DND’s Student Experience Testimonial: Silas Trachilis

November 14, 2022 - Defence Stories

Caption

Silas Trachilis

My name is Silas Trachilis, I am a young professional from Winnipeg working at the Department of National Defence (DND) as a student and I wanted to share my student experience!

I’m attending the University of Toronto majoring in Political Science and minoring in Ethics and Classical Antiquity. While I like school, I’m also a camping enthusiast who is passionate about football, Judo, and occasionally enjoys performing karaoke. Being a student is quite nice as it allows me to learn, do the things that I love, and work. It’s at my university that I fell upon the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP), a program that provides opportunities for students at all levels in all programs of study. It is through FSWEP that I was able to get a position at DND.

The process was quite simple, I created a student profile and self-identified as Métis which led me to greater opportunities. I was asked to attend an Indigenous student recruitment event with DND where I got to explore various opportunities at DND. This got me my current position at DND, an Indigenous Student Ambassador on the Students Programs team.

Part of my role is being responsible for representing the various streams of entering the federal public service, and representing student employment at DND. At the moment, I’m preparing an outreach initiative to promote DND employment in the regions. I want to focus on promoting Indigenous student opportunities within DND to Indigenous students in my region. I also connect with Indigenous students at DND to ensure they feel included in the larger Defence Student Network. I have many responsibilities, but my main goal while working at DND is to build a presence in my community through sharing my story in the hope that students can be aware of the opportunities available to them and can make informed decisions about their future.

I’ve achieved many of my goals already through the support of my team and that’s what I enjoy the most about working at DND, it’s the teamwork culture. It has given me the chance to network with a wide array of individuals that bring enthusiasm to share their unique experiences.

My student experience at DND has presented me with various opportunities including demonstrating my creativity and teamwork abilities. The Student Programs Team has embraced me for who I am, and has made me feel comfortable speaking up and contributing in team projects. I am thankful for the support that I get at DND!

Students, if you’d like to submit a testimonial of your “Student Experience”, please send an email to HRCiv_Communications_RHCiv@forces.gc.ca!

Hiring managers, if you are ready to hire a student candidate, contact HR Connect RH (accessible only on the National Defence network) who can guide you through the online staffing HR Request (accessible only on the National Defence network) process or complete it for you!