Hey there! You may not know me yet, so I’d like to introduce myself and give some background on my political work.

My name is Zara (she/her), I’m a trans woman, and I’m currently in my first year at Dalhousie University in the Bachelor of Applied Computer Science degree! While I am in first year right now, I’ve had previous experiences with university. Originally, I attended University of Waterloo (UW) in 2019 for Mathematical Physics up until 2023 when I left before finishing my degree. I’m going to be running for the 2SLGBTQ+ Student Representative position during the 2025 Dalhousie Student Union (DSU) election because I have a love for student advocacy and community organizing work.

In my history at Kitchener-Waterloo, I played a number of roles within various organizations:

• Vice President of the Renison Student Council (a residence located on the UW campus)
• Special Projects/Events Director of the QTPOC (Queer and Trans People of Colour) student club
• Community Organizer with GroundUp WR

Each of these positions focused on the different aspects of being a student; this includes the social and political spheres within student organizations and universities. Through my experiences, I learned that the importance of community and solidarity in queer and trans circles (especially during dangerous and difficult situations) cannot be understated. It is this spirit of community and solidarity is that I want to bring to Dal, and to make it grow into the foundations of how our student organizations operate. Through the direct participation of students, through forming strong social bonds, and through student power.

With my experience in organizing and advocacy, I believe I’d be a good fit as the 2SLGBTQ+ Student Representative on the DSU Council. If you’d like to reach out to me, you can send an email to me through zara.seshadri@dal.ca.