Want a Part-Time Job for the Next School Year? Apply to be a Student Services Coordinator!

The USC wants you!

For every USC initiative you’ve seen this year, there’s a team of students working behind-the-scenes. All of these start from just an idea; it’s up to the USC Coordinators to bring them to life.

If you’re up for the task, the USC is hiring paid, part-time Coordinators to work during the upcoming school year. As the name suggests, Coordinators are responsible for coordinating the USC’s initiatives, reporting directly to one of the Vice-Presidents. Don’t miss your chance to take a key role in shaping Western’s unparalleled student experience!

Applications for these positions are now open until April 7 at 11:59 p.m.

One exciting opportunity for the upcoming school year is working with the Student Services team. To help you find out if you have what it takes, five Coordinators from the team shared their experiences.

Peer Support

To improve student wellness at Western, the USC needs your help.

If you’re open-minded and eager to help students in need, consider applying to be next year’s Peer Support Coordinator, where you’ll lead the Peer Support Centre and its team of volunteers.

Located in UCC Room 40 and open throughout the year, the Peer Support Centre provides confidential support and resources for a wide range of wellness needs.

This year’s Peer Support Coordinator, Jenna Lam, applied for the role to explore the USC’s leadership opportunities. Having previously worked as the Food Support Coordinator, she wanted to apply her experience to a new challenge.

“I worked on expanding Food Support Services to become more known, and wanted to do the same for Peer Support,” Lam said. “It was a chance for me to explore something different.”

Lam’s main goal this year has been increasing the number of students who use the Peer Support Centre. To do this, she has been working closely with counsellors from Western’s Health and Wellness Services to direct students to the Peer Support Centre when in need.

She has also been proud of her success in tracking data from students and volunteers, which allows her to fine-tune support and resources to each Peer Support Centre attendee.

For future applicants, Lam recommends prioritizing work-life balance:

“As a Coordinator, you’re in control, and you drive the car. If you feel overwhelmed, just take a step back and relax.”

She also emphasizes teamwork as an important quality to succeed as a Peer Support Coordinator.

“Always ask your team for feedback,” she said. “Understand that there are blind spots you can miss, so you really need to rely on your community.”

PrideUSC

If you’re passionate about inclusivity and building a safe community at Western for 2SLGBTQIA+ students, you might be the right fit for the PrideUSC Coordinator role!

The PrideUSC Coordinator organizes events and initiatives each month, provides educational resources, and consults with 2SLGBTQIA+ students to ensure their voice is represented in USC advocacy.

This year, the PrideUSC Coordinator is Maya Gibb, a political science student at Western.

“When I first applied to Western, everyone told me it was a really straight school!” said Gibb. “When I heard about PrideUSC in first year, it helped me find a community here.”

After serving as the Director of Internal Affairs for PrideUSC last year, she decided to apply for the Coordinator role. Because the leadership requirements of being a Coordinator were new to her, Gibb needed to rely on her community.

“I talked about my challenges with other Coordinators, people on the Arts and Humanities council, and club execs,” she said. “They gave me a lot of helpful advice that I really needed.”

Gibb’s proudest moment as PrideUSC Coordinator this year has been “Coming Out for Coffee,” a social event she was in charge of planning. Everything was organized perfectly, from snacks, crafts, and guest speakers—but the night before, there was a massive snowstorm.

“Because of the storm, we had pretty low turnout,” said Gibb. “Despite that, our guest speakers were amazing, and I’m really proud of how impactful the event was for the people who were there.”

Having previously worked with PrideUSC before applying for the Coordinator role, Gibb describes her experience as an asset.

“Definitely apply if you’re interested, but it helps to already be familiar with the PrideUSC portfolio,” she explained.

Gibb also recommends that applicants highlight their personal experiences and vision for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community at Western:

“Reflect on what you want to see on campus, reflect on your own experiences and beliefs, and understand the kind of impact you want to have.”

Early Outreach 

The Early Outreach Coordinator is responsible for planning and overseeing the Early Outreach Conference (REACH), a three-day conference in May. With around 250 attendees from middle schools across London, the mission of REACH is to introduce London’s youth to post-secondary opportunities.

Throughout her four years at Western, Arani Harimohan has been involved with REACH. Now, Harimohan is taking the leading role for the conference as this year’s Early Outreach Coordinator. 

As the Coordinator, she is responsible for hiring a 15-person executive team, whose applications she reviews at the beginning of the school year. In weekly meetings, she delegates tasks to her team and addresses any questions that may arise.

As they move closer to May, the Early Outreach Coordinator is responsible for overseeing registration for the middle school students, as well as training 70-80 volunteers in preparation for the conference. 

In addition, the Coordinator must book out residences and food for attendees, plan day-to-day activities, and coordinate with the Wave and the Spoke for events like the REACH talent show.

“There are a lot of moving parts,” said Harimohan. “You need to be flexible and able to navigate situations as they arise.”

During the conference itself, any unexpected or unsafe situations go directly to the Early Outreach Coordinator, who must act quickly to find solutions.

“If there are any hiccups, I need to adjust the plan as we go,” said Harimohan.

Harimohan believes that applicants for this Coordinator role should have previous experience with the REACH program, either as a volunteer or executive. 

“You’ll be managing a huge team of 70-80 volunteers and 15 executives,” she explained. “To succeed in that, you need to know the intricacies of the system.”

She also emphasizes time management as a critical skill, especially toward the end of the school year when the workload for REACH ramps up dramatically.

“It can be a lot to handle at times, and you need to be able to balance it with your school work,” she said. “If you can manage that, REACH is an incredibly rewarding experience!”

Charity

As one of London’s largest non-profit organizations, the USC has a close relationship with charity work in London. 

If you’re interested in leading the USC’s charity work, consider applying for the Charity Coordinator role!

Sakshi Bhargava, this year’s Charity Coordinator, has introduced new initiatives, such as expanding volunteering opportunities and collaborating with four new organizations this year.

As the Charity Coordinator, Bhargava organizes two main types of events: fundraising events, and events that directly engage with members of the local community. The details of each event depends on Bhargava’s personal interests and what she believes will have the greatest impact.

“One of the nice things about being a Coordinator is that I have the freedom to choose the events I want to run,” she explained. “Once I confirm my idea with my Vice-President, the USC will support it.”

This year, Bhargava has planned events ranging from fundraising drives for domestic violence shelters to arts and crafts on campus for children with developmental and physical disabilities, all causes she is passionate about.

“I’m very proud to bring my personal passions to this role, and to fill in some of the gaps I saw in the Charity portfolio from prior years,” she said.

Having founded her own non-profit in her home country of Botswana, Bhargava is no stranger to the hard work involved in coordinating charity events and initiatives.

Despite her extensive experience, she believes the Coordinator position should be a role for anyone seeking to learn about charity work. Even if applicants have never worked in a non-profit leadership role, Bhargava believes they should still apply as long as they truly care about charity work.

“I think it’s most important to be passionate about making an impact in the community,” she said. 

In addition, she emphasizes transferable skills for future applicants. 

“Any experience in event planning, leading a team of volunteers, sponsorship coordination, and relationship management is helpful,” she said.

Grants and Recognition

Being a student leader is hard, and the USC understands! That’s why the Student Services team hires a Grants and Recognition Coordinator each year to manage both the USC Grant Fund and USC Student Awards, giving financial support to students and clubs who need help to get their initiatives off the ground.

This year’s Grants and Recognition Coordinator is Azaad Gill, who applied to the role due to his experience working with awards committees in high school.

“I think Western is a great place where a lot of students go above and beyond,” he said. “I wanted to give people the pat on the back that they deserve.”

Managing $100,000 in the USC Grant Fund and $20,000 in USC Student Awards, Gill is responsible for reading applications throughout the year and meeting with his executive team to decide who receives a grant, and how much money is included.

“It’s really nice to see my efforts directly reflected through the events that clubs are putting on with the Grand Fund money,” said Gill.

This year, Gill has overseen a 20% increase in applications to the USC Student Awards. He attributes his success to the hard work of his team and innovative advertising strategies.

For future applicants, he stresses organizational skills as vital to this Coordinator role. 

“You need to stay organized to make sure every application is reviewed on time,” he said. “Everyone deserves a fair shot, and a lot of that relies on you.”

Gill also highlights communication as an important skill to strengthen before applying to the role.

“Communication is huge when you’re talking to so many different clubs and student groups,” he said. 

Don’t wait! Coordinator applications close soon, and the Student Services team is waiting for you!