase accessibility and clarity in governing documents. Increased clarity on positions like USC Councillor, Speaker of Council, Board Member, etc. Increasing clarity of elections and reducing barriers to entry for potential candidates. Ensuring all documents are being reviewed regularly, and are relevant to what the organization needs.