Newly branded PSSA hosts panel of UTM’s best and brightest poli sci students
The Political Science Student Association invited high-achieving students and alumni to discuss the study of politics.
On November 13, the Political Science Student Association (PSSA) of the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) hosted its first-ever Student Success Panel. From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., 10 award-winning UTM students and alumni fielded questions about the study of politics and their personal experiences of studying at UTM. This also marks the PSSA’s first event since it changed its name from the Political Science and Pre-Law Association.
Around 40 students and professors gathered in the MN Grand Hall to hear the panellists speak. These panellists included Ben Makela, Shababa Asad, Samuel Kamalendran, Jan Durkiewicz, Musab Hassan, Lucas MacInnis, Maria Murphy, Kaustav Kochhar, Adam Bakr, and Jana Elghobary.
For the first half of the event, the audience sat attentively and curious passersby looked on from the upper-floor walkways as moderator Christine Erhirhie asked the panellists about topics ranging from undergraduate research to graduate school to general writing and studying tips. Erhirhie kicked off the discussion by asking the panellists why they chose to study political science at UTM.
“When I chose to go into politics my parents were scared, just because no one in my family was really interested in politics,” answered Elghobary, a recipient of the Peter Silcox Award for Excellence in Canadian Politics. “I saw politics as a way to understand how a lot of the problems in the world occur and why they occur, and it also teaches us how to solve those problems.”
Murphy, named 2025 Community Leader of the Year by the Centre for Student Engagement, likewise explained that she chose to pursue political science because of how prevalent and impactful politics is in everyday life. “The decisions that politicians make, for better or for worse, do directly impact Canadians on an everyday basis, so it’s important to be informed and to know what is happening in your society and how to contribute to that.”
Bakr, recipient of the James Barros Memorial Award in Political Science, explained that he chose the program as a personally rewarding pathway into law. “I grew up in Egypt during the Arab Spring, and that kind of nurtured a very deep interest in politics in me,” he said. “I wanted to be a lawyer for quite a while, and I figured that political science was as good a pre-law major as any… but it was the most interesting pathway to get there.”
Later, speaking on the common struggles of new undergraduates, Student Leadership Award recipient Durkiewicz encouraged students not to undervalue themselves. “I had this idea that the people who get the awards, who do all the extra-curriculars and make all these great changes on campus are all a certain kind of student who is very top-notch, and I just didn’t see myself like that,” he disclosed.
Reflecting on the success that followed his decision to take on leadership roles at UTM on a whim, he advised against giving up on extra-curriculars and academic awards, as they’re often more viable and rewarding than many might think.
Answering a question about pursuing research as an undergraduate, Kamalendran, named Most Promising Theory Student, discussed his research on medical assistance in dying for the Laidlaw Scholars Programme and how it has progressed his academic career. “If you’re interested in pursuing your own research and establishing the foundation of going into grad school, definitely check out the program,” he said. The deadline to apply for the 2025-2026 Laidlaw Scholars Programme is February 2, 2026.
The second half of the event featured a formal Q/A session between the panel and the audience, and wrapped up with networking for all the attendees.
Kamalendran, who is also president of the PSSA, provided further information about the event to The Medium via email.
He explained that his executives planned for the panel to cater specifically to “younger students who are still learning the ropes when it comes to academic success,” although he believed it could benefit all students, regardless of their year of study.
“Given our own experiences as students, it became clear that our biggest event of the semester should grant UTM’s political science community the opportunity to interact directly with students who can provide them with valuable insight into how to obtain professional, academic, and social success in the program,” he wrote. To achieve such a breadth and depth of insight, the PSSA stacked their panel with a mix of students who were both academically successful and highly involved in extra-curriculars.
The PSSA especially hoped to demystify the struggles political science students most commonly face, namely “challenges rooted in writing essays, performing well on exams, and choosing engaging and meaningful courses,” Kamalendran explained.
He also touched on his team’s decision to drop the “Pre-Law” part of the PSSA’s original name. “The primary issue with our former name was that it captured historical responsibilities of our club, specifically its focused service to pre-law students,” he wrote. “While the core culture of the PSSA remains the same, our new name is meant to mark a new and intentional era in our club’s history.”
Essentially, the name change embodied the PSSA’s renewed mission to support political science students in specific, as well as the executive team’s desire to distinguish the organization from other clubs that cater to the pre-law crowd. The Student Success Panel contributed to this mission “by seeking to bring together individuals who could respond to copious interests and passions, making it as inclusive as possible,” Kamalendran stated.
He concluded by inviting The Medium’s readers to the PSSA’s upcoming winter events. “These initiatives include our Federal Budget event, which will allow students to gain insight into our nation’s financial priorities; a Political Science graduate panel, which will bring together grads across work pathways to discuss their experiences; and finally, our last and biggest event of the year, our first collaboration with UTM’s Students for Liberty to host the second Professors Debate. We will also be present at the Department’s Winter Open House in late January and will be working together on Department Coffee Chats.”
