THE RESULTS ARE IN!
Monica Khosla wins IGNITE President for the 2018/2019 year.
“My vision is to have a student government that is more interactive, transparent, as well as inclusive,” she posted as part of her campaign platform.
Her win is followed by Vice Presidents Jeremy Largo Afonso of North Campus, Graham Budgeon of Lakeshore Campus and Maheen Nazim of Guelph-Humber campuses.
Candidates pushed campaigns and promotions throughout all three campuses from March 12 to 16 in hopes of solidifying their positions for today’s results. Students, together with IGNITE faculty and staff, were gathered at Humber Lakeshore’s K-Building sometime around 5 p.m. to await the announcement of the new executive team. Current IGNITE President Maja Jocson commenced the press conference with a warm acknowledgement to those who chose to run, as well as a celebratory appreciation to the 8,489 students who voted – a substantial 4.84 percent increase over last year.
“You guys really care,” said Jocson. “You care about where your money is being put into, who is representing you. So, shout out to you guys.”
Alongside being the election with the highest participation to date, it also proved to be highly anticipated – only two candidates vied for the presidency. Khosla says her victory came as a surprise, after having previously run for Board of Director at last year’s election and lost.
While her opponent Allisa Lim currently sits as Lakeshore’s Vice President, Khosla managed to gain 114 more votes that turned this tight race around.
“I knew how much she was getting out there and how hard she was working and how many posters she’s put up,” said Khosla. “She had a very good platform, and then, on top of that, she really has that team of people who believe in her. I said, ‘Can I top that?’”
Upon hearing the results, Jocson says that the excitement is a reflection of the candidates’ willingness to dedicate themselves to the roles they’ve been given, and she hopes this continues for the rest of the academic year. She adds, “Yes, everyone is excited now, but you have to maintain that, even through the times when it’s very difficult. So I think that’s the biggest thing.”
Although Khosla has no previous relationship with IGNITE, her leadership experience at Humber through co-curricular activities gives her the influence and platform to take on what is expected.
In a send-off to the new leadership, Jocson states, “Regardless of whether or not she was a part of IGNITE before, as long as she has that drive and she knows what her end goal is, I think she’s gonna do well.”
Below are the full results of the 2018-2019 IGNITE Elections
President
Monica Khosla
Vice President North Campus
Jeremy Largo Afonso
Vice President Lakeshore Campus
Graham Budgeon
Vice President Guelph-Humber Campus
Maheen Nazim
Board of Directors North
Tashornna Simpson
Rohit Sharma
Shayan Shakil
Parth Amin
Board of Directors Lakeshore
Margarita Bader
Nisha Haroon
Christian Semerjian
Board of Directors Guelph-Humber
Kevin Siery
Saffiya Lulat
