Meet the new Board of Stewards
Our incoming stewards are preparing themselves to lead with dedication and enthusiasm.
"We have a really great team and we’re lucky to be supported by some amazing faculty advisers as well," says Randy Chang, head steward for the 2022–23 academic year.
Randy, currently a Year 11 student like the rest of the team, is honoured to take on the role. He has spoken to a number of former head stewards to get their perspectives on the position and says it has changed his views.
"It’s more of a facilitator’s role," Randy says. "It’s also a historic position and I have lots to live up to. I’m excited to have the opportunity."
It should be a good fit for Randy, who loves advocacy and change-making. As he oversees his team and the projects in their portfolios, he anticipates taking on smaller tasks – the day-to-day changes that affect the quality of life for fellow students, but fall through the cracks. He and his fellow stewards are also eager to create a legacy of leadership at UCC by "expanding leadership opportunities to younger students."
He remains flexible, noting, “My philosophy is to embrace uncertainty.”
Academic Steward: Ian Ye
"I want to create the healthiest academic environment possible. This starts with transparency between the administration and the students, as well as a real commitment to considering student feedback. I believe that a big change is the product of the right small ones. To increase overall wellbeing, I want to make many quality-of-life changes to make the academic experience more comfortable, including revisiting assessment scheduling."
Athletics Steward: Aaron Ratnavel
"I intend to bring school spirit and hype around athletics to a new high, and create an overall more enjoyable, engaging and interactive UCC experience."
Creativity Steward: Alan Cui
"The arts provide extremely rich and vibrant experiences. My goal is to create more opportunities for students to showcase their talents at various events and assemblies and increase audience engagement in different forms of arts. I hope to develop co-curricular arts activities that are accessible and enjoyable for all, and, as a result, strengthen the bonding in our community."
Social Steward: A.J. Shulman
"My goal will be to create a stronger and more inclusive community for all students at the College, focusing on ensuring our brotherhood is one in which everyone feels safe and of which everyone is proud. Integrating grades, houses, and boarding and day students together is essential in order to bring back the strong sense of community [post-pandemic] that is integral to the UCC experience."
Community Service Steward: John Voudouris
"My largest holistic goal is establishing closer ties with other COSSOT schools. I hope that we can also coordinate with other COSSOT schools to come up with a common [service] structure that our schools share. At the moment, each school generally has very different structures, and I want to provide students with a more streamlined way to plan and participate in inter-school service events throughout the year."
Sustainability / Wellbeing Steward: Sufian Alawiye
"I hope to launch campaigns encouraging students to take public transportation to school instead of driving and adding more bike racks to make biking more convenient for those who choose to do so. I also hope to work with the academic steward to find strategies for students to manage stress, and work with the athletic steward to find ways to incorporate exercise into the school day, especially for Year 11 and 12 students who no longer take Phys-Ed."
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