prairie REGIONAL DIRECTOR CANDIDATES

My name is Laiba Masood, and I am a nursing student at the University of Saskatchewan. I am honored to be running for Prairie Regional Director. My leadership approach is student-centered, equity-driven, and grounded in action. I believe leadership is not about visibility, but about accountability, ensuring every student feels represented, heard, and supported. Over the past two years, I have served in multiple roles, including Saskatchewan Nursing Student Association Saskatoon Campus (SNSA-S) President, Third Year Representative, Director of Events, and CNSA Official Delegate of USASK. As a student advocate, I supported peers through academic appeals, addressed high-acuity placement concerns with faculty, and contributed to meaningful academic changes. Nationally, I aided with both the regional CNSA conference 2025 in Winnipeg, and the CNSA national conference 2026 in Saskatoon. I contributed to advocacy efforts during a challenging period marked by governance concerns earlier this year, ensuring prairie student voices were heard. I also supported the creation of new official delegate roles to expand representation at University of Saskatchewan including the CNSA OD of prince albert campus, and CNSA OD of distributed sites campus. As a woman of color and daughter of immigrants, I bring lived experience navigating systemic inequities. These experiences shape how I lead, with intention, humility, and a commitment to disrupting inequitable systems through action, not performative words.I am passionate about this role because I understand the power of representation and collective advocacy. I am committed to strengthening connections across the prairie region and ensuring all student voices contribute to shaping the future of nursing.

To ensure strong engagement across chapter schools, I would prioritize consistent, transparent, and accessible communication. This includes establishing regular regional check-ins, creating structured monthly updates, and maintaining anonymous channels where students feel comfortable sharing concerns and ideas. I would implement a collaborative approach by creating spaces for chapter schools to connect with one another, share best practices, and problem-solve collectively.

The University of Saskatchewan delivers its Bachelor of Science in Nursing through a distributed “Learn Where You Live” model across approximately 10 locations, including Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and rural and northern communities. This has given me a strong understanding of the diverse realities students face across urban, rural, and remote settings, and advocated for students to be heard at University of Saskatchewan. Our College of Nursing also has the highest proportion of Indigenous nursing students in Canada, which has further shaped my commitment to culturally safe and inclusive leadership. Building and maintaining strong relationships requires consistency, trust, and a shared commitment to advocacy. I would prioritize open communication and meaningful engagement with professional organizations, unions, and student groups across the region. Through my experience supporting initiatives such as the Canadian Black Nurses Association and emerging student groups, I have learned the importance of showing up as an ally while respecting autonomy. By centering equity and inclusion in all partnerships, I would work to ensure diverse voices are uplifted and that collaborations reflect the needs of all nursing students across the prairie region.

Balancing Regional Director responsibilities with academics requires strong organization, discipline, and accountability. I rely on structured planning systems, including digital calendars, task management tools, and prioritization strategies to stay on track. I plan ahead by mapping out key deadlines, meetings, and reporting requirements at the start of each term, ensuring CNSA responsibilities are integrated alongside my academic commitments. Breaking tasks into manageable steps allows me to stay consistent and avoid last-minute challenges. Accountability is also central to my approach. I set clear expectations for myself, follow through on commitments, and communicate proactively if challenges arise. Transparency and reliability are key to maintaining trust within a team. My experience balancing multiple leadership roles while advocating for students has strengthened my ability to manage competing priorities effectively. I am confident in my ability to remain organized, dependable, and fully committed to this role.

My name is Damilola Akinbehinje. I have just completed my 2nd year at the UM/UCN Thompson Cohort. I also serve as the 2nd Year Representative. I have a strong interest in leadership, community building and advocacy. Through the past school year, through these leadership roles I have been able to provide impact to the Northern Manitoba community I live and learn on. Also, I have been able to further my communication, adaptability, collaboration and team leadership skills. My leadership approach is collaborative and people centered. I believe effective leadership is less about authority and more about creating an environment where all feel valued, heard and motivated to contribute. Another thing that prepares me for this role is my ability to balance empathy with accountability. I am a person who naturally steps up to support a person, but I can always realize when a standard and structure need to be maintained. I am interested in this position because it offers an opportunity to grow while making tangible impact. I am eager to bring my perspective and commitment to a team that values collaboration, purpose and supporting nursing students around the country.

To effectively engage and support chapter schools within the region, I would focus on building clear, consistent, and accessible communication channels. I am aware the previous Prairie RD was consistent with communication, so I will strive to maintain and build upon that standard. This would include regular check-ins through monthly virtual meetings, a centralized platform for updates and concise newsletters to ensure all chapters stay informed about CNSA initiatives, deadlines, and opportunities. I would prioritize relationship-building by establishing direct points of contact within each chapter and myself; I will ensure the students are always aware they can reach out to me at any point as I am there to support and advocate for them always. To strengthen participation, I will collaborate with chapter schools to understand their unique needs and barriers, then tailor support accordingly- that could show up as me providing resources, co-hosting events, or sharing best practices between schools. Highlighting and celebrating chapter successes would also help build motivation and a sense of community across the region. Overall, my approach is maintaining consistent communication while adapting support to meet each chapter where they are at.

To build and maintain relationships with professional organizations, unions, and student groups I would focus on consistency, mutual value, and genuine engagement. I would first reach out to introduce myself, understand each organization's goals and identify areas of alignment with CNSA priorities. Maintaining these relationships would involve regular communication through check-ins, updates and invitations to collaborate on events, workshops or advocacy initiatives. I would ensure that communication is purposeful- sharing relevant opportunities, amplifying their work and keeping them informed on how our collaboration is making an impact. I also believe in increasing mutually beneficial partnerships. This is not only seeking support for CNSA initiatives but also actively looking for ways CNSA can support their goals, whether through student engagement, promotions, or joint programming.

To stay organized and accountable while balancing academic commitments, I rely on structures, planning and consistent routines. I prioritize time blocking to dedicate to each of my commitments (CNSA responsibilities, schoolwork, personal time, etc), and to make sure each deadline is met at a reasonable time. When I am part of a team, I maintain open communication, provide updates and ask for support when needed to ensure nothing falls behind. Overall, my approach combines proactive planning, discipline, and flexibility. By standing organized and intentional with my time, I am able to manage my multiple responsibilities effectively.