GISA Fall 2025 Candidate Profiles: Akansha Gupta and Malak Sameh for Environment Committee President

In conversation with the co-candidates Malak and Akansha, both MINT 2nd Year Students of the Environment and Sustainability Track.

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

Our complementary strengths and experiences strongly equip us to take on this equally challenging and crucial role as EC co-presidents. This past year, Akansha focused on building strong partnerships and bringing people together – whether that was coordinating with Zero Waste Switzerland for workshops, organizing UNDP and GEN visits, or managing budgets and timelines, she has dedicated immense effort towards creating spaces where students from different backgrounds connected over environmental issues. She has worked
on the operational side of building relationships that last beyond single initiatives. Malak dedicated her past year in EC towards enhancing that impact through advocacy and communications. The best event means nothing if students don’t know about it or understand why it matters. She made sure our messaging resonated across different audiences and helped position EC’s work within broader campus conversations.
What makes us ideal is that we’ve already been working together successfully this past year. We know EC’s operations, we’ve built relationships with key partners, and we understand where the gaps are.

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?

Our approach is built on three principles: clear communication, active representation, and genuine collaboration. We’ll maintain regular communication with GISA and other initiatives, attending meetings consistently and providing transparent updates on EC activities and budget use.

As co-presidents of EC, we are committed to representing the student body’s environmental concerns. We will maintain open communication with the students we serve to stay aware of campus issues that need to be addressed, if any.

The core of our vision is built on fostering collaboration in most, if not all, of our activities. We will actively reach out to other student initiatives to co-organize events rather than competing for the same audiences.

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?

Akansha: As Co-Director of Events, I learned how to manage competing priorities, work within budget constraints, and coordinate with multiple stakeholders simultaneously. When organizing the UNDP visit, I had to navigate institutional protocols, student schedules, and alumni availability – that taught me patience and strategic planning. I also learned when events don’t work and why, which is just as valuable as the successes.

Malak: My communications and past leadership of student-initiative experiences have taught me that even great events fail if students don’t know about them or understand why they matter. I’ve also learned how to frame environmental issues in ways that resonate withdifferent audiences; what motivates an IRPS student is different from what motivates an economics student.

We’ll use these lessons to improve efficiency by: planning events with longer lead times for better promotion, creating active feedback loops to continuously improve the channel of communication between us and the people we serve (and in so improving our work), and building a resource bank of partnerships and contacts so future EC leadership doesn’t have to start from scratch every year.

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

Our primary goal is making EC genuinely relevant to students across all academic tracks, not just Environment & Sustainability. Success means measurably increasing participation from non-E&S students in our events and demonstrating how environmental challenges connect to every field of study.

Implementation strategy:

● Launch at least one cross-sectional panel discussions in Fall semester (environment and conflict, for example) in partnership with other initiatives

● Organize at least one technical skills workshops (GIS mapping, for example) that provide career-relevant training for students regardless of specialization

● Secure at least one tangible campus sustainability win (like our cigarette butt initative) to show EC can create real change.

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

 For EC specifically, we’ll improve transparency by:

● Publishing a semester calendar of planned events early so students can plan ahead 

● Facilitating the mechanism of proposing new event ideas to or collaborations with EC 

● Being honest about budget constraints and decision-making criteria when we can’t do everything students request

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

Inclusivity: Environmental action works best when it includes diverse perspectives. We’re committed to breaking down the barriers that make students from non-environmental programs feel like EC “isn’t for them.”

Pragmatism: We’d rather achieve three concrete wins than promise twenty things we can’t deliver. Our platform is ambitious but achievable, and we’ll be transparent about what’s working and what isn’t.

Collaboration: Whether it’s partnering with other GISA initiatives, working with administration on campus sustainability, or coordinating with external organizations, we believe better outcomes happen when we work together rather than in isolation.

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

Environmental “Speed Dating” for Thesis Topics: A networking event where E&S students working on thesis research meet students from other programs to explore potential interdisciplinary angles. An IRPS student studying peace negotiations might connect with someone researching environmental conflict triggers. A development economics student might discover environmental dimensions to their poverty research.

(Within Partnerships team) The EC Resource Bank: A living document/database of sustainability internships, job postings, research opportunities, and funding specifically curated for different academic tracks. MADIS students see international law environmental positions, MAES students see green finance opportunities, etc.

French Books Sustainability Initiative: Working with the Institute to create a system where students can resell French language books at year-end, reducing waste and making materials more affordable for incoming students.

Gourmet chefs on budget: a workshop in collaboration with La farce where students can learn and test out ideas for economic meals with minimal ingredients. The purpose is to encourage responsible consumption while maintaining meal creativity.