Name: Melanie Muller
Program: Doctor of Chiropractic

Biography: I am currently a Q7 student from Iowa. I am excited to enter clinic next quarter, and I hope to focus on geriatric care after graduation. I have previously demonstrated leadership at UWS by representing the school at the NBCE Student Leadership Forum in Colorado this past January. I have previous experience in student government as a student body treasurer, and I would love to serve UWS in this role.

Candidate Statement: I am passionate about distributing funds towards student needs and bringing transparency to the financial aspect of UWS, and I would be honored to serve as your ASB treasurer.

Name: Kendra Jensen
Program: Doctor of Chiropractic

Biography: My name is Kendra, I am a queer Indigenous student from Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada. I am a proud member of Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. I went to Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and went on to work as a kinesiologist before deciding to come to UWS for the Dr of Chiropractic program. I sat on the graduation committee as vice president at NAIT and enjoyed the experience I gained there. I was involved as both a participant and later a counsellor at a cooperative youth leadership program that runs during the summer. This program helps to teach youth leadership, public speaking, and government skills. During one of my summers in the program I was even elected Vice President as a participant.  I have been involved in BIPOC causes, specifically getting indigenous legislation passed in Canada and holding the government responsible in keeping reconciliation promises. I am active in my band in Saskatchewan and keep up with membership meetings and updates.

Candidate Statement: My indigenous heritage and culture are very important to me. Often times my people and our issues are forgotten and pushed to the side. I intend to bring attention to the cultural issues that are often forgotten about and lift up the voices that are the least heard. I would like to celebrate the diversity of our student population and help to highlight that diversity. I would like to learn about the parts of our cultures we are excited to share but don’t get the chance to do so. I would like to help highlight the holidays and celebrations that are not usually highlighted. I intend to make sure students are comfortable being who they are while attending UWS.

Name: Dylan Shalagan
Program: Doctor of Chiropractic

Biography: Hello, my name is Dylan Shalagan. I grew up in Alberta Canada and I have American family, so I have also spent a significant portion of my time in various places across the midwestern United States. After High School I worked as a carpenter and went traveling abroad. I’ve traveled around Western Europe and have participated in several cross-cultural collaboration projects in Northern Africa and South Africa. I have felt very honored to listen and learn from the perspective of each cultural group I have engaged with. I have learned the value of the unique perspectives of each individual’s experience. I have taken this perspective into my professional career as I worked construction over the last 10 years.

I am a certified journeyman carpenter and have worked in that field for 10 years. I served on the local apprenticeship board (provincial government board) for 6 years as a worker representative. I was representing the concerns of workers on a provincial level, reviewing policies, and communicating them back to the workers. I also served on the joint health and safety committee in multiple sizes of companies, smaller and international sized companies. This included bringing health and safety concerns up, writing safe work procedures, and being the communication link between management and field personnel. Part of what makes me a good fit for this role is also my time as a summer camp counsellor for many years, and then also volunteering on the camp board for approximately 8 years. I learned how to relate to kids from every walk of life, and got to teach other staff how to hear, understand, and love people with vastly different backgrounds than themselves.

Overall, I have a variety of experiences hearing concerns and articulating them to the appropriate management body. I have experience gathering feedback from a large diverse work force and amalgamating it to present the underlying themes and content to an executive team. I also have experience in reading, writing, and explaining technical literature to make it understandable to the average person.

Candidate Statement: I am an enthusiastic people person who is energized by engaging and connecting with other people in smaller or larger groups. In this role I want to start by engaging with students across all spectrums and listen to their personal experience and concerns. I want to find out what is working and what is not working for you, and suggestions you have to create unity on campus. I feel strongly about speaking up for those who are uncomfortable or unable to speak up for themselves. I believe that a diverse ecosystem is a stable ecosystem, and that each person brings something unique and important to our student body. We get to create our future, and I am committed to standing with you as we build it together.