Here are the candidate statements for our Spring 2025 ASSU Executive elections. Candidates will be elected at the March 21st ASSU Council Meeting. There is (1) one position for President and (4) four positions for Executives available to be elected at the meeting.

Candidates for President

Ishmael Cordero

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Farida Kayed

WAIT! GUESS WHO’S BACK? 

Hey everyone! My name is Farida Kayed, and I’m a third-year student double majoring in Pharmacology and Human Biology with a minor in Immunology.

After two years as an ASSU executive—one of those as your treasurer, handling all your inquiries—I’m excited to announce my candidacy for President of ASSU! I understand what ASSU stands for, what it means to represent you, and how to effectively advocate for your needs—something I’ve been doing for over 700 days of my undergraduate journey.

Beyond ASSU, I serve as President of Charitable Indulgence, where you may have seen me fundraising with sweet treats for international relief efforts. I’ve also been involved with Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) for nearly three years and sit on multiple committees for the Faculty of Arts & Science, always striving to make student voices heard.

Over the past two years, I’ve led key initiatives, including:

  • The Syllabus Archive Initiative
  • Ongoing: Increasing the percentage of grades returned before the drop date

As President, my goals include:

  • Revisiting the absence declaration policy
  • Exploring solutions for the financial burden of deferred exam fees
  • Expanding scholarship diversity on campus
  • Continuing to improve ASSU transparency—I believe in always asking YOU what YOU want me to do FOR YOU.

I am born to advocate FOR YOU! Let’s make real change happen—together.

Gabriel Pascual

Hello students of Arts & Science!

My name is Gabriel, and I’m a third-year undergraduate running for the position of ASSU president.

My platform stems from a key idea: promoting democracy and giving power back to the course unions.  There are nearly 55 course unions, each representing a unique program.  With that in mind, I won’t claim to know the needs of every single student, and I refuse to make empty promises.

Instead, I will set achievable expectations and only promise what is in my power –– my full commitment.  This means being available around the clock and tailoring my service to meet the diverse needs of the course unions and their students.  As the Director of Finance for UofT URSA, I’ve already had to adapt my role throughout the year.  From leading my team to secure funding for the entire year to planning large-scale events, spearheading aspects of marketing, and even graphic design, I’ve dedicated my time, through URSA, to undergraduate students interested in research.

As President, I plan to not only be the voice of the student body, but also to help bring the dreams and visions of the course unions to life.  I’ll be presenting my full platform at my speech, so be sure to stop by — I have a feeling you’ll enjoy it.

I look forward to the possibility of serving you, the students of Arts & Science.

All the best to my fellow nominees.

Safia Zaman

No statement

Candidates for Executive

Grace Johnson

My name is Grace Johnson and I am a second year student, going into my third year, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Visual and Caribbean Studies with a certificate in Business. So far at UofT, I have been a part of the West Indian Student Association, the Hart House Art Committee, a co-president of the Caribbean Studies Student Union, co-president of the Art in Politics Student Association and an executive on the ASSU team.

On my undergraduate journey, I love to use my passions to support and benefit the community. All of my student initiatives incorporate my interests, and through them I can be a voice for other students. On the ASSU team, I have been able to learn from incredibly driven people and redevelop a podcast where I can talk with faculty and students alike in meaningful conversations. The idea of learning from one another and connecting the student and staff body here at UofT is something I have a passion for. I hope to provide a sense of relatability, community, and belonging to the ASSU and, therefore, the UofT. What I cherish most about the union is the conversations that flourish. The space embraces new knowledge, new people and good conversation, which I think we don’t take advantage of enough at such a big university. I want to further encourage the need for face-to-face conversations and for people to feel comfortable expressing their opinions and having a space to do so.

Adwik Kusumakar

Hi! My name is Adwik Kusumakar, and I am a first-year social sciences student navigating a career in environmental policymaking. In applying for an executive position on the Arts & Science Student Union, I bring a strong commitment to academic excellence and a collaborative spirit (and some middle school-level humor). My experiences range from representing UofT at the 4th Global Peace Summit at United Nations Thailand to serving as the First-year Representative for the Physics Student Union, which have equipped me with strong leadership and teamwork skills. Furthermore, I have honed my communications and advocacy skills as a Sustainability Ambassador at the UofT Office of Sustainability and the Secretary of my house council.

I aim to perform several tasks for the union, from critically analyzing policies and upholding transparency for the student body’s best interests.  As an executive, I will advocate for more extensive event collaborations with student organizations, unions, and clubs. Additionally, I aspire to bring greater awareness to student rights, research opportunities, mental health resources on campus, and everything in between, ensuring the needs of all students are met efficiently. I am eager to contribute to meaningful discussions and help shape policies that uphold ASSU’s integrity and inclusivity.

Zayne Nettey

My name is Zayne Nettey, and I am a second-year Arts and Science student and current ASSU Executive seeking re-election for the 2025-2026 Academic year.

In my time with ASSU over the last five months, I have had the pleasure of getting to understand the inner workings of the Faculty of Arts and Science, as well as engaging with the students within the faculty and understanding their experiences on a day-to-day basis in our office. I have also collaborated with my fellow executives in facilitating initiatives such as the reinvigoration of the ASSU Podcast and the organization of the Union’s upcoming Open Mic Night, which aid students through the spread of useful information and foster a more unified student body. These initiatives, along with my interactions with our student body, have reinforced my appreciation for the valuable perspectives that each member of our community has, be they celebrations, concerns, or general suggestions.

I remain steadfast in my goal of ensuring that all students, regardless of their place in their academic journey, know the importance of their voices and contributions towards the betterment of the Arts and Science student community. Through my involvement with ASSU, I am further encouraged that this goal is fully attainable, and through future initiatives and activities that I hope to engage in through continued involvement with ASSU, we can ensure that each Arts and Science student feels that their time here is as enriching as it should be.

Thisha Ravindran

My name is Thisha Ravindran, and I am running to be your next ASSU Executive. I am committed to amplifying student voices and ensuring our university prioritizes academic success, mental health, and student well-being.

I bring strong leadership and advocacy experience to this role. As a recipient of an Acceleration Consortium grant, I partnered with MITO2i to lead event planning, speaker recruitment, and accessibility initiatives while managing a $13,500 grant to develop equity-focused research frameworks. As House President of the New College Student Council, I strengthened my advocacy skills and organized initiatives that improved student life.

My Priorities for ASSU:

Mental Health & Well-Being

  • Advocate for a “mental health day” policy, allowing students to take breaks without
  • Organize workshops on mental health resources and coping

Academic Transparency & Support

  • Develop a mentorship platform connecting students with mentors/alumni.
  • Push for flexible exam deferrals without
  • Advocate for open-access course

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) & Student Representation

  • Organize EDI workshops for course unions in collaboration with student

Support for Off-Campus Students

  • Advocate for subsidized transit passes and improved shuttle
  • Launch a newsletter highlighting resources and events for off-campus

Course Union Support

  • Provide leadership and event-planning training.
  • Develop a centralized platform for course unions to
  • Create a shared event calendar to prevent scheduling conflicts.
  • Offer grant-writing workshops and a digital toolkit for funding

With your support, we can create a stronger ASSU

Dean Tessaro

I, Dean Tessaro, am running for an executive position on the 2025-2026 ASSU Council for one reason: change. ASSU’s public face is lacking-website updates are sparse, outreach is lacking, and many students don’t even know ASSU exists. I’ve had countless conversations explaining what the council does, what course unions are, and what students can gain from it, and yet the overwhelming response to any mention of it remains “what’s that?”. That’s what I want to change. As the vice president of the Criminology Students’ Association, I worked with a strong team to bring a dying student association to a central role in our students’ academic experience with new initiatives, events, and outreach. I want to apply that same ethos to bring ASSU to the forefront of student life-and more importantly, I want to bring students back to the centre of ASSU. There is no better group for identifying the issues and challenges faced by our student population than students themselves. As I collected nominators for this election, the one thing I found more valuable than their signatures was their thoughts; the day I write this, I’ve been lucky to have conversations with a dozen students about the strengths and weaknesses of their departments, Arts & Science, and U of T as a whole. These are conversations I want to keep having, and through them I’ll ensure that student voices are not only heard, but supported. I’m not just running for ASSU for myself-I’m running for everyone.

Michelle Wong

Hello Arts & Science!

My name is Michelle, and I’m excited to announce my candidacy for ASSU Executive!

First, I’d like to express my gratitude for your support over the past two years. It has been an honor to serve as your ASSU Executive!

During my time on the ASSU, I’ve had the opportunity to work on various impactful projects, including last year’s Arbor Journal of Undergraduate Research and this year’s Undergraduate Research Conference. These initiatives provide students with valuable experience in academic editing and reviewing while creating a platform to showcase and celebrate the incredible research conducted by Arts & Science students across all disciplines. I’m incredibly grateful to have played a role in coordinating these projects and working alongside fellow ASSU Executives and Staff, as well as Arts & Science students!

If re-elected, I aim to:
1)  Enhance ASSU’s annual research journal and conference, using my experience working on both projects to strengthen and expand their impact.
2)  Expand student outreach and engagement by increasing awareness of ASSU’s resources, including our printing service, travel grants, donations, course union events, and extending our communications to share important academic policies, deadlines, and opportunities.
3)  Create opportunities for students to explore post-undergraduate pathways by connecting them with faculty and alumni across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

I would be honored to support and represent you all as an ASSU Executive once again. Let’s work together to create more opportunities, stronger connections, and a better student experience!

Thank you for your