PRESIDENT

Hello! My name is Dez and I’m the GAPSS President this year. I’m entering the final year of my BA in Planning with a Certificate in Sustainability. I’ve done two work experience terms during my degree; one at GSA Consulting, and one at the City of Edmonton. Some of my main interests in planning include the planner’s role in ending the housing crisis, climate resilience through increased active transportation, and reconciliation in planning. In my free time I love playing and watching sports, listening to music, travelling, eating food, playing guitar, riding bikes, and looking at maps. I’m looking forward to a fun year ahead as we continue to grow our club!

I’m looking forward to overseeing all the operations of the club, striving to ensure we continue to gain momentum and get more and more students interested in geography and planning, and connecting them with each other.

VP EVENTS

Hi! My name is Eden, and I am the personification of the “jack of all trades, master of none” proverb. I have at least some interest in pretty much every discipline. I’ve dabbled in and subsequently abandoned far too many hobbies, but among those that have endured better are mountain biking, Olympic weightlifting, ice skating, badminton, gymnastics, and playing piano and guitar. I have been altering and mending my clothes since I was around 13, and have been working in a tailor shop for the past three years. As an ardent enjoyer of rocks, playgrounds, and things with too much sugar in them, my taste often seems to skew towards the juvenile. I pride myself on being prepared and helping out others whenever I can, and am usually carrying granola bars, band-aids, duct tape, and an array of other questionably-useful items with me (especially candy!).

In my new role as VP Events, I am looking forward to carrying out a wide range of events in the GAPSS schedule. Early on in the year, I want to begin liaison and develop really good relationships with those involved in the planning and execution of GAPSS events, including department and faculty, other student groups, working professionals, and industry organizations. I plan to be as thorough and prepared as possible in the organization of every single event. I would like to practice good delegation within the Events Committee as we bring our event visions to life. Regular check-ins with the committee and the rest of the executive team will be valuable in helping us stay connected and coordinated. Finally, as we plan for the next Year-End Student Showcase, we will continue to refine it and work towards establishing it as an annual event.

VP EVENTS

Greetings! 👋 My name is Roan. This is my 4th year in the UofA Planning program and also my 4th year being a part of GAPSS. I enjoy watching and playing sports, especially hockey and baseball. I’m an Oilers and Blue Jays mega fan, I collect LEGO Star Wars sets when I have extra cash to spend, and I enjoy watching movies in the theatre. I hate bugs.

I’m excited to take on the VP events role with GAPSS this year. I want continue the success of last year with the some of the events that we ran. I also want to try to run some more social events to help create opportunities for students to connect within the Human Geography and Planning program. I believe that the University Experience is a lot better when you meet new people, and it will be my job to help facilitate that!

VP EXTERNAL

Hello! Little bit about me! I love the Edmonton food scene. When I’m not bartending or studying I am often out with friends at either our favourite spot or trying something new. I love hearing new recommendations, especially if it’s a cafe where I can blow some money on an expensive cappuccino! They taste even better after a long bike ride!

The thing I am most excited about being your VP External is challenging myself. I am a pretty social person, so I am excited to see what lengths I can take that to! I hope to use some of my already established connections from doing a work term at the city and volunteering with local advocacy groups to bring some industry to related events.

VP MARKETING

Get to know Eli soon!

VP INTERNAL

Hi everyone! My name is Vanessa. I’m currently in my fourth year of my BA with a major in Planning and a double minor in History and Native studies. Through travelling, I have had the privilege of experiencing many different cities in many different ways. My passions for travelling and placemaking are what led me to pursue a career in planning! Outside of school, my hobbies include Olympic Weightlifting, film photography, and music! I enjoy listening to and collecting all forms of music — I have a wide collection of CDs, cassettes, and vinyl records. I’ve also been experimenting with digital cameras, but film cameras will always remain #1 in my heart!

This is my first time as a VP for GAPSS! Given my past media committee experience, I’m excited to continue to grow the GAPSS page and find ways to create new content for everyone to enjoy on the site! Additionally, I would love to create more opportunities for committee members to meet and connect in the GAPSS room. I’m so excited to co-chair the meeting committee with the lovely Maja and Eli!

VP FINANCE

My name is Mikoto, and I am an upcoming fourth-year student double majoring in Urban Planning and Economics. Growing up in Vancouver and experiencing the constant changes around the city has led me to pursue a career in planning and development. When I was young, taking the Skytrain to the city or biking around the seawall with my mom was one of my favourite weekend activities. As I experience my city becoming more walkable, bikeable, and transit-able, I hope to see many other Canadian cities experience the same. In my free time, I enjoy watching hockey and soccer (or real football, Go Spurs!). Just please don’t judge me as a Canucks Fan.

A part of the GAPSS success story over the past couple years is the hard work of the VP Finance executives. As GAPSS continues to grow as a student group, I recognize the importance of maintaining a budget and growing the financial security of GAPSS. As VP Finance I will find creative approaches to improve the Club's financial situation, maintain a substantial budget, and reach out to those with more experience for guidance or expertise to find new funding opportunities. I will also work closely with other executives such as VP Events to fund exciting events and networking activities for the club.

VP PLANNING

Academically, I am most interested in planning, sustainability, and ecology, and I’d love to work in that realm someday. Outside of school my biggest hobby is choir. Depending on the time of year, I'm participating in 1-5 choirs at a time. Music has always been a huge part of my life and has brought me a ton of remarkable opportunities. One thing I am becoming increasingly passionate about is community and how human connection can enrich people’s lives. I have noticed how life-changing the strong sense of community that I have in my life is, and I would love to continue to build and foster it in any way possible, for both myself and others.

I am so excited to be VP Planning this year, as I think it gives me a wonderful opportunity to connect with other students and understand what our biggest concerns are. This feeling of wanting to share concerns (and also wins!) with other students ties back into my passion for community building and collaboration, which I am sure will serve me well in this role! I am also excited (and a little nervous) to learn more about how the student journal works.

VP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

Hi :) I’m Emma and I’m in my fourth year of my undergrad in Human Geography. I’m most passionate about the environment and making cities and just the world in general a more sustainable place. In my spare time I enjoy getting outdoors, whether it’s camping, hiking, biking, running, etc, it’s what makes me the happiest.

In my role as VP Human Geography I am most excited to get more human geography students involved in GAPSS and to always ensure there’s human geography representation! I think it would be cool to work with the events committee to get more human geography events happening, as things have historically been more planning-focused. Altogether I am just excited to be here :)