SMSS president wins leadership award

Despite a busy academic schedule, and the demands placed on her as the president of the Student Medical Society of Saskatchewan, Jillian Kerry still found the time to teach yoga twice a week, and more recently, get involved with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Canada.

And her devotion to the community, and hard work within the College of Medicine, hasn’t gone unnoticed – Kerry was recently named the 2015 recipient of the RBC Leadership Award.

A student from each of the 14 member schools of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students is selected annually as someone who embodies “the passionate, dedicated and caring medical student leaders across Canada who have made innovative contributions to their schools and communities.”

“They recognize the leadership role as president as well advocating for wellness within the college,” explained Kerry, whose application had to include a resume and two letters of reference. “Outside of medicine I taught yoga until December, and Big Sisters I’ve been a part of that since February so I get there every two weeks and hang out with my little sister. 

“We do whatever she wants to do – which is mostly baking. And eating. And eating our baking.”

And while she’s enjoyed her time as president of the SMSS, before Kerry ran she wasn’t sure that she’d have been a good fit for the position.

“Initially I wasn’t 100 per cent confident I could do it,” Kerry said. “But I came full circle and realized this was a very great opportunity to help move different initiatives forward – the student voice is a very strong voice, and I wanted to get behind that group and have an influence on what the student experience was like.”

It was hard work, but hard work that was invaluable in helping to build Kerry’s leadership skills.

“I think for me one of the learning points was learning that one of your strongest points as a leader is recognizing your vulnerabilities, showing those to your colleagues and fellow students, and looking for people who have strengths in those areas to help with them,” Kerry explained. “No one is a perfect leader and I definitely used the help of other students and leaders in areas I wasn’t strong in.”

Winning the RBC Leadership Award doesn’t just net Kerry some recognition though, all 14 winners are awarded a cheque for $2,500 – money Kerry laughingly explained would be used in paying off some of her student debt.