Meet Jessika Baroi, another new staff member.

It’s nice to finally take a breather and reflect the last month of long hours of watching TED Talks and figuring out a list of speakers for the Terry Global Speaker Series.  But before I dive right into what Gordon and I have been up to in the Centre for Student Involvement let me introduce myself.

My name is Jessika Baroi.  I was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh.  When I was 10 years old, my father transferred to Laos to work for the humanitarian organization called World Vision.  In 2001, my family officially moved to Laos where I attended the only International School.  My early teenage years I had a keen interest in student initiates and involvement.  High school really allowed me to do that.  So I ran for Secretary, of the Student Council.  I took on responsibilities that no one else had in the past councils.  I was part of co-finding and organizing the largest student lead fundraiser in the country.  Now this was only grade 11; in grade 12 I ran for President and evidently got elected again and took my involvement to the next level by organizing the annual Charity Gala in my school.  It was pretty obvious that I was not going to stop there.  But then I graduated and moved to UBC.

UBC was obviously the next big step.  I knew from the beginning that I wanted to be involved with student initiatives.  Vast as it is, UBC offered a wide range of opportunities which can be overwhelming.  In my second year, I got heavily involved in UBC Orientations by being an Imagine Squad Manager and most currently a Squad Leader to help ease the process of transition for first year incoming students.  Being an international student myself, I realize the importance behind transition.  Furthermore, I have been heavily involved with the UBC Student Leadership Conference which reminded me that leadership happens in many different forms and also that anyone has the capacity to take on leadership roles.  This summer I am working as one of the Student Coordinators for the Terry Project.  I am responsible for organizing the Terry Global Speaker Series and also the TEDx Terry Talks.

I just finished my second year at UBC.  I am proud student of the Faculty of Arts and pursuing a major in Sociology and a minor in International Relations.  This summer, with the Terry Project, an organization that I have always wanted to be a part of, one of the main focuses is the Terry TEDx Talks.  The Terry Project is unique in the sense that it enables students to voice their thoughts and opinions on popular global issues both in the social and scientific field which is essentially the greatest aspect of the organization.  It is designed to promote a sense of integration of the science and arts faculties.  Gordon and I are going to use the provided platform to offer the Undergraduate and Graduate Community to spotlight their concerns and voices.