Concluding my term as SciSoc President

My tenure as the 120th President of the University of Sydney Science Society (SciSoc) has come to an end. This year, I had the privilege of leading a dedicated team of 15 executives and overseeing 15 subcommittee members, all working together to serve our 3,100+ members. Under my leadership, SciSoc became the largest student society at the University of Sydney and in Australia.

In 2024, we delivered a diverse range of services, organising large social functions including cruises, camps, parties and our annual Science Ball, as well as professional networking events, sports competitions, study sessions, craft events, philanthropic initiatives, and launching new publications and merchandise.

As President, I worked closely with the Science Student Engagement team within the Faculty of Science, particularly with Anne Burnett (Student Engagement Coordinator) and Irene Benitez (Programs Officer), to ensure our initiatives aligned with student needs and the Faculty’s goals. In particular, I would like to extend my gratitude to Marcel Dinger (Dean of Science) and Sanaa Zaki (Associate Dean – Student Affairs) for their invaluable support and resources, which played a key role in helping SciSoc achieve its ambitious goals this year.

I also want to thank my core leadership team, Trisha Nangia (Vice-President), Darby Barker (Secretary) and Mandy Yang (Treasurer). Their support and commitment were essential to our success and I could not have asked for a better team to lead SciSoc with me.

2024 highlights

Key metrics

• 31 events run over 26 weeks of the academic year, with a total attendance of 8,500+ students
• 26 barbecues run
• 16 weeks of interfaculty sport, with a second-place finish
• Follower count increased by more than 2,000 across Instagram and Facebook, with 1.3 million views across our posts
• 26 Weekly Beaker email newsletters
• Revenue: $172,780 (+45.1$154,237 (+35.4% year on year); net position: $42,105 (+144.8% year on year)

Expansion

• Increased membership to more than 3,100 members in 2024, up from 1,700 in 2023
• Introduced a Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee
• Introduced new intervarsity social events, including the Science Cruise with UTS
• Philanthropic initiatives were spearheaded by Vice-President Trisha Nangia, with more than $2,000 raised for charities including Deadly Science, OzHarvest, Streetside Medics and Little Legs

Internal initiatives

• Implemented bylaws covering areas such as privacy, equity and environmental sustainability
• Secured an additional $5,000 in funding for our Equity Scheme
• Registered all events with the University of Sydney Union and completed detailed risk-assessment forms for each event

Awards

• Out of more than 200 clubs, our First Year Guide was recognised as the Best Publication at the University of Sydney Union annual awards

As I conclude my time as President, I am reminded that our success this year was driven by a shared belief in what a student society can be—an idea built on passion, dedication and community.

Thank you, SciSoc. It has been a pleasure.