“I wanted to leave a legacy and help my fellow students enjoy their time at Davis College and Akilah, particularly those struggling with mental health issues.”

As the final trimester for the 2020/2021 academic year winds to an end, we sat down with Myriam Iransubije, Hospitality & Tourism Management, Class of 2021 and President of the Akilah Student Guild Cabinet, to hear how the past year has made her a stronger, wiser leader.

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I was motivated to apply for the Student Guild Presidency because I wanted to leave a legacy and help my fellow students enjoy their time at Davis College and Akilah, particularly those struggling with mental health issues. Being part of the Akilah Guild Cabinet means a lot to me as it is where I have grown the most personally and professionally.

Being President, I’ve felt like my voice is heard and valued as many people are looking up to me. I am now confident contributing my perspectives and insights, and I feel more responsible and open to new ideas. This position has also taught me how to deal with challenges effectively and how to manage a team of diverse personalities. I value those lessons the most, because at first I was not really good at coping with tough situations, and interacting with different people has helped to enhance my leadership and communication skills. I am a different person today compared to when I first joined the Guild, and I believe this experience has made me a better leader.

The Guild Cabinet has different Ministries that are in charge of different things. As President, I oversee all the activities and help each of the Ministries to set achievable goals. As a Cabinet, we all work together to bring great experiences to students that will help them enjoy the Davis College and Akilah community.

Working during the pandemic has not been easy for us mainly because all our engagement activities had to happen online. The Cabinet had to think creatively to best serve our fellow students and fulfil our mandate. It took a lot of effort, but we managed and I’m proud of what we have accomplished over the past year.

Among our accomplishments as a Cabinet that we feel most proud of are the different events that we managed to organize on campus. For example, we held an International Women’s Day event, which we prepared ourselves with the help of the DSA team. This was a great success and we got a lot of positive feedback from different people.

Another thing that I and my Cabinet members are proud of is that we were always there for our fellow students anytime they needed help. If any student was struggling — for instance, mentally or financially — there was always someone available to support them. We wanted to focus on helping those who were facing hard times and to do anything possible so that they were able to deal with the difficulties without affecting their academic performance. That was one of the legacies we wanted to leave and we worked with the Student Affairs team to ensure that all students were heard and helped.

We have all faced challenges over the past year and this pandemic has taught us many lessons. We saw a lot of people losing their jobs, struggling with depression, and losing loved ones. But there is hope that the future will be better, and if we maintain a growth mindset and accept the things we can’t change, then anything is possible.

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Support future leaders like Myriam amid a challenging season: www.dasvicollege.com/donate