Department Representatives Fall 2020 Candidates

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

1. Better advertising the PDL scholarships to BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and other minority students to attend conferences like NSBE and SHPE

2. Find ways for clubs to have sucessful remote events and what funding for that should look like

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

1. Organize interschool event between business students and engineering students

2. Communicate with other student governing bodies of the University.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Invite more alumni to share their experiences in our alumni events ; Find more high-quality career opportunities for our current students

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

I want to help give students a greater variety of events to attend where they can meet people other than current engineering graduate students. Both interschool relations and alumni events would help provide greater opportunities to meet out of department and school Columbia affiliates.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

My primary choice to take part in is “Academic Affairs.” From my perspective, these committees act as a crucial bridge between students and the school. Thus, my first goal is to ensure the good interaction of information/requests between students and our school, especially raising student concerns to the proper authorities. Simultaneously, get tight connect with other committees at Columbia to accommodate and optimize students’ campus life.

My second goal is to reverse the disadvantaged situation during Covid-19 to an advantage. In this challenging time, everything get harmed, many events have to be virtual. However, the positive side of it means every event will have a bigger capacity and more possibility. As a school-wide committee, an extension and new format of events should be raised to enhance our influence.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

For the Academic Affair Committee: I would like for our graduate school to be more involved in campaigns against sexual assault, such as that organized by It's On Us. With the pandemic, there remains a rare time to change how the graduate school can police instances with the help of the administration.

For the Social Committee: I would like to plan events at local elementary schools to do fun activities that get the children more interested in science (of course, the pandemic has made events this semester less realistic). We did this during my undergrad while I was on the executive board of my NSBE chapter with great success (STEM Cubs).This doesn't need to involve in-person activities, however--we could create a catalog of activities that parents and students can do together that exemplifies the basics (and fun side) of science.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

As students in a top engineering graduate program, we have a wide range of possible future career paths. One thing I have found that many students find difficult is determining the career path that not only aligns with your passion, but will also be the best fit for your life and future. I would like to create an EGSC "speed dating" career event that focuses on the fit aspect of different career paths, where students can meet with alumni from different industries and find out more about the day-to-day of their jobs rather than the big overview. In addition, I would like to work with the academic affairs admin to create more opportunities for students outside of their research, such as external internships during their studies or options for coursework/ combined programs in schools that are relevant to the engineering field, such as business and law.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Academic affairs: 1. Analyse and resolve issues students are facing with classes happening remote instead of in-person. At these times it is very important to reduce stress for students to ensure they can focus on academics. Time difference between locations are also going to effect students. 2. Issues around fees and fee payment deadlines. Many students are going to attend these classes online, and it doesn't make sense for them to pay same fee , there are bound to be some components of fees that can be looked into to reduce fee for such candidates. 3. To make sure students are connected well, the information channels are well updated and all queries are resolved at earliest.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

1) I like maximizing output and whatever the budget might be it would be thrilling to improve it and use it effectively to maximise benefits.

2) Improving the alumni network to foster a sense of belongingness and strength amongst the columbia community.

3) Bring about new perspective of being social by conducting safe events during the testing times of the pandemic.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Resolve financial affairs accurately and effectively. Make a good plan for usage of funds.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

1) To have at least two zoom meetings in between current students and alumni (depending upon concentration). So that the current students can discuss and ask questions related to summer internships, career change, jobs, specialisation, etc. Simultaneously alumni can also add points to that.

2) To bring more companies to career fair by contacting alumni working in that specific company.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

1) Set up information sessions with recruiters.

2) Set up mock interviews to help students prepare for actual interviews.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Facilitate communication between the alumni and the students to ensure that students get to learn from their experiences. Endeavor to help students from the department to get their issues solved.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

1. Create a Mentor Program for Incoming Students: As a graduate student for more than 4 years, I have often seen incoming graduate students struggling to choose the right academic pathway to cater to their goals. This program will match the incoming graduate students to an enthusiastic senior graduate student (who is willing to be a mentor) so that the incoming student will have a better perspective of the opportunities offered by Columbia.

2. Create a new social experience for Columbia students in this current pandemic times: Create a Youtube channel for Columbia Students where students can come and showcase their artistic endeavors.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

I would like to help students to advance their career goals and promote diversity and inclusion at workplace.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Try my best to help EGSC with social, career, and alumni events. Also, I want to do my best to cooperate with the School and University alumni organizations, that promote the professional development of Students

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Reach out to prominent SEAS alumni to advise the next generation of engineers in how to succeed as well as become a leading member in society. It's true that everyone wants to excel in whatever they do but with the right mentorship and guidance, people can reach goals that exceed the ones they are currently aiming for. I would like to instill this sort of mindset in my peers.

Help students realize their ambitions and goals in their area of focus by providing resources to improve on their technical skills as well as help them find the perfect role/job that suits their expertise. There are tons of websites and forums dedicated to self improvement of all sorts and I would love to help students in finding out exactly what they want to do as well as help them become an industry leader in what the want to do.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

On academic affairs, I hope to work to ensure the Quality of Life survey can once again resume, and work to find the best way to administer it to the students as many master's students are deferring to join the university in the spring semester. If placed on the social committee, one of my goals as DR would be to serve in an advisory capacity to the social chair who takes over in the 2021 year, as the pandemic may make transfer of knowledge in running events difficult - and hopefully 2021 will bring a steady resumption of normal social activity as vaccines (hopefully) become available.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Make sure all the graduated and currently graduating engineers are in contact with the university and all the information about them is at all times present with the university thus creating a strong bond between the university and its alumni. Considering the number of things that has happened this year due to COVID-19 it is very important that there is a firm link between the students and the administrative board and i would do everything it takes to make that link strong and convey what the students want from this university and make sure the university is able to do its best for the students.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Ensure that all Columbia students can connect with the extensive alumni network and maintain good relations between current student body and alumni. Organize several tech talks/seminars/informational interviews possibly with alumni to keep students engaged and current with developments in industry, research and academia led by Columbia alumni.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

As a member of the Budget Committee, I would like to work with/create proposals for those student organizations that do not have sufficient funds to find ways to effectively spent the funds they are currently allocated to increase student participation. Increased memebrship would help them in receiving more funds the next year. As an Alumni & Career Affairs Committee, I would like to increase the career resources available for international engineering alumni. This would also benefit any alumni who want to work outside the US after graduation or international students who want to stay in the US after graduation.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Alumni & Career Affairs: 1. By working on the Alumni and Career Affairs Committee I wish to create a tight-knit community of alumni who can share their experiences/expertise in guiding and supporting the Columbia community of scholars. I wish to organize more interactive events that can increase alumni participation while also provide the opportunity for current students to get to know and engage with alumni. 2. My second goal is to expand the current pool of SEAS alumni by bonding with alumni of other schools to provide additional opportunities for students wanting to try other career options such as start-ups, switching majors, dual degrees, career and entrepreneurship opportunities etc. In my undergrad, I have participated in numerous events such as the LeaderShape Program hosted by the LeaderShape Institute, USA that have strengthened my communication and leadership skills that I wish to utilize at Columbia by transforming event ideas into reality.

Academic Affairs: 1. Being an international student myself, my top goal serving on the Academic Affairs Committee is to act as a bridge between students and faculty, administrators, which is especially important considering the unprecedented COVID times we’re in. I believe that as a department representative on the Academic Affairs Committee, it is my responsibility to successfully implement and move on the COVID way of learning be it limited to classrooms or virtual environments and successfully transition into 2021. 2. It is important to understand what new things the school is doing and how it matters to students and thus my other goal would be to improve academic curriculum by making it more flexible pertaining to the needs/opportunities for students and faculties while still upholding and maintaining Columbia’s top-notch academic quality and reputation.

Communications: 1. My first goal while serving on the Communications Committee is to create strong and purposeful digital content about club events month wise and activities that can not only foster greater community engagement and student participation but also provide opportunities for professional development. 2.My second goal is to make student life a vibrant and cheerful community by making full use of digital media strategies and keeping up with efficient planning and communicating ahead of time so as to bring club events and ideas to fruition. I wish to present to students a bigger picture of future events of their choices that they can plan for ahead of time and ultimately contribute to their personal and professional growth.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Social: 1. Encourage student engagement through Slack by creating a channel for events and opportunities hosted by EGSC. The channel should act as an organized platform for members to refer to without having to dig through communication emails or website tabs. 2. Organize fun and interactive social events for students to get to know each other and destress such as virtual game night playing jackbox.tv, skribbl.io, quizzes, and support the on-going great events such as Virtual Wellness which I think is very important, especially during this unpredictable pandemic era.

Academic Affairs: 1. Collaborate with Columbia Global Centers to expand student access to WeWork co-working space in more cities across the globe. The facilities will provide international students with an upgraded technology to support remote study as well as a space to engage with Columbia local community. 2. Advocate for the student body by administering the Quality of Life survey, communicate the gathered result to the SEAS Administration, and follow up with proper authorities regarding projects and/or initiatives to address issues raised in the survey.

Interschool: 1. As mentioned before, Slack can also be used for a collaboration with external organizations. As a member of interschool committee, I suggest creating a shared channel for an organized and informed conversation between members of associated partners. 2. Maintain good relationship with other student bodies by organizing interschool events for students to expand their network outside the departments. When conditions permit, scavenger hunt or team-building activities are great ways to enhance social relations.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

1. Hope to bring more alumni panels/ tech talks hold for the people in the EGSC.

2. Hold meet-up or zoom meeting with the past alumni sharing their career journey

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

1. (With the Academic Affairs Committee) Increase transparency and decrease students' shyness to interact with the administration. And set up events that help international students with informal advises about the campus and the way things are done by Americans.

2. (With the Alumni & Career Affairs Committee) Set up interactions between the Alumni and students to allow the students to collaborate on interesting projects so both of them can gain from it. And also set up events where alumni from various cultures can share on the cultural shocks they faced or their guidance on certain social and cultural aspects.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Strengthen the bond between alumni and current student by organizing networking events (zoom or in-person). Invite alumni to share their experience at SEAS as well as their professional experience.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Serve students well and do something really valuable. Good administration.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

1. In relation to Budget, increase budget, cut wasteful spending, be transparent about finances, and increase awareness about scholarships and financial assistance to students, in particular those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.

2. In relation to Career Affairs, provide students with real-world job training skills that are practical, generally applicable to many majors, and are bite sized. This could include simple coding lessons or fun factoids that have material impact on relevant fields and professions.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Students need to be more aware about the need to connect and network in the early stages of graduation. EGSC is one of the best platforms for networking. I would like to encourage my fellow Columbians to interact more so that it would help them in the long run.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

a) Hold online even fit for multiple time zone, let students still feel strong connection with campus life in Columbia Engineering School

b)Considering the high rate of international student in our school, we could organize weekly cultural event, inviting students who love to share their special and amazing culture host the event each week. I firmly believe school is a great place to build global perspectives.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Arrange a speed friending session for students where they can meet and interact with students from their major, since that has been a constraint for many of my fellow students. I believe that due to social distancing it has been harder to connect with people even for those attending classes in person. This event would be successful since people would have a chance to actually connect with peers from the same major and have a lot more to talk about.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

For the Social Events Committee, I would hope to help all students, those attending Columbia in person as well as remotely, be able to unite over common interest and form bonds. Especially given the current state of things, I believe that creating an environment that is welcoming and easily accessible to all is key for a dynamic and robust community. Such a task could be challenging. To tackle this challenge, I would, alongside other committee members, attempt to understand the student body's needs and plan & organize events that would make each student feel equally involved in the community, no matter their physical location.

For the Alumni & Career Affairs Committee, one of my goals would be to pitch that a portion of this year's Tech Talks be dedicated to the vital role tech, both within the Columbia community and outside of it, has played in the battle against the spread and tracking of COVID-19. Additionally, I would hope to organize career and alumni events, in cooperation with the school and appropriate alumni organizations, that are easily accessible to all students. As there is significant uncertainty and, in some cases, anxiety surrounding the job market in the near future, I believe that efforts to cater to student's concerns are vital.

For the Academic Affairs Committee, it would be one of my goals to understand the student body's concerns on a deep level and communicate such concerns effectively and efficiently to the appropriate authorities. The current state of the world and the higher education system have left many students concerned about their academic performance and community involvement. I would hope to add to the annual Student Survey to reflect such concerns and fully grasp all feedback to report back to the school effectively.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

1. To bridge the gap and maintain a smooth flow of comfort between student and administration.

2. I'll make sure there is an effective triangular flow of infromation between students , college officials and alumni.

3. Attend others school meeting to build a good relation with them and also benchmark if there are any.

4. I promise you to comfort the visit of students and ease the work of administration and leave few trails of updates as the year progresses by

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

EGSC does an amazing job in advocating and reaching out to the concerns of SEAS graduate students in every possible way. Amongst the six committees in EGSC, my interest lies within “The Academic Affairs Committee” and “The Alumni & Career Affairs Committee”.

I believe that now more than ever there is a great need to make graduate student life experience safe and peaceful. With this in mind, my goal within the Academic Affairs Committee is to advocate and raise student (in-person and remote) concerns (prioritizing COVID-19 related concerns) to the proper authorities. For example, unfortunately, if a SEAS graduate student is affected by COVID-19, I would like to raise this concern to the proper authorities to make sure this student gets proper medical attention, food and shelter as required.

We are the graduate students of SEAS, with a vast alumni network. It is upon us to fully utilize this opportunity that to set our career paths. My goal within the Alumni & Career Affairs Committee is to organize as many Career & Alumni events (both virtual and in-person) as possible, all year-long. Taking the interest of all the SEAS graduate students (about 4000) into consideration, I would like to organize events hosting professionals from diverse fields and sectors, not just from typical top-tier organizations.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

1. To host more useful alumni events for IEOR students (resume editing from industry alumni, mock interview, coffee chats, mentorship program and etc.)

2. To get more students engaged in the events of EGSC

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

The Alumni & Career Affairs Committee – 1. To increase the engagement between alumni and students through smaller, industry-focused group events and industry-relevant skill workshops (Ex: A PDL for Consulting, PDL for Financial Services, etc.) 2. To organize a “Follow the Lions” day, where students can shadow an alum (whose career path aligns with theirs) at work to gain an insight into their day-to-day responsibilities.

The Social Events Committee – 1. To promote student’s participation in events through NYC’s vibrant sights and captivating advertising. Ex: Happy Hours in Central Park 2. To interpret student data on their preferred category of events (through a voting system) and plan both remote and in-person events, accordingly.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

Actively attend the meetings and volunteer in all the events. Get along with other members, brainstorm for ideas, and prepare for student survey.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

I am currently pursuing a dual degree in Chemical Engineering and a potential MBA from the Business School. My first goal is to create more transparency between SEAS and the Business School focusing on female entrepreneurship opportunities, youth advocacy, and social entrepreneurship. Another goal I will execute in the Interschool Committee is to increase youth involvement in college preparation, particularly to hone in on non-traditional paths towards career discovery; I believe in choosing a field that combines interests rather than sticking to a black and white approach in career selection.

Social Commitee seamlessly ties in with the other committees I have selected, and I am eager to contribute to it. Furthermore, a goal of mine is to create strong professional and academic relationships amongst my peers and professors at Columbia. To do so requires clear line of communication, enthusiasm, and passion. I have fundraised ardently for the Armenian community in legislation, collecting donations for war-stricken regions within the Tavush region in Armenia, and contribute to youth social causes every week. Another goal I will accomplish is to nurture the philanthropic frame of mind at SEAS by creating social outreach programs such as fundraising to donate laptops for economically disadvantaged students in New York City.

If given the opportunity to contribute to the Academic Affairs committee, I will ensure that neighboring schools by Columbia campus are well-integrated within the SEAS cohort. I have ample experience in youth advocacy as I have tutored Armenian students in Armenian villages for the past year. This venture mandates a clear line of communication and resolve to create more visibility within the Academic realm. Moreover, another goal I will take on is to increase professor involvement with the student body. I will do so by collaborating with my fellow EGSC members on fundraising ideas such as benefit concerts, outdoor karaoke events, and socially distant activities within the scope of these times.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

1.) Distribute the budget to help student organizations adapt their operations in the new Covid-era conditions;

2.) Fund novel ways of encouraging student cohesion in this time of remote connections.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

I would love to serve in the EGSC Alumni and Career Affairs Committee and represent the Chemical Engineering department as a DR. I know that this year, the committee already has exciting events planned like Coffee Chat with CEYA, Research Seminar, and the workshop on interview secrets. I would be eager to contribute to build upon the really valuable partnerships we have with the young alumni and alumni networks. As Chair of the professional development committee in my undergraduate AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) chapter, I found that with the virtual format and Work From Home, one silver lining was that it was actually easier to reach out to alumni individually and coordinate with them to share their career experiences and advice for our students, when all that was needed was a virtual platform. Events are no longer limited by alumni needing to be in the New York area or needing to travel here to connect with our students. Whether in a more formal capacity with CEAA and CEYA or a more casual lunch-and-learn with an alum type events, my goal is to contribute to taking advantage of the uniqueness of this virtual time to give our grad students the ability to connect with more alumni, learn more deeply about academia or various industries, in an easily accessible way. The mission and the work already planned by the Alumni and Career Affairs committee are very exciting to me and I’d love to help organize initiatives and represent my department of Chemical Engineering.

I would also be excited to serve on the Interschool Committee, and contribute to efforts like organizing the hackathon with the School of Business. I have heard from quite of few of my fellow ChemE students that they have interests beyond the school of engineering, especially in business and entrepreneurship, but they don’t generally know what goes on at the other schools or how to learn more and take advantage of non-engineering resources that may also be available to us. And so my goal would be to, through work of the Interschool Committee, give grad SEAS students more exposure to the other Columbia schools and more opportunities to learn about related resources and to gain skills and connections outside of our core engineering focus areas.

List two goals you have in mind for the top committees of your choice

1. Create a platform that enables effective communications for alumni to attend school events and share their experience with current students

2. Enables more chances and direct more resources for current students for their future job searching

Improving access to academic opportunities to graduate and undergraduate students, Expanding alumni reach, and achieving maximum involvement of students with the alumni network.