HONORS EXPERIENCES
Student Government Senator
For the past few months I have dedicated a huge portion of time being a student leader an advocate as a student government senator. Attending weekly senate meetings, committee meetings, and hours and hours of reaching out to the student body for advocacy. I can’t say that it didn’t have its’ trials and tribulations. My biggest challenge was when my plans for initiatives dramatically changed when the Palestinian student body was in need of help and representation following the events in early October. I saw myself using my position to give them the platform they needed to advocate for Palestinians suffering overseas. I had to face my fears and confront UC administration during a faculty meeting with the fellow Arab and Muslim community watching, I spent meetings and meetings advocating for my co-senator’s now passed ceasefire bill which was the most endorsed bill in UC SG history. I even had to question the people around me as disagreements arose, and learn how to have the uncomfortable conversations. I felt like I had a huge purpose and it gave me so much motivation to engage in more action along my fellow peers. Despite the amount of backlash I have received throughout my advocacy, I have never felt more fulfilled and motivated to continue advocating to those who lack the representation they needed. I have attached photos from my time as a senator as well as a video of me speaking to President Pinto on behalf of the Arab and Muslim population. My video serves as the primary artifact of this experience because student advocacy to university administration is one of the most important things a student can do to advocate and voice a cause. It took courage and I give myself a lot of credit for it because I would not imagine myself to ever do something of this nature years ago.
Underserved Global Public Health Seminar
Underserved Global Public Health is a seminar that revolves around raw and unfiltered topics about healthcare in underserved and misunderstood populations. The first two-three weeks revolved around discussing the Social Determinants of Health which was then brought up consistently through each following week. We would have distinct speakers present and ignite conversations about very important subjects. Such subjects spanned from increasing healthcare technology in remote areas to dissecting prevalent racial and socioeconomic biases that are widely held in society. Such discussions were able to be connected to those like me who are aspired to do work with underserved populations. Something I truly loved to discuss frequently was the intertwining of many common struggles that people face on a daily basis, as a result of our very corrupt healthcare system. As someone who spends time getting involved in political conversations, it was no surprise that I enjoyed bringing up socioeconomics. An example would be how I discussed how the imperialist nature of western countries have consequentially led to a rise in countries and communities being exploited, which in hand results in communities who struggle to meet their needs. Another important conversation to be had was the rise in self-serving medical mission trips. It was essential that we call out whether or not people truly had selfless intentions when treating lower income communities and the rise of this so called "superiority complex." As someone with blood rooting back to the Middle East, I felt very connected to the stories of those who served in countries that constantly face victim to exploitation. I enjoyed the concept of speaking my mind throughout such discussions and rooting so many common problems in healthcare to the larger overall problems in geopolitics and economics. Being this seminar was not only insightful but will truly leave a lasting impact. It is truly one of those classes where you are expected to talk, ask questions, and be vulnerable.
Student Table Roundtable (In Progress)
Reflections:
What are your goals and expectations from the SLRT? What are you hoping to bring back to your organizations?:
My goals and expectations from the SLRTs are to be able to not only find ways to be a better leader but also find ways to improve myself on a personal level. Whether it is tools for more efficient time management when juggling multiple leadership positions, extracurriculars, and academics or finding ways to better my stress and burnout. There are so many ways that I can improve to further better and make my day to day life and tasks much more efficient. Another important goal I have is to improve how I work with people who may have different communication styles and personalities that may be different from mine. Although I have been able to work with others who may not do things the way that I do, I know that there are more that I can work on and improve. Overall, I want to be able to be a more efficient leader and leave a long-lasting impact in my organizations.
Write to yourself a paragraph you would want to read back to yourself when you are going through a rough mental patch/experiencing burnout.
Although things seem absolutely draining and impossible right now and the one thing you want to do at the moment is crash and give up, this isn’t the first time that you have endured a lot of rigor on your plate. You have been able to persevere through so many obstacles and rough mental patches even if it seemed impossible to. Above your academics and extracurriculars, remember to take care of yourself and prioritize your wellbeing. Always maintain a balance of working hard and relaxing and easing your mind. Pushing yourself over the limit of what you can handle isn’t healthy for your mind or your body so remember to take it all one step at a time. Prioritize good study habits, not procrastinating, and spending time doing the things you enjoy! I know things may seem so hard and agonizing at the moment, but you are more than capable of everything you put your mind into.
Describe your experience with the Human Knot activity and what you learned.
With my experience with the Human Knot activity, I honestly did not expect this activity to be as frustrating as it was. I went into this entire process with generally an open mind and did my best to lead some parts of this activity, however as time gradually passed some things became super confusing and I started to get really fatigued. Through the moments of feeling like giving up I did my best to have the group be as motivated as possible to untangle ourselves. Although it did not work exactly as we planned, I have a newfound appreciation for the way each of us did our best to lead the group closer to the solution.
Document your role’s responsibilities as if you were explaining them to the person who will take over your position. Then identify steps you can take to ensure a smooth transition.
As outreach chair for UC MAPS the responsibilities include facilitating a relationship between the organization and the community. This includes other student organizations, volunteer groups, and even health professionals. It is also important to try to have a reach on the student body and use your position to recruit people interested in health and medicine to be apart of the organization or even come to a meeting.
Steps to include a smooth transition include:
Create a template describing common tasks that is usually done by an outreach chair
Facilitating a meeting with the incoming person filling the position and help them with any questions or concerns that they have
After a small period of time I would then do a follow up meeting with them to make sure that everything is going smoothly
Not necessary but ideally I like to get to know every new member of the board regardless of their position to get to know them and see how they will run the organization,