Meet the 2024-2025 Student Trustees and Shakowennakara:tats!
We are thrilled to introduce our student trustees and Shakowennakara:tats for 2024-2025!
These three incredible student leaders have been officially sworn in and are ready to get to work – and we asked them to share a bit more about themselves and what they hope to accomplish this year!
Oluwafikunayomi (Fikun) Alabi
What are you most looking forward to in your role as Student Trustee?
Hey HWDSB, I am so grateful to be elected as your student trustee. One thing I am looking forward to in my role is hearing your ideas on how to make your learning experience better and fun. I also look forward to working with board members and hearing their opinions and ideas for students.
What do you hope to accomplish during your term?
During my term I hope to create a school community where everyone are welcomed, feels safe with their views and be sure to be heard . This would be done with fun activities to foster better student engagement.
Do you have a message to your fellow HWDSB students?
To all HWDSB students, I want to wish you all the best in the school year, stay focused, set goals that can be smashed . Advocate for your needs and wants through the proper channel. I am excited and looking forward to representing you all!!
Ice cream or chips?
Ice cream.
Morning person vs. evening person?
I would say I’m a mid-day person rather than morning or evening because I don’t like waking up early or sleeping late.
My favourite book?
Hamlet by Shakespeare.
Daunte Hillen
What are you most looking forward to in your role as Student Trustee?
This year as Shakowennakara:tats, I am focused on lifting the voices of students who share their ideas and thoughts on how to make the journey of education a positive and engaging experience for all involved. Through CC:ROSE (Cultivating Community: Reclaiming our Spaces in Education), we work alongside Student Senate in sharing space together with the spirit of reconciliation and healing. This important work will guide the learnings and student voices I will share with the Board at meetings to move us all forward and to make change.
What do you hope to accomplish during your term?
This year, I hope to accomplish having a sense that all students feel well represented and that nobody is left behind due to any barriers. Accessibility and mental health are some of my key pillars that I base my work on, and I want to ensure that all students are being supported appropriately.
We are the leaders of both today and tomorrow and we need to respect, trust and leave spaces that future generations can also lead from. For myself and other Indigenous learners, this is guided by the teachings of the Seven Grandfathers and the Good Mind.
Do you have a message to your fellow HWDSB students?
My message to my fellow HWDSB students would be to acknowledge that you deserve to feel safe and supported in your school and in the community. Mental health matters and its not a privilege but a right. Lastly, don’t waste energy on trying to change minds, spend it on trying to make a positive change.
Every Child Matters.
Ice Cream or Chips?
Ice cream – preferably with strawberries and a side of Bannock!
Morning person vs. evening person?
Day – I prefer to lean into the energy of the Sun.
Favourite book?
Art of Peace by Elizabeth Doxtater – book of wisdom and teachings.
Victoria Li
What are you most looking forward to in your role as Student Trustee?
I look forward to learning more about the inner workings of our education system and being able to provide transparency for all HWDSB students – myself included! This is an amazing opportunity for me to not only help improve education for others but also gain knowledge and understanding from a variety of individuals. I am excited to learn more from everyone I interact with this year, as I am sure there will be many opportunities for me to do so!
What do you hope to accomplish during your term?
This year I hope to improve the quality of our education system, whether that be curriculum related or more student development centred. Something I really hope to focus on is the improvement and growth of mental health for all HWDSB students, secondary and post-secondary student support, as well as amplifying student voice!
Do you have a message to your fellow HWDSB students?
I am your peer! The last thing I want is to seem scary and unapproachable, and I will always do my best to work in a direction that benefits us students. Remember – my role is to be your megaphone, and a megaphone unfortunately does not function without a voice behind it. So, if you have any questions, comments, concerns or requests, please feel free to contact me!
Chips or ice cream?
Ice cream! (I love anything sweet!)
Morning person vs. evening person?
Definitely evening. All my productivity happens during the hours of 8 PM – 1 AM!
Favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower!
Thank you Fikun, Daunte, and Victoria!
Updated on Tuesday, September 17, 2024.