The following positions have received 2 or more nominations, and will be elected at the 2019 AGM:
PRESIDENT
Nominations received:
Dennis Power
October 9, 2019
Candidates for the 2019 PSA Elections
Hi, I’m Dennis Power, and I would be delighted to represent you as the in-coming PSA President. I’m a fourth year PhD candidate researching synthetic chemistry and I’m the out-going PSA Vice-President (Research). I’ve gained a lot of experience over the past three years - I’ve represented postgraduates on numerous university boards which dictate policy and procedure. I’ve introduced a Graduate Research School Student Consultative Committee to ensure our voices are heard at the highest levels. I’m passionate about the student experience and share Alex Tan’s vision to create a lively postgraduate student culture; we’re here for years so it better be fun! We’ve been working hard to establish postgraduate dedicated spaces on campus and I want to continue that. I’m ready to put my research on hold, to put my accumulated skills to the test, and fully dedicate myself to you as the 2020 PSA President.
Rahul MS Kumar
G’day
I’m Rahul, currently pursuing Master of Professional engineering (Electrical & Electronics). I am running for PSA President for the year 2020. Postgraduate Students’ experience at the university has been my interest. Being involved with PSA as General Secretary this year and International Students’ Officer for the year 2018, I believe that I can work immaculately for all postgraduate students at UWA. In addition to PSA ,I’ve been involved in many other student run organisation in UWA. Experience gained in PSA committee as operational officer bearer and also as an Executive member encouraged me to run for President.
As a fellow postgraduate student and prospective President, I will work towards improving quality of education. I’m confident that I can advocate to make student experience better and more transparent within the university also by meeting the objectives of PSA.
VP (Coursework)
Nominations received:
Sakshi Sharma
Why I am applying for
the position of vice-president coursework?
My motivation to apply
for this particular position is the time and efforts I have already put in the
Postgraduate Students’ Association in the year 2019 as the International
Students’ Officer. The experience this year has been extremely rewarding where
I developed different interpersonal and practical skills to handle complicated
situations and organize small events with the support of the current President
and other committee members. I personally feel that being the vice-president
coursework can expose me to a different perspective of how the education works
in the University and how can I make the experience for the postgraduate
coursework students much better in the future.
Rahul MS Kumar
G’day
I’m Rahul, currently pursuing Master of Professional engineering (Electrical & Electronics). I am running for PSA Vice President Coursework for the year 2020. Postgraduate Students’ experience at the university has been my interest. Being involved with PSA as General Secretary this year and International Students’ Officer for the year 2018, I believe that I can work immaculately for all postgraduate students at UWA. In addition to PSA ,I’ve been involved in many other student run organisation in UWA. Experience gained in PSA committee as operational officer bearer and also as an Executive member encouraged me to run for Vice President.
As a fellow postgraduate student and prospective Vice President Coursework, I will work towards improving quality of education. I’m confident that I can advocate to make student experience better and more transparent within the university also by meeting the objectives of PSA.
Aishwarya Banavathu
Hello! My name is Aishwarya, a master’s student of Public Policy and Governance .I’m running for the position of Vice-President (Coursework). I’m interested in improving the education experience of postgraduates holistically. I see the position as an excellent way to be a part of a team that not only adds value to students’ lives but also inspires them to become game-changing future leaders. I’m the founder of a non-profit which works on improving educational opportunities for the less privileged and have previously worked in non-profits that aimed at removing educational barriers. With previous work experience, I have gained first-hand experience in what it means to be a part of team and work towards betterment. If elected, I would develop more creative avenues and keep the postgraduates engaged. I would appreciate your vote for me, Aishwarya Banavathu to serve as Vice President-Coursework.
Equity Officer
Nominations received:
Sonali Suhane
Myself Sonali Suhane, a Master of Data Science student here at UWA. I am nominating myself for the position of Equity Officer.
I would really like to do something that honestly reflects the changes across the campus that enhance diversity and opportunity for individuals here at UWA.
I have been engaged in volunteer work like selling books at Save the Children bookstall on UWA Openday, working in save the children's retail shop and I'm in the decoration committee for PSA gala. And lastly, I've volunteered to teach many underprivileged Muslim girls back in India during my undergraduate.
I think the overall experience that I gained aligns well with the role of Equity officer and represents what I would like to do in the future to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion in achieving academic excellence.
Prema Arasu
Since being elected Equity Officer in mid-2019 I have been involved in a number of initiatives geared towards improving the delivery of UWA health services, providing spaces for parents in libraries, making events inclusive and accessible, and being a part of the LGBTQIA+ working group. I have also spoken to prospective students about the PhD experience and Higher Degrees by Research at information evenings. As an intercultural person of Muslim faith I understand that I cannot be a voice for absolutely everyone and that the UWA postgraduate student body is a diverse group of different nationalities, cultures, languages, genders, sexualities, ages, and abilities; however, I do my absolute best to keep myself informed and maintain an open dialogue with anyone struggling with issues of equity. My commitment to equity extends outside of university life; I am also involved in several projects aimed at making the WA arts scene more inclusive and accessible, which feeds back into my own PhD research on marginalised identities.
International Students' Officer
Nominations received:
Siva Murugappan
Hello Everyone. Myself Siva Murugappan. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Professional Accounting at University of Western Australia. I am very much excited to apply for the post of International Student Officer for the year 2020.The main reason for which I wish to apply for this position is to extend my hand of support to PSA committee in acting as a bridge between the International students and the committee. As I have been the FABLE(coursework representative) last year for the PSA, I know the responsibility and the fun involved working in teams and also I know the satisfaction level that is achieved by the students after accomplishing a goal which also make them feel strong and better to do lots of task in future. Hereby, I assure that I will work for the success of the committee and welfare of the postgraduate students and try my best to bring a good change for International students studying at UWA.
Abhijith Harikumar
Myself Abhijith Harikumar, studying Master’s in Geoscience here at UWA. I am nominating for the International Students’ Officer Position for PSA.
I’m the current International Student Representative for UWA Science Union Committee, an Ordinary Committee Member for PSA. I’m also a team member in PSA Decorations committee for the upcoming PSA gala and an Unimentor. I have also volunteered at various occasions in UWA such as the fringe festival, UWA OPEN DAY, UWA Orientation Week. Apart from UWA, I’m the International Student Ambassador for Study Perth Organization. The duties and responsibilities that comes with these positions have provided me a platform to return the help that I received to the UWA students. I believe the experience that I gained and still gaining, would help me do my best for the ISO role in PSA. My ultimate goal as an International Student officer is to increase Postgrad international student representation.
FABLE Representative (Coursework)
Nominations received:
Siva Murugappan
Hello Everyone. Myself Siva Murugappan. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Professional Accounting at University of Western Australia. I am very much excited to apply for the post of FABLE(Coursework Representative) for the year 2020.The main reason for which I wish to apply for this position is to extend my hand of support to PSA committee in acting as a bridge between my faculty postgraduate student and the committee. As I have been the FABLE(coursework representative) last year for the PSA, I know the responsibility and the fun involved working in teams and also I know the satisfaction level that is achieved by the students after accomplishing a goal which also make them feel strong and better to do lots of task in future. Hereby, I assure that I will work for the success of the committee and welfare of the postgraduate students and try my best to bring a good change for students studying in my faculty at UWA.
Nivas Kumar CD
I’m Nivas Kumar CD, Business School student applying for the role of “Faculty of ABLE Representative-Coursework”. Three years of work experience in marketing helped hone the art of liaising. My leadership path started with serving as the “Prime Minister” of the School Student Governing Council (2011-2012). The role involved organising events for various clubs of the school and handling crowd. Similar experience was gained between 2013-2016 through my roles such as “Education Cluster Head” of an NGO that focussed on community outreach and “Public Relations Head” of the Technical Fest of SASTRA University. A behavioural theory training in 2017 helped learn “People Mastery” for organising events. Additionally, volunteering for the Rotract Club (2010-2012), National Service Scheme (2012-2016) and Salvos Stores (2019-) equipped me with the leadership acumen. With this experience, I’m confident that I can deliver justice for my role in the PSA.
Belinda Brady
Hi! My name is Belinda and I'm running to be the FABLE Faculty Representative. I have just completed my first year of Postgraduate studies and would love to now be involved with the PSA. I have really enjoyed participating in PSA events, such as Connect, and I would love to now give back to the Postgrad community.
I have studied both outside UWA and overseas so I understand some of the issues with transitioning into both a new campus and a new degree. I also hope to bring the organisational and advocacy skills I learnt from my time as VP for Young Soroptimists Fremantle and VP of UVAC UWA to the role of FABLE rep.
As FABLE is such a diverse faculty, I understand that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to assisting students won’t work, so I’m looking forward to being able to represent everyone under the FABLE umbrella.
Please read the instructions on the voting form carefully.
Any votes with duplicate selections in second preference or third preference will be rendered as invalid votes and disregarded.
Positions elected unopposed
The following positions have received one nomination, and are therefore elected unopposed:
Vice President (Events): Hannah Santhosa Felix Vinodh Dhavaraj
Faculty of Science Representative (Coursework): Priya Kaluskar
Faculty of Engineering & Mathematical Sciences (Coursework): Prince Raj Joseph
Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences (Coursework): Rohan Sachdev
Faculty of Engineering & Mathematical Sciences (Research): Dimuthu Wanasinghe
Ordinary Council Member: Srivathsan Sudharsan
Positions to be filled at the 2019 AGM (Thursday Oct 17)
Vice President (Research)
Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences Representative (Research)
Faculty of Science Representative (Research)
Higher Degree by Research (FABLE)
Off Campus Officer
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Officer
Media Officer
Ordinary Council Member (up to 3)
General Secretary (pending election results of contested positions)
