PRESIDENT : Michelle V.J. Bookal
Program with Year: 2nd Entry 2nd Year
Interests in the nursing field: Paediatric Trauma/ICU or Labour and Delivery
Favourite quote: “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” - Maya Angelou
Why did I choose nursing: I chose to nurse as my precursor to a career in medicine. I aspire to become a physician in the future but decided to get there through nursing because I wanted to learn how to care for patients on a more personal therapeutic level which nursing gives me. I love the field of nursing, and I have a greater appreciation for it every day!
Why I got involved with NSAY: I got involved with NSAY as a way to connect with other students, make new friends and also become an advocate for my student group. I am very big on supporting one another and any way possible I can support my fellow students I am willing to do! NSAY gives me that opportunity to advocate for my peers, while also learning and growing as a student leader.
VICE-PRESIDENT: Matthias Schulz
Program with Year: 4th year (Collab.)
Interests in the Nursing Field: Paediatric Nursing, ER Nursing, Flight Nurse are my top 3
Favourite quote: "You know you're a nursing student if your GPA is higher than the number of hours you sleep in a week." Why did I choose nursing: I like helping others and nursing allows me to help individuals in more ways then on.
Why I got involved with NSAY: I really enjoy meeting new people and helping others succeed. I figured by joining NSAY I am able to advocate for my classmates and share their voice.
FINANCE DIRECTOR - Hir Patel
Program with year: 2nd Year 2nd-Entry Nursing Student
Interests in the nursing field: NICU, labour&delivery, burn care
Favourite quote: “Just keep swimming.” - Finding Nemo
Why did I choose nursing: The patient interaction is what attracted me to nursing. I love the deep connections you are able to establish with patients while helping them when they are most vulnerable. I also enjoy the pure act of caring for others, which is what nursing is all about!
Why I got involved with NSAY: I love that NSAY includes and represents all programs within nursing at York. We are all brought together as one big nursing community to support and grow throughout our nursing education. I hope to support my peers and enjoy the little time we have here as much as possible! 😊
EVENTS DIRECTOR- Maryan Mohamud
Program with Year: Year 4-Collab
Interests in the nursing field: L/D, Surgery, Oncology
Favourite quote: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Why did I choose nursing: I always wanted to be in a field that was not only challenging but also made a difference in peoples lives and nursing is an amazing mix of these two aspects.
Why I got involved with NSAY: I got involved in NSAY because I wanted to help connect the different communities we have in the faculty of nursing. We all come from different backgrounds and I want to to give all nursing students space where they feel like they can connect and socialize with their peers.
MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR - Baljeet Kaur Bhella
INTERNAL RELATIONS DIRECTOR -Rodolfo D. Lastimosa Jr.
Program with Year: 3rd Year BScN-IEN student
Interests in the nursing field: Cardiovascular nursing, Community health nursing, Critical care nursing, Emergency nursing, Gerontological nursing, Hospice palliative care nursing, Medical-surgical nursing, Nephrology nursing, Neuroscience nursing, Occupational health nursing, Oncology nursing, Orthopedic nursing, Peri-anesthesia nursing, Peri-operative nursing, Psychiatric and mental health nursing, and Rehabilitation nursing.
Favourite quote: Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.
Why did I choose nursing? My passion is always in health care. Being a Registered Physiotherapist, Nurse and Midwife in the Philippines and a Registered Practical Nurse in Canada and now pursuing my Registered Nurse profession, I believe that I always wanted to do something in my career that is challenging, interesting, and makes a difference in people's lives daily. In the nursing profession, you deal with many aspects of patient care, and I enjoy the variety in the routine. Dealing with patients and their families and helping them through what is often a difficult time for them is extremely satisfying for me. Furthermore, I love learning new things. I am always challenging myself to keep current on medical trends and training so that I can provide the best care to my patients. Every day I learn something new from my colleagues and patients, which inspires me to explore deeper knowledge of the techniques and procedures I use. Lastly, I believe my ability to communicate with people and to explain things clearly in both a technical and non-technical way is one of the things that makes me a good nurse
Why I got involved with NSAY? For professional development. I believe it is vital for lifelong learning in which we can engage to develop and maintain competence, enhance professional nursing practice, and support the achievement of our career goals. Indeed, nursing organizations such as NSAY may very well be the foundation of nursing professional development.
4th Year (Collab) Representative - Felix Fortier
Program with Year: BScN collaborate, 4th year
Interests in the nursing field: Psychiatrics
Favourite quote: Nurse: just another word to describe a person strong enough to tolerate anything and soft enough to understand anyone.
Why did I choose nursing: to help others
Why I got involved with NSAY: Want to be more involved in student representation
Administrative Director -Sungeun Cho (Sandy)
Program with Year: BScN collaborate, 4th year
Interests in the nursing field: Paediatrics, public health, palliative care, cardiology
Favourite quote: Be Brave, Be Humble
Why did I choose nursing: I always enjoyed the sciences, more specifically I was interested in caring for the human body. After looking at various health-related programs such as kinesiology, nutrition science, and nursing, I chose to nurse because it has a holistic approach to caring for the human body and mind.
Why I got involved with NSAY: I got involved with NSAY because I want to actively participate in making an inclusive environment for nursing students throughout York's various nursing programs. Nursing is an academically challenging program and I believe that a sense of camaraderie is very important in pushing through the bad times and fully enjoying the good times.
Canadian Nursing Students’ Association Official Delegate - Melanie Marques
Program with Year: 2nd Year 2nd-Entry Nursing Student
Interests in the nursing field: Paediatrics, NICU, Labor and Delivery
Favourite quote: "The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit." - Unknown
Why did I choose nursing: I chose to pursue nursing because of my inherent desire to assist those in their most vulnerable conditions. I have always been passionate about instilling a sense of hope, happiness and love in everyone that I meet, and nursing provides me with an optimal outlet to do just that. I hope to advocate for and support each and every one of my patients in a way that is conducive to their safety, comfort and healing.
Why I got involved with NSAY: I got involved with NSAY and CNSA to help ensure that the concerns, needs and voices of York University nursing students were heard at both the regional and national level.I aim to use my role as a means to advocate for and support nursing students as they navigate through their academic and professional nursing careers.
Outreach Director—Nupur Raghav
Program with year: 3rd Year IEN BSCN Nursing Student
Interest in Nursing Field: Obstetrics and Maternity Nursing, Pediatrics Nursing
Why did I choose Nursing: I choose nursing because my mother and grandmother wanted me to be a nurse. Being in the nursing field helps me to learn the importance of the development of the relationship between the nurse and the client. Nursing made me a compassionate person and enabled my skills to provide holistic care to the clients.
Why I got involved with NSAY: I want to serve the community to gain the skills of how to work for community. Joining NSAY gave me the opportunity to enhance my leadership skills.
IEN Representative-Kamala Acharya Bhattarai
Program with Year: 4th Year IEN
Interest in nursing: Interested in Geriatric Nursing, Surgery, OT, and Emergency
Why did I choose Nursing? My passion is to help and care for and being with them. Respect diverse culture, dignity, and individuality are my priority. I am inspired and motivated by my childhood to become a nurse.
Why I got involved with NSAY: Being an IEN representative and involving in NSAY, I wanted to connect with the same group and learn as well as help others for the journey of nursing.
IEN Representative- Kabita Thapa
Program with Year:IEN
Interests in the Nursing Field: Critical unit, General Medicine and Psychiatric unit.
Favourite quote: Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.-Jim Ryun
Why did I choose nursing: I was always fascinated by what nurses did so, I always dreamt of being a nurse. So, when I had to choose my career I chose nursing. Being involved in nursing has taught me many important life lessons and the most important is to respect every individual, being sick does not define who they are so every individual deserve to be respected.
Why I got involved in NSAY: Being an IEN, the path for nursing in Canada and the university environment was very new to me. So, I always wanted to connect to the group of people who were in the same path as I was. So, I joined NSAY where I can be a part of a group that are involved in advocating for other students and help to make their journey to nursing easy.