Former director of communications and internal reflects on his time at the Student Association 

Sri Krishna Rajan served in various capacities on the Student Association’s (SA) board of directors for the last three years.  

Ending his time at the SA as the director of communications and internal, Rajan shares that his time on the board has had a significant positive impact on his personal and professional life.  

Rajan was elected as the director of student experience in 2020 and the director of education and equity in 2021. In these positions, Rajan worked with events and recreation and dealt with campaigns and advocacy for students and their rights. 

On completion of his term as director of education and equity, he ran for and was elected as the director of communications and internal for the year 2022-2023. 

“While the other two positions have more freedom and flexibility, the roles of director of communications and internal are challenging and require the individual to think critically and from multiple angles,” Rajan says.  

He attributes the greatest of his learnings, especially regarding the workings within an organization, to this position. However, he says that all the positions helped him learn a lot. 

“It’s difficult to pinpoint just one specific lesson learned because of the incredible learning experience I was given,” he says, “This opportunity taught me how to be patient and open to change, that consultation is crucial, and one should never be afraid to hear other people’s ideas and perspectives or even facing rejection.” 

He shares that it was difficult when he was first elected during the COVID-19 as he was an international student to whom the organization and its workings were new. However, with time and people’s support, he was able to grow into someone who worked for three years in the interest of the SA and students.  

Rajan says that all the successes he has seen during his three years at the SA have been alongside the team of which he was a part. 

“When it comes to accomplishment, I believe in the success of the team. I’m always proud of my team because, whether it was in 2020, 2021, or 2022, we supported and guided the SA from a physical location to a virtual one and back to in-person.” 

While Rajan served on the board of directors, the SA signed the SDG accord, provided equity and care relief funds to students, supported Ukrainian refugees through donations, and helped reduced food insecurity amongst students through the Student Nutrition and Access Program (SNAP). 

“Our 2022 team focused on assisting students by fostering stronger ties with alumni and contributing to the office of advancement, and additionally we worked on reimbursing e-textbook fees for students,” he said. 

Rajan shares that he is both sad and excited to move on to the next phase in life, thanking those who supported him in this one. 

“I want to thank my entire board, but especially Taranjeet, Dhwani, Bharvi, Sagar, Shemar, Manisha, Urvish, Purvin, management, staff, and part-time student staff, as well as the GBC leadership team for their wonderful support, as it would not have been possible without them.” 

Rajan has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from his home country, India, and has completed postgraduate programs in Construction Management and Project Management at GBC.  

While he owns and runs his own architecture firm based in India, he says that the next step for him in Canada is to find an opportunity to use the knowledge and skills he has acquired from GBC and the SA.  

“My board position has enabled me to take a step towards better understanding and developing my abilities. It assisted me in running my own architecture studio in better ways and above all, has also made me more responsible and more open to ideas, someone who values balance and harmony and seeks knowledge from diverse cultures,” Rajan says. 

“Although I still have a lot to learn, I am thankful for all the knowledge I have acquired. When I reflect on the past, my learnings astound me.”