Deviating from last year, this year’s HSS executive election is running completely uncontested across three positions.
The Health Sciences Society (HSS) elections are underway, with candidates running for executive positions within the Society, which represents all Bachelor of Health Sciences (BHSc) students. Arani Hiritharan, HealthSci ’27, is running for president, Kelly Jin, HealthSci ’26, is campaigning for vice-president (operations), and Trisha Kotakonda, HealthSci ’27, is seeking the role of vice-president (university affairs).
The Journal spoke with each candidate about their relevant experiences, priorities, and plans for the year.
Arani Hiritharan
After two years of experience as a year representative in her first and second year, Hiritharan hopes to restructure HSS, increase transparency, and ensure student is at the centre of decision-making.
“As President, I would focus on reviewing the [HSS] constitution for clarity in role expectations, ensuring adherence to the constitution and role expectations, improving transition processes, and ensuring we have a central and secure archive of prior documents,” Hiritharan said in an interview with The Journal.
Hiritharan believes many BHSc students are unaware of HSS’s purpose and initiatives, particularly those outlined in the constitution, which emphasize the Society’s commitment to transparency in developing rules and principles for council .To address this, she plans to improve the HSS website by organizing policies and making council ’ information readily accessible.
To improve student engagement, Hiritharan hopes to increase awareness of the monthly HSS Assembly meetings by providing early notices of dates, times, and agendas while maintaining an archive of past meetings.
“My primary objective as president is to ensure student concerns aren’t only heard, but effectively addressed,” she said. “By improving internal structure, increasing transparency, and refining our approach to student , I believe the HSS can better serve our community.”
Kelly Jin
Involved in HSS for the past two years as Marketing Deputy and now Marketing Commissioner, Jin hopes to bring this experience to the role of vice-president (operations), a position that oversees the Society’s internal functions and student engagement in addition to working with the finance commissioner to ensure proper budgeting is done.
“I see so much potential for the HSS to grow into a more substantial network for BHSc students,” Jin said in an interview with The Journal.
Jin’s campaign revolves around three key pillars: connecting communities, operational efficiency and transparency, as well as visibility and engagement. She plans to introduce new resources for HSS-ratified clubs by creating a club manual and leadership workshops, optimizing budget spending to maximize student impact, and enhancing financial transparency with biannual reports.
Outside of HSS, Jin’s experience includes volunteering with the Kingston Community Health Centres and the Kingston Sexual Assault Centre, which she believes are roles that reinforce the value of consistent and intentional advocacy. She hopes to bring the same reliability to the vice-president (operations) role, ensuring student initiatives run smoothly and effectively.
“The vice-president (operations) holds a critical position of for nearly all commissions in HSS,” Jin said. “I hope to provide a pillar of reliability and guidance to ensure our commissioners not only achieve their goals but feel empowered to travel outside the box in implementing them.”
Trisha Kotakonda
If she receives the vote of confidence for vice-president (University Affairs), Kotakonda will oversee the implementation of academic-related events within the Society, collaborate with the AMS to opportunities for Society , and more.
Kotakonda is running with her eyes on increasing ability, improving mental health , and strengthening academic within the HSS. Currently, she serves as HSS’s commissioner of internal affairs where she manages internal matters to the Society, such as organizing the monthly HSS Assembly.
“The VPUA position gives me a platform that allows me to respond to student and work towards implementing positive change on a student-facing level,” Kotakonda said in an interview with The Journal.
One of her main concerns is students’ well-being. She noted many health sciences students struggle with feelings of isolation and demotivation, and she wants to advocate for better mental health resources—including working towards securing a dedicated therapist for undergraduate BHSc students.
The academic system is another area of concern for Kotakonda, noting students struggle to navigate academic concerns and complaints. She aims to improve internal ability and transparency in order to better advocate for BHSc students.
“Students often find the process of traversing academic concerns and complaints extremely challenging, as the process lacks structure,” Kotakonda said. “Increased internal ability and transparency is required in order to better advocate for the BHSc community.”
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