GISA Spring Election 2025 Candidate Profiles: Ashwathy & Nivitha for Professional Development Committee Co-Presidents

In conversation with Ashwathy Sunilkumar & Nivitha Leena Naveen.

Q. What makes you the ideal candidate for your role, and how do you believe your background will help you succeed in this position?

What makes us strong candidates is not just our individual experiences, but how we’ve worked across spaces and often, together. Nivitha has been the Operations Director within PDC, handling everything from partnerships to logistics. Ashwathy has led communications across 2 of GISA specialized committees, and through those roles, she has directly collaborated with PDC on multiple events. Our journeys intersect in our commitment: to make student professional development visible, inclusive, and real. We’ve experienced PDC both from the inside and the outside and we know what it needs to grow.

Q. How do you plan to approach the role in a way that ensures the smooth running of GISA’s operations and fosters a collaborative atmosphere?

 We believe teamwork is the foundation of any successful initiative, especially within a student-led organization like GISA. With a strong commitment to collaboration, inclusivity, and shared purpose, these values will guide how we lead, listen, support, and grow together as a team. This role serves as a platform to amplify graduate students’ voices regarding their professional development needs. By fostering open communication, clearly defined roles, and cross-committee collaboration, we aim to create a respectful, idea-driven environment that strengthens GISA’s mission and supports every student’s journey.

Q. What past experiences have prepared you for the challenges of this role, and how will you use these experiences to improve GISA’s  efficiency?

We’ve both worked under tight timelines, limited resources, and in small teams- yet we’ve delivered. Whether it was designing events, building outreach from scratch, or coordinating multiple moving parts with little notice, we’ve learned to work smart, communicate clearly, and prioritize what matters. Our time in specialised committees taught us that impact doesn’t need a big budget; just clarity, intention, and commitment. And that’s exactly what we’ll bring to this role.

Q. If elected, what would be your primary goal and how would you ensure its successful implementation during your tenure?

One thing became clear during our campaign — many students don’t know what PDC is, or how it supports them. That has to change. Our primary goal is visibility. We want to make PDC more accessible, more approachable, and more responsive to student needs across all programs.

We’ll build on what already works, like the professional photoshoots and expand them by involving in-house talents, giving them experience and promotion through our platform. We’ll advocate for certificates for workshops, initiate UNIGE collaborations for event access, and launch A Space for You, a student-led event proposal system supported by PDC.

We’re also committed to advocating for fairer opportunities across academic levels. For Master’s students, that means equitable access to workshops, especially for MADIS. For PhD students, that means pushing for fairer remuneration structures for TA-ships and other academic roles because professional development isn’t just about events, it’s also about dignity and fairness in the work students are already doing.

Our approach is grounded in action, equity, and building on what students actually need.

Q. How do you plan to make GISA more accessible and transparent for students, particularly when it comes to administrative processes and decision-making?

We’ve heard from so many students that they weren’t even aware of what PDC does, not because they didn’t care, but because the visibility just wasn’t there. That’s what we want to shift. We’re introducing A Space for You to make it easier for students to co-create events. We’ll share regular updates on opportunities, decisions, and upcoming projects through Instagram, WhatsApp, and the GISA website.Most importantly, we’ll advocate for student needs we’ve already identified, like workshop access, ethical hiring awareness, and recognition through certificates.

Q.What are three core values you bring to your role?

• Teamwork with purpose – We’ve both worked in specialised committees and know how to coordinate, prioritize, and follow through.
• Inclusivity – Career support should reflect the diversity of IHEID’s student body, across programs, identities, and experiences.

Visibility – We want every student to not only hear about opportunities, but actually see and access them — without barriers.

Q. Lastly, a few creative ways or plans of action (chance to do something different )

Here’s what we’re excited to introduce:

UNIGE Collaboration – we plan to explore partnerships so that IHEID students can attend skill events hosted by UNIGE and gain broader exposure.

Ethical Workplace Visibility – in collaboration with the Fair Internship Initiative, we’ll highlight supportive environments and open space for honest conversations about hiring discrimination.

Certificates for Workshops & Student Initiatives – to help students reflect their engagement on LinkedIn and professional platforms.

A Space for You – a new structure to support student-led ideas with planning, logistics, and visibility.

Cross-Program Equity & Fairer Remuneration – Advocate for equitable access to academic and professional workshops for MADIS students, and push for fairer remuneration for PhD students, particularly by improving the accessibility and quality of TA-ships.