Fall 2019 Nominees

Executive positions

Secretary

Emily Finbow

Hello, my name is Emily Finbow and I’m a first year MMSt student! I graduated from Trent University, where I was involved with the Women’s Leadership Society. Due to my previous experience on the Executive Council of the WLS, I believe I would be an excellent fit for the 2019-2020 MUSSA Secretary. I was given the opportunity to hold Vice President for the WLS during the 2018-2019 period, which taught me professional and organization skills applicable to any student government. As Vice President I was responsible for editing and improving the constitution, giving me a thorough understanding of how such governing documents work. I am also familiar with taking minutes, as I was required to do so when Secretary was absent from meetings. Additionally, I volunteered as a student note-taker during my undergrad – which required detailed notes that could be read and understood by other students. As a result I am quite confident in my ability to take clear, concise, and accurate minutes. I am very excited to continue to learn and grow through student government! Thank you!

Jaime Meier

My name is Jaime and I am a first year MMST student! I was born and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and I am so excited to be living in Toronto. In my spare time I enjoy exploring museums, finding new restaurants, being with my friends, and obsessing over my plants. I would LOVE to be the secretary for MUSSA because this is a role I have taken both in academic and work settings. Before moving to Toronto, I was the lead administrator at a physiotherapy clinic. While slightly different than being a secretary for MUSSA, clerical work is where I flourish and something I truly enjoy doing. In high school, I was the secretary of the Student Council for several years where I earned the affectionate title of “pack mule” because I am always willing to step up and get things done. The secretary is also expected to aid in write grants, which is something I have successfully done for a previous museum I worked at. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my spiel and I wish all nominees the best of luck!

Treasurer

Chantelle Perreault

It has been such a pleasure getting to know the students in this program over these first few weeks of class, and I would love to continue participating in this community through the role of treasurer for MUSSA. I consider myself to be organised, responsible, and pretty good with an Excel spreadsheet. My experience working for the Canada Revenue Agency has given me an appreciation for this role, and I am excited to contribute to the student association this upcoming year.

Jordan Vetter

Hi everyone!

I am excited for the opportunity to represent our program as MUSSA's Treasurer. If elected, my mission would be to work to serve the interests of the students, program and faculty through responsible and meaningful spending (and saving), keeping myself and others accountable.

My work colleagues appreciate my meticulous attention to detail and call me an Excel wizard. I am dependable and always keen to help others.

Some of my experiences demonstrating my financial responsibility and data abilities include:
--Co-handling finances for a student-run not-for-profit organization (INDEVOURS), tracking event and marketing spending and funds raised for our international field placements;
--Managing volunteer and donor data using CRM software (WE Charity);
--Leading the creation of a proposal to identify potential cost-savings and increases in donations related to our digital platforms/processes (WE Charity);
--Submitting team expenses and reconciling event budgets for WE Days across North America and the UK.

Additionally, I held the position of Communications Director for my undergraduate program's student association (UW SAID) so have experience working as part of a student government team. I take joy in managing my personal finances, and believe I can use my skills to positively contribute to MUSSA!

First Year Representative

Lindsay Chisholm

The first year of any persons’ master’s is a daunting undertaking, filled with a spectrum of emotion that ranges from high to low, due to starting the next chapter of our lives. With this position, my goal would be to ensure an inclusive experience for MMST students. One that may be filled with challenges, yet could be over come through having a cohesive class year. I believe I could be a voice for my peers to ensure enriched an outcome from this experience. During the third year of my undergrad, I was President of Fundraising for the Golden Key Honours Society. Through this experience I gained the skills to work in a committee setting, where I was able to advocate for my fellow members and produce results while maintaining their interests. It was been only two weeks since starting this program, yet I have already made connections with many of my peers based on our like-minded passions. It would then be my honor to serve them.

Lauren McAusland

Hi everyone! My name is Lauren and I am very excited to apply to the role of First-Year Representative. I am a second year CDP student with an MI concentration in ARM, and I am thrilled to be starting the first year of the MMSt component of my degree. I was fortunate to be involved in MUSSA last year, where I sat on both the Tech Fund Committee and Committee on Standing. These positions familiarized me with many of the resources the Faculty of Information has for its students, which makes me an ideal point-person for any questions my fellow first year MMSt students might have about our faculty or program.

As your first-year rep, I will work cooperatively with my fellow MUSSA members to see that any concerns raised by first years will be dealt with in a timely manner that prioritizes student needs. I will ensure that all first year MMSt students feel informed about faculty decisions, MUSSA events, and available resources so we can all have a fun and fulfilling year.

Melissa Mertsis

Hi folks, my name is Melissa. I'm a first year Museum Studies student and would love to be your first-year representative. One of my main goals is to be involved on campus - I work at the Inforum and I think being involved in MUSSA would help me stay involved in a meaningful way (on another note, if you have library-related questions, I’m your person)! I have previous experience with student council, which I think is an asset for MUSSA. I served as the Second Year Representative, Social Media Representative, then Vice President on the Trent University Anthropology Society during my undergrad, meaning I have a wide range of experience to build upon. I am an outgoing, positive person with a passion for education. This, in combination with my interpersonal and listening skills, would make me a great addition to the team – I would love to hear your ideas for the Faculty of Information so we can continue to be the best Faculty on campus (I’m not biased, I swear). I would love to support and represent the first-year class this academic year, and I’d like to thank you for your time and your vote!

Social Assistant

Denise Tenio

Hello everyone!

My name is Denise Tenio and I am nominating myself for the position of Social Assistant. I have plenty of experience working with a team. During my undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto, I sought opportunities to get involved with different student organizations. In my junior year, I was the Promotions Coordinator for Silhouettes Dance Company. In this position, I organized pubnight fundraisers and mini dance performances, as well as, developed promotional material for these events and kept our social media accounts active. In my senior year, I was the Media Coordinator for the East Asian Studies Student Union, and my role primarily focused on maintaining the union’s online presence. Following graduation, I moved to Korea and worked there as a teacher and in my second year, was promoted to Team Leader of my branch. This job required me to be a correspondent between teachers, other team leaders, and program coordinators, a mentor and trainer for new teachers, and a programmer of special events and curricula. That said, I believe my experiences will help me in being a reliable and successful Social Assistant, and I hope you consider me when voting!

Thank you~

Christian Vettoretto

My name is Christian Vettoretto and I am hoping to be Mussa's next Social Assistant.
To give a brief overview of my background, I'm a first year Museum Studies student just coming off of a double Major in Classics and History at UofT as well as being an ongoing intern at the ROM for the past two years.

As my goal for future work in the museum field is event planning and fundraising so what better way to get a head start on that goal by working with Mussa. I'm ready to help in any way I can to create some fun and engaging events for the rest of our community and give everyone a great year.

Thanks for your consideration.

Musings Communication Officer

Erika Serodio

Erika grew up in fields of flowers. Flash forward ten years and she is handing a professor a bouquet in place of an essay. She got an A. (There was an accompanying diagram to help illustrate the thesis.) She likes to communicate visually and in other languages like French and Spanish. Erika studied ethnography and comparative literature at Quest University in British Columbia. She is currently in her first year of the Master of Museum Studies program. Erika is a reluctant rock climber. She enjoys eavesdropping in coffee shops. She mostly wants to join MUSSA so she can stay in the loop. But as the Musings Communication Officer she’ll make sure you stay in the loop too. Erika did a communications internship with an arts organization in Montreal called ELAN-Quebec. In between bagels, Erika did all the things that this MUSSA position entails. And she liked them! (Who cares.) And she’s good at them! (Your vote here.) In case you didn’t read the blurb those things are administrating, taking meeting minutes, social media, event planning, and outreach.

Committee positions

First Year Tech Fund Representative

Sara Fontes

Hi, my name is Sara and I am a first-year CDP student in UXD. I think I would be a good first-year tech fund representative because I am familiar with the tech fund inventory, an active listener and very organized. I really enjoy keeping up with technology and exploring what we can do with it.

Vicky Jamieson

Hello! My name is Vicky and I would love to be your First Year Tech Fund Representative for the 2019-2020 school year. As society continues to progress with technology, I believe it is crucial that students learn to adopt and apply technological applications in their work as museum professionals. Technology is essential to staying relevant and evolving outdated museological practices with more efficient and transparent processes. As First Year Tech Fund Representative, I would be committed to providing students with the technology and equipment necessary to learn and develop new skill sets while studying at the Faculty of Information. In the best interests of the student body, I would listen to and present all technology proposals to MUSSA to ensure your voices and opinions are heard. Likewise, I would publicly present equipment options to the student body in order to make informed purchases as First Year Tech Fund Representative. My overall goal is to make equipment accessible to all Museum Studies students on the basis of academic and professional success. Thank you!

Hanna Schacter

I'm Hanna and I want to be the First Year Tech Fund Representative because I think it is a valuable resource to the student body and I would love to ensure that the program continues to add beneficial equipment that helps students! I have already used equipment from this fund and know that I will continue to take advantage of this amazing program throughout my time at the iSchool. I have previous experience on student councils and on communications and tech committees. If elected I would voice any suggestions and feedback from my peers to the committee!

Programs Committee Representative

Madison Carmichael

Hello all! My name is Madison, and I’d like to nominate myself for the position of Programs Committee Rep. I am excited to represent Museum Studies students on the Programs Committee, which is responsible for the approval and evaluation of courses that are currently under construction!
Coming from a background in education, I have a deep interest and investment in teaching and learning at all levels. As your Programs Committee Rep, I will use my experience in developing learning objectives and evaluations to support the Committee in their decisions regarding courses for the iSchool, especially as they contribute to our growing knowledge of the field and support our development as emerging professionals within it.
As your rep, I will work to ensure that our voices as MMSt students are heard in each and every meeting, and that any questions, concerns, or queries that we might have are central to discussions concerning courses here at the iSchool. I will also ensure that any and all developments make their way back to MUSSA as well as to all of you! Thanks for your consideration!

Unfilled Positions

MUSSA will vote to fill any vacant positions based on student interest following the election period.