SU general election: Schulich School of Engineering
Jana Abdelrahman
Second-year student Jana Abdelrahman is one of two candidates running to represent the Schulich School of Engineering in the 2026 Student Union (SU) General Election.
Since Abdelrahman did not conduct an interview with the Gauntlet, here are the major points from her online platform.
“Over the past two years at Schulich, I’ve experienced the challenges and opportunities that come with being an engineering student,” Abdelrahman said in her platform. “I’ve learned that engineering is more than academics alone. It’s a community, a network and an experience that shapes our future careers.”
Abdelrahman highlights three key areas that she says require meaningful action:
The first is lowering the cost of course materials by expanding open-source and low-cost textbooks, increasing the number of library textbook copies and advocating for more financial aid access and used-material exchanges.
The second is better academic support across all departments, including early-semester workshops for courses with high failure rates and peer mentorship.
She additionally advocates for accessible co-op opportunities: “Co-op is one of the most valuable parts of engineering, yet many students feel unprepared or unaware of how to navigate it,” said Abdelrahman.
Abdelrahman aims to achieve this by bringing co-op advisors into core classes and highlighting internships that are available to students.
“I am running because I believe we deserve support, clarity and leadership that is present, engaged and genuinely invested in our success,” Abdelrahman concludes in her platform.
Abdelrahman’s platform demonstrates a knowledge of student’s concerns, and proposes reasonable solutions. However, her platform could benefit from details on how these ideas would be implemented.
Khadiza Ahsan
Khadiza Ahsan is one of two candidates running to represent the Schulich School of Engineering in the 2026 Student Union (SU) General Election.
Since Ahsan did not conduct an interview with the Gauntlet, here are the major points from her online platform.
Ahsan’s platform outlines the need for “clarity, accessibility and meaningful follow-through.”
“Through navigating heavy course loads, internship and complex academic systems, I’ve seen how easily students can feel unsupported or excluded from important conversations, said Ahsan”
Ahsan is advocating for more flexible course options in the spring and summer terms, including an increase in online offerings.
“Many engineering students balance academics with work, internships, research and personal responsibilities, and our course structures should reflect those realities,” said Ahsan.
Ahsan also advocates in her platform for better support for international students navigating internships and study abroad opportunities.
She advocates for a better access of information through a centralized portal that displays events, deadlines and opportunities.
“Students should be able to easily discover opportunities and track what is relevant to them without searching across multiple platforms or poster boards,” said Ahsan.
She additionally advocates for a year-round feedback mechanism for engineering students: “Representation should be ongoing, and students deserve to know their voices are being heard and brought forward in a timely way.”
“I am committed to representing Schulich students with care, accountability, and a focus on practical, visible improvements that make student life more navigable and inclusive,” she concludes in her platform.
While Ahsan demonstrates a strong understanding of the student experience, and highlights the need for accountability and better communication, her platform could be more explicit in its desired initiatives, and how she’d achieve them.