Alexander Wong is running for a position on UBC’s Board of Governors (BoG) on a platform of increasing affordability and accessibility, expanding career supports for undergraduates and financing training for Generative AI usage.
The UBC Masters of Business Administration student spoke of his budgetary experience having worked for three years at the consulting firm Evidinno Outcomes Research Incorporated; during this time, Wong said he worked for some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, tracking costs and completing financial forecasts.
From graduating from UBC’s Sauder School of Business to becoming the President of UBC’s Master of Business Administration Society, Wong said his experience extends from budgetary exposure to leadership knowledge. He added that his consulting background has also given him the “soft skills” needed for the student governor role.
On accessibility and affordability, Wong plans to make UBC more wheelchair-accessible by introducing a recurring wheelchair audit.
“This could entail accessibility officers with UBC operations building management staff going building by building … and figuring out, [are] there any barriers here?” Wong said.
Wong also acknowledged affordable housing as a challenge for students and said he would advocate for the release of more granular financial data — like the average cost of on-campus student rent — from the Board.
UBC, however, does currently have a published range for first year and year-round on-campus residence fees.
“I don't think I can advocate for anything that will substantially alleviate student housing needs, that's just not feasible,” Wong said. “But in the long run, there are metrics that can be a scorecard for UBC's performance on certain aspects.”
Wong also said he would advocate for stronger career support for students, potentially in the form of additional mentorship programs, industry partnerships and by expanding the UBC Career Centre’s consulting availability.
“A major component of why students are coming to the university [is] to get credentialed [for] … the jobs that they are interested in,” Wong said. “Not having a strong career focus or career angle to the entire educational experience [is] a disservice.”
Wong added that the “madness happening in the world right now” is yet another reason why UBC needs to equip its students for life after university.
“There's a high likelihood that we're actually going into a sustained economic slowdown,” Wong said. “That would be extremely bad for students graduating into a work environment where companies … are not hiring.”
Part of this preparation, Wong said, should come in the form of better Generative AI knowledge. Wong said he would advocate for faculties to receive broader AI training or AI research funding.
“The better students are at using AI …. the better [they] will be positioned for future careers and also just for being innovators.”
During his undergraduate degree, Wong said he was mostly in his own bubble — that changed when he left UBC and came back.
“I wanted to do something that would give back and also be one of the people that have influenced so many others through their actions positively," said Wong.
“I think the Board of Governors would be a great place for that.”
This article is part of our 2025 AMS Elections coverage. Follow us at @UbysseyNews on X (formerly Twitter) and follow our election coverage starting March 3.
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