Mohammedshadabkhan ‘Sid’ Pathan to replace long-time board member Sri Krishna Rajan as DCI. 

The position director of communications and internal (DCI) on the Student Association (SA) Board of Directors has finally been filled.  

After an election cycle in the fall where no one ran for the position and the incumbent had to extend his stay, things took a turn in the spring elections. Two candidates, Mohammedshadabkhan ‘Sid’ Pathan and Kewal Raja, nominated themselves for the position of DCI. 

The elections which took place in March culminated with votes turning in Pathan’s favour.  

Pathan won with a total of 1359 votes. Overall, 3685 students voted for this position. 

He adds that he is grateful for everyone who helped him campaign and spread the word, as well as those who voted for him. He describes his campaigning experience as being successful and fulfilling.  

Pathan is hopeful of what is to come and is ready to take on the responsibilities that come with his new position.  

“My hopes and aspirations for moving forward are to connect with all the board members and really learn how the Student Association operates. I would like to work parallelly with the general manager and other committee managers, along with the board and learn how I can learn and bring the change in Student Association while maintaining the standards of Student Association we have today.” 

Pathan is a final semester student in the electromechanical engineering technician program at GBC. He is an international student and has lived in Canada since the fall of 2021. 

As an international student himself, Pathan is empathetic to the struggles of international students and aims to work for them in his capacity as an SA board member. One of his key promises to international, as well as domestic students, is to create more networking opportunities.  

“When I came to Canada, everything was completely new for me. I slowly made friends, made new connections. I saw the benefits of being social and networking. That’s why I always promote networking in students so they can make their own opportunities or find opportunities,” he said.  

Pathan believes that one of the reasons he was able to win the elections was because of his networking. 

He shared that the biggest challenge for him, however, would be to reach out to the entirety of SA’s membership.  

“Many students are completely unaware of amenities provided by SA. This would be the biggest challenge,” he said. “I want to create a safe space for them to contribute to the SA and their student experience, to raise any concern of theirs.” 

Pathan is hopeful of what is to come and believes that his listening, socialising, and strategizing abilities will be an asset to the board and help him bring a change.  

He shared that Raja was an admirable opponent and either of them would have given their best, once elected.  

“He is also a good listener. If he had become the director of communications and internal, I would still have been happy because he looked like he could do it,” Pathan said. 

Pathan, along with the other new elects, will start their term on the board of directors on May 1.