King's student looks to inspire others as USC President

Updated February 16, 2023: We are delighted to report that Sunday Ajak won the USC election on February 13, 2023, and will be Western University Students’ Council’s next president. Ajak had 6,955 votes in an election that saw the highest voter turnout in over a decade. Read the Western Gazette story on his win.

Congratulations, Sunday. from all of us at King's!

Sunday Ajak, 5^th year Social Justice and Peace Studies student, is running for President of Western’s University Student Council (USC), hoping he can “inspire the leader in every single one of us.” He describes his style as one of “sustainability leadership,” explaining that “if I can inspire the leader in you, then you can inspire the next person, and that person will inspire the next person.”

Ajak came to King’s wanting to make a difference on a large scale and believes as USC President, he can make that difference. He has been part of student government since his first year at King’s, when he was a representative on King’s University College Student’s Council (KUCSC) and later a King’s USC councillor.

Ajak takes inspiration from Tobi Solebo, from Huron University College, who became USC President in 2017. Solebo is one of only two people of colour to become USC President. Ajak says he saw the culture change that Solebo brought to Western and wants to do the same.

He says that taking Social Justice and Peace Studies for the past five years has given him the background he needed to embark on the campaign. “I see a lot of gaps that need to be filled. I have been learning from my amazing professors in Social Justice and Peace Studies about recognizing those gaps and knowing how to fill them,” he says.

Ajak sees many groups that remain under-represented. It is these groups he wants to inspire, including the students at the affiliates. He says affiliate students are often treated as “others” on Western’s campus. “I want to bridge the gap between the Western campus and off-campus students,” says Ajak.

Ajak has received a lot of support from King’s students, the friends he has made and the student leaders that he has worked with. “The student body has been the biggest support group that I’ve been leaning on. It’s really heartwarming, actually,” he says.

“London has become my home and I can’t see that changing. I just want to give back,” Ajak says. He has done so by being involved for the past nine years with many non-profits in the greater London community as a motivational speaker. He has worked with Pillar Nonprofit Network, the London Arts Council, the Thames Valley District School Board, the Canadian Mental Health Association, LUSO Community Services, and others, on such issues as mental health and diversity. Ajak looks for those areas of the city that need advocacy and representation and seeks to motivate people to create change.

In addition to his studies, Ajak has also learned a lot from the numerous clubs and other extracurricular activities he has been involved in during his time at King’s. These activities have helped him learn how club space at King’s works, as well as how to pursue advocacy and run events, all of which has been beneficial to his campaign. But more than that, it is the relationships that Ajak has made with his involvement in clubs and activities that has proven that “King’s truly is home to so many people.”

Ajak encourages current and future students to make the most of any chance to become involved in the King’s and the greater London community.