About Me

Bilingual Software Engineering (CO-OP) student at the University of Ottawa, raised in the Ottawa region.

Daniel Thorp is a bilingual Software Engineering student at the University of Ottawa. He grew up in Chelsea, Quebec and has spent most of his life in the Ottawa region.

He became involved in student organizations early in university and has since served in leadership roles across UOSU, the Engineering Students' Society, and nonprofit organizations.

Daniel is running for UOSU President because students deserve a union that works, advocates effectively, and is accountable to the people who fund it.

Why I'm Running

Every undergraduate student at uOttawa pays fees to the Students' Union. That money should fund services, advocacy, and opportunities for students.

Too often, the union struggles to deliver on those promises. Over the past several years, Daniel has worked inside student government and seen where weak governance and poor accountability hold students back.

He is running for President to rebuild a union that takes its responsibilities seriously and delivers results students can actually feel.

  • Real advocacy on student costs
  • Transparency and financial accountability
  • Services that actually work
  • A union that represents all students

Student Life on Campus

Daniel's experience is not only in governance. He has also been active in the day-to-day student community.

Campus Involvement

Since First Year

  • Served as a 101 Week Guide with the Engineering Students' Society
  • Supported student clubs and helped organize campus events
  • Worked with student groups across faculties on outreach and programming
  • Organized workshops, project showcases, and hackathon activities

Experience with the Students' Union

I've served the Students' Union as both an elected Board Director and an Executive.

Communications Commissioner

Nov 2023 - Apr 2024

  • Directed communications reaching 40,000+ undergraduate students across social media, newsletters, and the UOSU website
  • Led the 2024 General Elections, introducing in-person voting and resolving election email delivery issues with University IT
  • Designed and deployed the online voting portal used in UOSU elections
  • Chaired the hiring of UOSU's first Ombudsperson and drafted the Workplace Violence Prevention Policy
  • Drafted governance and advocacy policies and ran public consultations and town halls
  • Coordinated with Student Affairs, University IT, and Facilities to align communications and operations
  • Conducted accessibility reviews with the Centre for Students with Disabilities

Information Technology Consultant

Jun - Aug 2024

  • Administered Microsoft 365 and maintained the UOSU website for accurate student-facing information
  • Recruited and onboarded IT and Web staff, including job descriptions, interviews, and hiring recommendations

Engineering Director

May - Aug 2023

  • Elected to represent engineering students on the UOSU Board of Directors (~40,000 members)
  • Led policy and bylaw reforms adopted by the Board and chaired an ad hoc committee
  • Received corporate governance and fiduciary duty training from external legal counsel

Campus Governance & Student Leadership

I've chaired boards, drafted policy, and helped allocate money.

VP Internal - Engineering Students' Society

May - Sep 2025

  • Oversaw governance and compliance of ESS sub-associations
  • Advocated to Faculty leadership on student issues including space, student experience, and institutional decision-making

Chair of the Board - Engineering Students' Society

May 2024 - Apr 2025

  • Presided over board meetings using Robert's Rules of Order, ensuring procedural clarity
  • Led governance modernization - improved meeting process, documentation, and compliance expectations
  • Created the Society's first centralized executive accountability tracking system

Chair of the Board - Canadian Federation of Engineering Students

May - Aug 2024

  • Chaired a national board, ensuring compliance with organizational policies and governing documents
  • Organized CFES's first Online Seasonal Updates Meeting and created bilingual agenda templates

Committee Member - Engineering Endowment Fund

May 2023 - Winter 2025

  • 40+ hours of deliberation evaluating proposals and budgets for student engineering initiatives
  • Helped allocate over $400,000 to academic, technical, and student-run initiatives

Community & Nonprofit Leadership

Capital Technology Network / Hack the Hill

Nov 2022 - Present

Led the incorporation of a youth tech nonprofit. Planned and executed Hack the Hill II - 826 participants, 113 projects, and over $95,000 in sponsorship. Currently serving as Chair of the Board.

Board Member - OpenMedia

Sep 2025 - Present

Governance, financial oversight, and HR for a national nonprofit advocating for digital rights, privacy, and an open internet.

President & Co-Founder - uOttawa Legal Hackers

Oct 2024 - Present

Founded a student organization at the intersection of law, technology, and public policy. Organized events on digital rights, AI, and emerging policy issues.

Writer - Student Affairs, University of Ottawa

Jan 2026 - Present

Contributes to the uOttawa student newsletter and maintains student-facing web content on Drupal.

Education

University of Ottawa

Sep 2022 - Apr 2027 (expected)

Bachelor of Applied Science, Software Engineering (CO-OP). Bilingual (English/French).

Read my Platform