Amber Quo, a fourth-year biomedical engineering student, is running for re-election as the Senate Student-at-Large Representative in the SU 2026 By-Election. Quo previously served in the role and has continued serving as the interim representative during the current by-election period.
Quo’s platform focuses on three pillars: establishing an entrepreneurial mentorship program, expanding the Chancellor’s Scholars Program and keeping students at the forefront of Senate decisions.
Her first platform point is to establish a structured mentorship program connecting students interested in entrepreneurship with senators who have experience in their field and industry. Quo said the program could potentially be developed in partnership with the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, with students applying to be matched with senators based on their interests and needs.
“I think there’s a really good opportunity for the senators to participate in mentorship programs,” Quo said in an interview with the Gauntlet.
Quo said she has already spoken with senators involved in entrepreneurship about the idea and hopes to establish a working group to determine how the program could operate, including potential partnerships and the process for eligibility and matching.
The proposed program is still being developed and Quo said its final structure would depend on discussions with senators and potential university partners.
Her second platform point is expanding the Chancellor’s Scholars Program beyond its current entrance-focused structure. Quo said she wants continuing undergraduate students to have opportunities to access similar scholarship and programming after entering university.
“Students [...] coming into university may not have known about the applications for this program and they should still have the opportunity after like first and even second year to apply for a similar program,” Quo said.
Quo said she has raised the idea during Senate meetings and that stable funding would need to be identified before additional scholarship opportunities could be established. However, even if stable funding cannot be identified, expanding the program could include further mentorship opportunities.
Quo said her experience in the Senate has shown her how long it can take to implement change.
“I’ve learned over the past year how much it really takes to get anything done within the Senate, especially regarding change,” she said. “It’s kind of something that’s like a multi-year effort. Given my experiences last year, I’ve been able to make connections and start some of these ideas with specific senators, and then with their help, we’re hoping to grow it this year to help make it a reality.”
During her previous term, Quo served on the Honors Committee and Community Engagement Committee. The Honors Committee’s responsibilities include considering nominations for honorary degrees and the Order of the University of Calgary.
The Community Engagement Committee supports Senate community-engagement initiatives, including the university’s annual Lecture of a Lifetime.
Quo identified her involvement in the university’s dinosaur costume world-record event for its 60th anniversary as one of her most significant accomplishments from her previous term. She said she helped determine how the event was promoted to students.
Her final platform point is keeping students at the forefront of Senate decisions. Quo said she has gathered student input through discussions with Students’ Legislative Council members and has brought student perspectives to the Senate discussions where possible.
She also wants to improve communication between the Senate representatives and students. Quo said she is working toward establishing an Instagram presence for the Senate Student-at-Large Representatives, although she noted that confidentiality requirements and existing SU rules must be followed.
“Unfortunately, like a lot of things brought up in the Senate are confidential [...] but I do think that, obviously, having student input is the main priority,” Quo said.
If re-elected, Quo said she hopes to continue developing the initiatives she began during her previous term and improve opportunities for students to provide input before Senate meetings.
All undergraduate students can vote through their my.ucalgary.ca Student Centre from 9 a.m. on Oct. 6 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 8. Visit the SU website to read all candidate platforms.
