Akanksha Bhatnagar is the 2019-20 President of the University of Alberta Students’ Union. She was born in India, has lived in Toronto and has spent the last decade in Edmonton. She is a fifth year student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in Sociology and Political Science, and graduated from the Peter Lougheed Leadership College. Before being elected as the President, Akanksha served at the Vice-President Academic and worked as the Student Governance Officer with the Students’ Union where she supported all levels of student governance, championed the removal of iClickers and advocate for the usage of open educational resources (OERs). Akanksha’s passion for leadership development stems from her involvement with the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Program, serving as a Board Member on the Alberta Public Interest Research Group and being a Dias member for the High School Model United Nations Conference. Grateful to serve as this year’s President, Akanksha is inspired by the opportunity to further the University of Alberta’s capacity to serve as a welcoming and inclusive space for all students.

In addition to being the official spokesperson of the Students’ Union, her goals this year are centered around continued advocacy for an affordable education, creating a way for every student to explore leadership, and ensuring that our time on campus sets us up for continued success after we graduate. When she not busy spending every moment in SUB Atrium, she loves spending time with her terrier Rose, drinking an excessive amount of lattes, listening to amazing Spotify playlists, cooking and, of course, eating. To keep updated on the UASU Presidential portfolio, follow her on Twitter @UASUPresident and on Facebook at UASUExec.