I thought maybe y’all would want to know a bit more about me and why I’m running.
I came to UBC five years ago, a clean-shaven, short-haired kid from Switzerland. What brought me here was the fact that UBC had a campus and a beautiful one at that!
I quickly realized, however, that a campus did not entail an atmosphere. Fortunately though, I lived in a first-year residence, meaning I was surrounded by others who were keen to mingle and blow off steam caused by the stresses of student life.
That first year was spectacular and a highlight in my life. It was what going to university was all about — meeting a diverse group of people and doing what young folk do when they’re young and aimless.
My second year felt like a completely different world — an unsettling one. Although I was still in residence, it was an entirely different experience.
I can distinctly remember a friend telling me that at this stage in our lives, our friend groups were already set in stone and very few people were looking to expand. While I should have taken this with a grain of salt, I instead took it to heart. I believed him.
I’d still go to the occasional party or wait in line at The Pit, but it felt like the only reason to go out was for the intoxication. Eventually I realized I could do the exact same thing at my own place. Alone. It felt like the student body was disjointed. I felt like nothing more than a number to UBC.
Looking back, if I had known of the services offered for mental health on campus, my experience may have played out differently. Instead, when second year ended, I looked out over campus while sitting on my balcony in Gage. It was my last night there and I felt absolutely nothing.
So I left UBC without any intention of coming back. It is this feeling that motivates me to bring changes to our community. After a year of reflection, I decided to come back, determined to pursue happiness and rekindle that first-year awe.
With this year ending, I could start life on the outside and all UBC would ever be to me is a factory that gave me a piece of paper. Or I could stay and transform the UBC experience for those still here and those coming to join.
Now I find myself running for AMS president for the second year in a row and I am determined as fuck to make a change. I refuse to let UBC be a happily closed chapter in our lives.
Sugar Brewer is a fourth-year environment and sustainability geography student and AMS presidential candidate.
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