National Conference Director Candidates

My name is Sophia Zhao, and I am a 3rd year nursing student at the University of Ottawa, French Stream. I currently serve as the Diversability Caucus Chair for the Canadian Nursing Students’ Association (CNSA) and as President of the University of Ottawa Nursing Students’ Association (UNSA). These roles have strongly shaped my leadership approach, which is collaborative, organized, and equity-focused. I prioritize clear communication, thoughtful planning, and inclusive decision-making to ensure that initiatives are both effective and accessible.

As President of UNSA , I have led large-scale initiatives such as 101 Week, a week-long orientation program designed for incoming students across all four nursing streams at the University of Ottawa. In this role, I coordinated a leadership team of 14 Vice-Presidents and 32 student representatives ensuring ongoing events, resources and communications went out to more than 3 000 students and managed complex projects with competing priorities and tight timelines. In my role as a CNSA Board Member, I have contributed to national-level decision-making, policy discussions, national communications campaigns, and strategic planning.

Through these experiences, I have developed strong skills in project management, stakeholder engagement, budgeting awareness, and problem-solving, competencies that are essential for successful conference planning and execution. I am comfortable balancing big-picture vision with operational detail while maintaining accountability, adaptability, and follow-through.

I am interested in serving as Conference Director because I am passionate about nursing advocacy and the power of bringing nursing students together in one shared space. Conferences are not only opportunities for learning and professional development, but also powerful moments for collective voice, connection, and national advocacy. Creating an inclusive, bilingual, and welcoming conference allows students from across Canada to feel seen, heard, and empowered as future nurses and leaders. I am committed to ensuring accessibility, meaningful representation, and engaging programming so that every attendee feels valued and supported.This role would allow me to bring my leadership experience to a national space and help create a conference where nursing students feel connected, supported, and empowered to advocate together.

Leading a national initiative such as the CNSA National Conference requires structured planning, transparent communication, and collaborative leadership. My approach would begin with establishing a clear project framework that outlines objectives, scope, timelines, and success indicators aligned with CNSA’s strategic plan.

I would create a detailed project timeline with key milestones (e.g., speaker confirmations, sponsorship deadlines, marketing launches) and assign clear ownership and deliverables to each task using shared project management tools. Accountability would be reinforced through defined roles, written expectations, and deadline tracking, ensuring each committee member understands both their responsibilities and how their work contributes to the overall success of the conference.

Regular check-ins with committee leads and working groups would allow for progress monitoring, early identification of challenges, and timely course correction. These check-ins would focus not only on updates, but also on problem-solving and support, fostering a culture of accountability that is constructive rather than punitive. To support effective coordination, I would prioritize inclusive decision-making. This would ensure that voices from regional representatives, sponsors, and CNSA leadership are heard, while maintaining clarity around final decision authority to keep the project moving forward.

Clear documentation, standardized communication channels, and consistent reporting would further reinforce accountability while keeping all stakeholders aligned and informed throughout the planning and execution phases.

To ensure the National Conference reflects CNSA’s mission, values, and strategic priorities, I would intentionally design the conference around the theme of advocacy and the power of student voice, with a strong emphasis on hands-on, student-centred programming. Nursing students learn best by doing, and the conference should provide practical learning experiences that complement, but go beyond, what is typically taught in the classroom, clinical placements, and simulation labs.

Rather than relying solely on traditional lectures, I would prioritize interactive programming such as advocacy workshops, policy simulations, student-led panels, and skills-based breakout sessions that allow participants to actively practice leadership, communication, and systems-level thinking. In addition, I would incorporate engaging and creative nursing practice activities that are not always accessible in clinical or simulation settings. These could include interdisciplinary problem-solving challenges, scenario-based advocacy exercises, and interactive skills demonstrations designed to be both educational and enjoyable, reinforcing learning through participation and peer collaboration.

These experiences would focus on areas essential to nursing development that are often underrepresented in formal curricula, including health policy engagement, professional advocacy, ethical decision-making, and the use of collective voice to influence change within healthcare systems. Programming would be intentionally aligned with CNSA’s advocacy priorities and informed by student input from across regions. Engaging students and regional representatives early in the planning process would ensure the conference reflects current student concerns, emerging issues in nursing education and practice, and diverse regional perspectives.

To further strengthen engagement and relevance, I would integrate opportunities for reflection, peer dialogue, and real-time feedback, allowing students to connect learning to their academic and professional journeys. Post-conference evaluations would inform continuous improvement. By centring experiential learning and student voice, the National Conference can become a meaningful space where nursing students build advocacy skills, confidence, and national community.

If a major speaker or sponsor were to withdraw shortly before the conference, I would respond promptly, calmly, and strategically to minimize disruption and maintain confidence among stakeholders. My first step would be to quickly assess the scope of the impact on programming, finances, and attendee expectations. This would allow for informed, timely decision-making rather than reactive changes.

From there, I would activate established contingency plans, including drawing from a shortlist of pre-identified alternate speakers or engaging trusted internal leaders, partner organizations, or subject-matter experts who could step in with minimal disruption. Where appropriate, I would also consider adapting the format for example; replacing a keynote with an interactive panel or workshop, to preserve value for attendees while maintaining alignment with the conference theme and objectives.

Clear and transparent communication would be essential throughout this process. I would notify CNSA leadership immediately and work collaboratively to align on next steps. Messaging to attendees and partners would be professional, solution-focused, and reassuring, emphasizing continuity, adaptability, and the strength of the overall program rather than the loss of a single element.

If the withdrawal involved sponsorship funding, I would explore alternative funding options, adjust budget allocations responsibly, or re-scope non-essential expenses to protect the quality and accessibility of the conference. Throughout, I would prioritize CNSA’s reputation, fiscal responsibility, and the attendee experience.

Finally, I would ensure the situation is documented and reviewed post-conference to strengthen risk management strategies and contingency planning for future events. This approach ensures the conference remains resilient, credible, and impactful, even in the face of unexpected challenges.

My vision for the 2027 CNSA National Conference at the University of Ottawa is to intentionally build student power by positioning advocacy as a core nursing competency rather than an optional add-on. While clinical placements and simulations are essential for developing technical skills, they rarely provide structured opportunities to learn how to advocate, influence systems, or navigate the broader professional and political contexts that shape nursing practice. This conference would intentionally fill that gap.

At the foundation of this vision is a National Nursing Student Advocacy Day, paired with hands-on, skills-based programming. This would include Hill-style meetings where nursing students are at the forefront of structured meetings with policymakers, national nursing organizations, and decision-makers. Students would be supported through preparatory workshops on policy literacy, messaging, and professional advocacy, ensuring they enter these spaces confident, informed, and prepared to speak on issues affecting nursing education, workforce sustainability, and patient care.

Conference programming would prioritize interactive learning over passive panels, with applied workshops focused on media and narrative advocacy, coalition-building, labour and workforce advocacy, and navigating institutional power. These sessions would equip students with practical tools they can immediately apply within their schools, communities, and professional organizations.

Ontario has not hosted a CNSA National Conference in many years, and hosting in Ottawa is both timely and strategic. As Canada’s capital, Ottawa provides direct access to federal institutions, national nursing organizations, and policy spaces, allowing advocacy to move beyond theory and into real-world practice.

What excites me most about the University of Ottawa serving as host is its bilingual, diverse, and civically engaged identity. As one of Canada’s largest nursing programs, uOttawa is uniquely positioned to bring students together across regions, languages, and experiences to foster connection, collective voice, and national solidarity. Hosting the conference at uOttawa would create a powerful environment where nursing students are not only inspired, but equipped to actively shape the future of nursing in Canada.