Ready to get involved and make an impact in the Faculty of Education? The Faculty of Education Students’ Association (FESA) General Elections are officially here!

📅 Election Timeline

Nominations Open: March 2 - March 9 @ 12:00 PM

Campaigning Period: March 9 @ 6:00 PM - March 23 @ 11:59 PM

Voting Period: March 24

Results Announced: March 25

📌 Position descriptions and responsibilities are available on our About Us page.

🔗 Submit your candidacy through this Google Form! (nominations have ended)

Hello everyone! My name is Suhel Paudel. I am a first-year [I/S] teacher candidate with biology and chemistry as my teachable subjects. Although I am new to uOttawa, I have had the privilege of learning firsthand the responsibilities and leadership required to support and guide the executive team in my role as the current FESA Year 1 Co-Chair. Through this experience, our team has developed many exciting initiatives that I hope to continue building on and expanding next year. 

As the Y1 Co-Chair, I attended meetings, built strong connections with the Faculty, the Dean, the Facilities manager, Campus Security, and external companies while advocating for improvements to locker security. This included increasing security patrols and coordinating with facilities to change the locker room entrance through CafeGo, making the previous door “exit-only” to reduce unauthorized access. Alongside the Y2 Co-Chair, I set meeting agendas, led executive meetings, and helped manage the team to ensure events and initiatives ran smoothly and deadlines were met. I eventually also supported the internal communications, ensuring important information was shared clearly and that students who contacted us received thoughtful and timely responses. 

I strongly value teamwork, communication, and authenticity. Whether it was reiterating ideas during the executive and the general council meetings or organizing team-bonding activities, I aimed to foster an environment where every executive member and class representative felt comfortable and safe sharing their ideas and asking for support when required. Previously, I served as the Vice-President of the Biochemistry Course Union at UBC for two years, where I directed the operations team, strengthened team morale, and expanded academic support and engagement opportunities for students. With over 3 years of executive leadership experience, I am confident I can help FESA continue to grow and improve. I am currently working with the Facilities Manager to purchase locks for unpurchased lockers so they can be secured. Students should never have to worry about the safety of their belongings, which is why I will continue advocating for stronger locker security and will once again inquire about installing security cameras. 

The FESA Executive team exists to represent and amplify the voices of all Faculty of Education students. Through the challenges and experiences of this year, I have grown tremendously as a leader. As the Y2 Co-Chair, it will be an honour to lead next year’s team and continue building a supportive, responsive, and professional community. Thank you for your consideration. I truly appreciate your support. 

Hi all! My name is Ellie Adams, and I’m running for Year 2 Vice-President Finance. I’m in the Intermediate/Senior division with teachables in Physical & Health Education and Biology. Outside the classroom, I’m a lover of all things sport-related, a coffee enthusiast, and a newbie cyclist. 

Over the past eight months, I’ve found a real sense of community in this program, and I’m passionate about helping incoming Y1s and Y2s find theirs too. I believe FESA has a responsibility for bringing our education community together by creating opportunities for connection and engagement, especially during those first few weeks of the Fall term when everyone is finding their footing. 

I had the privilege of serving as Y1 VP Finance this year, and the experience has been both enlightening and rewarding. Alongside my Y2 counterpart, I helped manage budgeting and event subsidies while working with the entire FESA team to make events more accessible for students. This included supporting affordable merchandise, subsidized gala tickets, SafeTalk training, and a number of free events open to all B.Ed. students. 

Next year, I want to keep building on that momentum. My goal is simple: keep events affordable and worth showing up to. I also want to ensure every FESA team member fully uses their allocated budgets so that education students get the most out of their uOttawa experience — we have the funds, let’s use them wisely and well. 

Outside of education, I work with Students on Ice Foundation, an organization that sends youth and educators from northern and remote Canadian communities on expeditions to the Arctic. In this role, I coordinate over $120,000 in flight costs, propose and adhere to travel budgets, handle invoices, and adapt quickly to changes, all while ensuring strong financial accountability to our funders. This experience has given me practical experience managing large budgets, which directly informs how I approach responsible financial management at FESA.

If elected, I hope to contribute to a stronger and more welcoming culture within our student government — one that is transparent, earns student trust, and remains focused on improving the experience of every B.Ed. student. I feel a strong sense of responsibility to our education community, and I am committed to representing you with integrity and care. 

Hi everyone! I'm Steven, a current Y1 Teacher Candidate in the I/S division, with teachables in Math & Physics!

I'm hoping I've earned your trust to continue serving as VP Communications for FESA. To keep things brief, here are some of the initiatives and contributions I’ve worked on this year:

• Revamped FESA's website! And fixed that annoying redirect website that some of you may have encountered at the beginning of the school year.

• Added new website features to increase transparency and kept the site consistently updated.

• Published over 40 Instagram posts (plus stories!) to keep everyone informed about events and opportunities.

• Spearheaded the Black History Month “Black Excellence in Education” feature series that hopefully some of you may have seen recently.

• Launched “External Opportunities” posts to help Teacher Candidates discover PLCs, jobs, and other professional opportunities!

• Redesigned the Executive Meeting Agenda template to improve clarity and readability.

• Took weekly meeting minutes during executive meetings alongside my Year 2 counterpart.

• Restarted FESA’s LinkedIn page to expand our professional presence.

• Coordinated office hours with fellow executives and helped promote them to increase accessibility.

For the upcoming school year, I'm looking to continue doing the work I've been putting in, plus the following:

• Continue expanding our LinkedIn presence and professional outreach.

• Create more engaging Reels and digital content to improve communication and engagement.

• Strengthen FESA’s in-person presence on campus.

• Continue providing equity resources to educators.

• Branding exploration

• Remain open to feedback on how we can best communicate with you without being too invasive ;)

Thank you sincerely for your trust and support this past year. I hope I’ve demonstrated my commitment to the role, and I would be honoured to continue serving as your VP Communications as we move toward graduation together! :)

My name is Jordynn Bateman, and as an incoming Year 2 P/J teacher candidate with an Honours BA in Psychology and an MEd in Teaching and Learning Studies, I am committed to strengthening academic success, community connection, and accessible supports within the Faculty of Education. 

My experience as a student mentor with the Social Sciences Student Experience Centre, where I facilitated study groups, note taking workshops, and time management sessions, along with my background as a Community Advisor in residence, has shaped my focus on creating supportive, collaborative learning environments. I bring strong leadership and governance experience from previously serving as president of a campus club with over 80 members and a budget of $60,000. I am dedicated to continuing the work of the FESA scholarship program while expanding academic supports for teacher candidates. 

As VP Academic Affairs, I will work to build mentorship opportunities between cohorts, connect students with campus resources, run structured study groups and create spaces for teacher candidates to connect, and continue initiatives such as the math review sessions. I believe that our events and academic supports should reflect the real needs of teacher candidates, and I am committed to actively gathering student ideas and feedback so that our work truly represents their best interests. My goal is to ensure every teacher candidate feels supported, informed, and connected throughout their academic and practicum journey, and that our resources are genuinely accessible. I truly believe we can thrive and achieve our bests when we connect as a community, and fostering community is at the root of my platform. Thank you!

My name is Jordan Hicks, I am finishing my first year of B.Ed, I am in the J/I division with my music teachable. I have a passion for helping peers, standing up for others and keeping things organized. I was year 1 VP of academics this year and I enjoyed contributing to FESA, including helping with scholarships and creating/hosting math review nights. I would love to learn from this experience and bring even more to the program next year. I hope to continue providing academic help and opportunities for my peers. I want everyone to get the most out of this program that they can, and make sure everyone's voice are heard.

Sarah Lujetic, Primary Junior class of 2027. 

I am interested in this role because I am passionate about building a community within this program. Events are an effective way to bring people together and create an environment where everyone feels they belong. I have been involved in student government since elementary school and want to continue serving as a voice for the entire student body. 

If I am reelected, I will continue my passion for hosting entertaining, inclusive, and community-based events! I want to create an environment where each event caters to everyone's needs. It is rare to have one event that interests everyone, but offering different options at one event creates a culture of community and celebration of everyone's differences. 

I have had the honour of serving as the Year 1 representative this past year and have planned and assisted with multiple events. I planned my first event, Wellness Week, which was successful, and student feedback was excellent! I am currently planning the end-of-year Gala and have taken on responsibility for it. I have received significant help from my fellow execs and the subcommittee. Being the sole planner for this has required me to take on a leadership role, and I am confident that this year's Gala will be the best one yet! I plan to have an activity for everyone there! Games and craft table, a professional photo booth and an extensive raffle table! 

I would love to continue to plan events next year, so please consider having me as your Year 2 Vp Socials. 

Hi everyone! My name is Caroline, and I will be entering my second year as a primary/junior teacher candidate.

I am interested in continuing in the role of VP Outreach because, over the past year, I have learned a great deal, and it has been a pleasure and a privilege to collaborate on initiatives for our program's students and the broader community.

This past year, as your Year-One VP Outreach, I have:

• facilitated the Breakfast and Break Fast Club for year ones,

• coordinated and hosted the subsidized safeTALK suicide prevention training,

• ran the Winter Clothing Drive, which supported youth at Operation Come Home Ottawa,

• helped run the merch design contest,

• connected outside organizations/opportunities with the program,

• and helped out at and supported other FESA events!

I've heard the interest in the UOttawa Bookstore merch, and I plan to have that available to order during the first semester next school year.

At FESA, we have seen how food has brought us together and created spaces for inter-division mingling, so I strive to keep creating spaces for everyone to come and have a snack and chat with new and old friends! I would love to create more opportunities to share food within the larger community in Ottawa as well.

The safeTALK workshop was a success this year, and next year I plan to offer a subsidized CPR course to all B.Ed. students. 

I aim to create more community events, including continuing our support to Operation Come Home, fundraisers and food drives with local organizations, an art event with the Ottawa Art Gallery, planning a visit to Kitigan Zibi, and other fun events!

Thanks for your consideration!

My name is Ariya, and I will be entering my second year of the Primary/Junior stream of the BEd program at UOttawa. During the 2025-2026 academic year, I served as the Vice President of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for FESA, where I worked to promote diversity and ensure inclusive standards were upheld during events and initiatives offered to teacher candidates. Throughout the year, I had the privilege of working alongside different roles on the executive team to execute and organize a number of events, including Wellness Week, Breakfast Club, Break-Fast Club, Kindness Week, Spirit Days, and subsidized SafeTALK training. 

In the upcoming year, I hope to build on my efforts by continuing to centre the diverse voices of teacher candidates in our program. I hope to establish an equity committee to assist with broader student input and centre student perspectives while incorporating principles of EDI throughout our association. One of my main goals is to organize events that specifically support racialized teacher candidates and create a greater sense of belonging. Additionally, I hope to host a graduate school and career panel highlighting the different pathways available to BEd graduates beyond traditional classroom teaching.