Race Equality Officer
Candidates
Desmund Okumbor
Hejsan! My name is Desmond Okumbor and I am a second year Politics student running for Race Equality Officer. I was born in southern Nigeria but spent half of my life in Sweden giving me a unique perspective on different cultures.
At Glasgow University, I am the Vice President of the Politics Society which aims to better the experiences of Politics students at Glasgow University. I was also among the recent group of students who travelled to Barcelona for a Global Leadership program. The program widened my ethnic horizons as well as improved my leadership and teambuilding skills.
I currently feel that enough is not done to integrate both international and local students at the Uni, and my experience as an international student show that it can sometimes be very difficult to adapt. This is why if elected,
- I will be proposing closer relations between the international section of the Uni by encouraging active partnership with societies.
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Raise more awareness of prominent Black Glasgow alumni
-Offer more support services for international students and foreign exchange students.
- Aim to increase awareness for the celebration of Black history month at the Uni.
Mayank Goenka
Hello Everyone!
I’m Mayank Goenka – a third year engineering student.
As an international student who has experienced both cultures, the concepts of race and equality are ones I hold close to my heart. I believe our differences should be celebrated as opposed to alienated.
Previous leadership roles have helped me develop my leadership and organisation skills, both being essential for this role. As a class representative, I debated on issues about the mental health services and how they ought to be developed.
If elected, I will raise awareness about the ideological foundations of racism and how we, as students, can tackle them. Students should no longer be judged by their skin colour but by the contents of their character. We at Glasgow university must acknowledge the diverse cultures and respect each other’s values, by running events such as international food stalls and interracial carnivals with different societies, we will achieve this.
Furthermore, I will make headway for the elimination of stereotyping and also address racial inequality issues students face within the university. The changes we make now will lay the foundations for our successors.
I have your best interests at heart and will ensure that your voices are heard.