Kajal Patel and Angelica Waight step into their respective leadership roles excited to build on a shared mission to foster connection, support student success, and shape the future of nursing.
Driven by a desire to give back to the Bloomberg Nursing community, Kajal Patel, the new president of the Graduate Nurses Student Society has a vision for the 2025-26 academic year that includes a greater emphasis on wellness, career and academic support, and community engagement.
Her experience in the first year of the Master of Nursing – Nurse Practitioner program was overwhelming in the beginning she says, but was made more manageable by the sense of community she found through the GNSS.
“I felt a real sense of comradery and connection with my peers and a sense of fulfillment organizing events for grad students,” says Patel. “Being in student leadership is something I have always gravitated towards because it aligns with my passion for supporting students.
As one of the first in her immediate family to pursue graduate education, and as someone who comes from a South Asian background, Patel is committed to bringing forward student voices, bridging gaps in communication, and ensuring that those who are often underrepresented in nursing, have a seat at the table.
“I want to foster an environment where all nursing students feel seen, heard, and valued” says Patel.
This year, Patel hopes to expand a program of wellness for nursing students that includes regular virtual yoga and mindfulness sessions, and drop-in in-person sessions where students can decompress in the nursing student lounge.
“I think physical and mental health often takes a back burner when you are in a graduate program, and in one as fast-paced as the Master of Nursing, I hope that I can create these opportunities to help students feel a sense of balance in their life,” says Patel who is also a certified yoga instructor.
In addition to wellness, Patel is looking forward to offering more structured career and academic support in collaboration with the Faculty. This fall, the GNSS plans to launch a new series of virtual coffee chats led by Program Director and Assistant Professor Shan Mohammed. These sessions will connect students with alumni to create new networking opportunities and open them up to new career paths, speciality areas, and strategies for success beyond graduation.
Asked what her favourite part is about being a member of the student leadership team, Patel is quick to say that for her it is about creating meaningful impact beyond the classroom, by helping others, leading with empathy, and creative positive change
“A lot of what we plan is to bring students joy, and it is amazing to see how our concepts can go from a brainstorm session to a full-scale event because of the commitment of our team,” says Patel. “I’ve had students reach out to me to say that they appreciate these events, that it helps them feel less alone in a virtual learning environment, and that alone is probably one of the biggest takeaways for me as a student leader.”
Angelica Waight is passionate about helping others realize their potential and achieve their goals. Being able to help people meet their milestones is what motivated her to attend nursing school in the first place. As the new president of the Nursing Undergraduate Society (NUS) Waight is looking forward to an exciting year for BScN students at Bloomberg Nursing, one that is focused on career development, community building, and partnerships.
“We are in a short and fast program, and it can be tricky to navigate that, so as President of NUS I’m looking to not just lead but help all BScN students work towards their goals outside of school, and become the best versions of themselves,” says Waight.
Waight sees leadership as a platform to create meaningful, skill-building experiences for her peers. To foster these skills, one of her biggest initiatives for NUS in the 2025-2026 academic year, is the facilitation of resume and interview workshops to help nursing students be better prepared to apply for their dream roles after graduation.
While resources are available to students to support them, Waight feels there could be more engagement from students.
“I want to be able to provide students with the opportunity to see what a good nursing cv looks like, to help their applications stand out. And it is not just for career opportunities, but also for other areas they may be interested in pursuing like graduate education or research,” says Waight.
Originally hailing from Chicago, Waight, who is also already a U of T alum, sets the bar high for student involvement. In addition to her role as president of NUS, she is also a U of T Residence Don helping students adjust to their first year living on campus, and a tennis coach. For her, each of these roles fulfill her desire to mentor others and build up their skills.
One of her favourite things about being involved in student life is the collaboration it involves, and this year she is looking to bring that sense of teamwork to building more community partnerships for NUS. In addition to expanding partnerships with organizations like Swab the World, Waight is also looking to find other opportunities to connect with organizations and sponsors that can help support the nursing student experience.
“I’m lucky to have a great team supporting me, I could not do any of this without them, and I hope to make this year a memorable one for all Bloomberg Nursing students,” says Waight.