Kaesavan Selva

I was the first person in my family to head to McMaster while the rest of my siblings were at Western. But there is something you don’t know: I’ve …never …went to school by myself. I always had a twin brother who attended the same school as me throughout my life. He was my best friend. We studied together. We played sports together. You name it. When I made the decision to accept Mac for my undergrad, I was so terrified because there felt so much ambiguity about going by myself. Will I be able to do well in school? Will I be able to make friends? Being an INFJ didn’t make things easier - I was an introvert. I love being authentic and genuine, however, it was really hard to find people on campus as a first year who wasn’t in a rush to fit in. There weren’t really any spaces outside of university parties, socials, and formals where people could actually connect. Sometimes in these very settings, I would feel lonelier in a group than I was alone. That said, things have turned out better after first year. I met some real “100” people and we constantly push each other to become the best version of ourselves. The Human Book Collection was an idea that I didn’t realize was possible till I started drawing to myself the many people that shared the same concerns about university life (#LawOfAttraction). Even with an “idea”, I didn’t realize that it would take grueling hours to start an organization. Even when Shawn and I would meet, it would take deep introspection and weeks to actually articulate our mission statement that was spot on (by the way, he is really excellent when it comes to business strategy). I now feel that we have something meaningful to offer to students and we are really excited about starting, what seems to be a growing movement, of students who feel that it’s time we #reconnect.

- Kaesavan Selva, President