Kayleigh Erickson

Kayleigh Erickson is a fourth year political science student, former Chair of the University of Victoria Student Society (UVSS), and the recipient of the Student Ambassador Scholarship.

Tears poured out as I watched my mom drive away. We’d never been apart for more than two weeks before. How would I cope? I started to question my decision to come here. I chose UVic because I was looking for a school with progressive policies, and social justice activism. I wanted to be valued as an individual, rather than being another student number. UVic felt like the right place for me. Of course, it wasn’t long until I settled in at residence, and in fact I’ve been living there ever since.

I was certain I’d found my place when I started getting involved in student politics. I’m very passionate about social issues, and am happiest when I’m advancing solutions and solidarity around these issues. In my first year I was elected as a Director-at-Large of the UVSS, and in my second year I successfully ran to become the Chairperson.

When I found out I’d been elected I was faced with another difficult decision. If I took the role I would have to drop down to part time student status, which meant losing my continuing entrance scholarship. My mom and I talked about it for a long time, and in the end she convinced me to go for it. She knew how passionate I was about students’ rights, and making a positive impact on my community.

Looking back it was definitely the right decision. I am proud of the issues we were able to address. For example, we introduced the first mental health campaign on campus to help shift perceptions about mental health and train students to help their peers. I also sat on the Board of Governors and the Senate during this time. In each role I had the opportunity to represent student voices and learn from some inspiring mentors, including our current Chancellor, Shelagh Rogers.

Because I understand how vital it is to feel at home at UVic, I’ve taken on two other roles that enable me to help students have a positive student experience. Firstly I stayed in residence and worked as a Community Leader for three years, and will be continuing as a Senior Community Leader this fall.  I was also a Student Ambassador, which has amazing volunteer experiences, giving me opportunities to positively contribute across campus.

I was so thankful when I received the Student Ambassador scholarship. It was hard to give up that entrance scholarship so it’s nice to know there are rewards out there for students who are so committed to UVic and to trying to support their fellow students. This summer I’m living in residence and working as a community assistant. The costs to live on campus are increasing, so this role on campus wouldn’t be possible without that scholarship.

Donors like you are helping me follow through on my values, which I know will help me realize my future goals to go into politics and to continue giving back to my communities.