Campus Celebrity: Jennifer Li

Campus Celebrity: Jennifer Li

By: Jessica Winter 

Name: Jennifer Li

Position: Student

Year: 2

Program: Concurrent Education

Jennifer Li is a second year Concurrent Education student from Mississauga Ontario running for the position of Undergraduate Student Trustee in the AMS Elections. The Undergraduate Student Trustee is on the Board of Trustees, which is the council that is responsible for all financial and strategic matters at Queen’s. The Undergraduate Student trustee represents all the undergraduates and works with the Board of Trustees to give the students the best Queen’s experience possible. It’s an important job and Jennifer is confident she is up to the task. We sat down with Jennifer to find out more about her as a person as well as her goals for enhancing the Queen’s experience for students.

Q: Why did you decide to run in the AMS Election?

A: Last year, I worked alongside the Rector and saw firsthand the impact of student leadership. I met amazing student leaders who I greatly admire and they inspired me to stay involved at Queen’s. I benefitted greatly from my experience in first year and now I want to give back to the students of Queen’s.

Q: Could you give us a brief outline of your platform?

A: I want to bring reliability, accessibility, and positivity to the role. It’s important to remember that the Undergrad Trustee represents the student voice and I will work hard to keep lines of communication open. There are 3 issues I think deserve more attention at Board: sustainable enrolment, financial accessibility, and mental health. I want to ensure that the student experience is not negatively impacted by growing enrolment numbers and that the University is able to provide the same high quality education to its current and future students. I believe that there should be no barriers to pursuing an education at Queen’s and that the University can do more to increase financial accessibility. Finally, mental wellbeing and academic excellence go hand in hand, which is why I believe that there should be a continued focus on mental health. I will work hard to promote a positive culture surrounding mental illness and to eliminate the stigma that still exists on campus. While these are the issues that I feel most passionately about, I will only be advancing points of view that have been discussed with students rather than solely promoting my personal opinions.

Q: What are you hoping to achieve?

A: My hope for this role is to cultivate a relationship between Trustee and students and to engage with the student body as much as possible. This position isn’t about personal opinion — it’s about what the students want. I’m really looking forward to being a voice and advocate for the undergraduate students of Queen’s. I really want them to know that I will be ready to listen to what they have to say. I also recognize the value of advocacy in numbers and will work to build partnerships and collaborate with other student leaders.

Q: What do you want to do after you graduate?

A: I’m conflicted between wanting to travel the world and wanting to settle down and teach my own Grade 4 class in my hometown of Mississauga. The dream would be to combine the two and teach in a foreign country for a year or two (or maybe forever, who knows).

Q: What is your favourite thing about being a Queen’s student?

A: There are too many things I love about being a Queen’s student that I can’t possibly pick just one! But if I have to choose, my favourite thing about being a Queen’s student is definitely being able to call this beautiful campus and city my second home. The people I’m surrounded by, the limestone buildings, the lake view, and even the crazy winters. I’ve made some amazing memories in my short time here and I couldn’t be more blessed.

Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

A: Count your blessings and choose to be happy. Things aren’t always going to go your way but there is ALWAYS a reason to smile.

Q: You must be kept very busy, what do you like to do in your down time?

A: I go out for all-you-can-eat sushi, spend hours on travel blogs dreaming of my next adventure, and watch half a season of my favourite TV shows at once when I have the time.

Q: If you could say a message to the student of Queen’s, what would it be?

A: Enjoy every moment and don’t forget to smile!

The 2015 AMS Elections will be held on January 27th and 28th; you will get the link to vote online in your Queen’s email. We wish the best of luck to Jennifer Li and all other candidates running in the election!