Fatima Rua, an Honours Political Science student graduating in May 2023, has spent the last 5 years giving back to the community at UBC and beyond. She will receive recognition for her contributions at the upcoming Dean’s Reception for Graduating Student Leaders. Fatima receives the Outstanding Student Leader in the UBC Community and Beyond award. Here, she answers some of our questions about her time at UBC, her degree, and the recognition she’s receiving.
What does it mean to you to receive the Outstanding Student Leader in the UBC Community and Beyond award?
Being awarded the Outstanding Student Leader in the UBC Community and Beyond is an incredible opportunity and I am honoured and grateful to be the selected recipient. Throughout my undergraduate degree, I have dedicated my efforts to advocating for Arts students and supporting others throughout their academic journeys, so being recognized for these efforts is a huge personal accomplishment. Receiving this award helps me recognize that my contributions have made and impact on my community and and it feels rewarding to see how the hardwork is appreciated. My involvement on campus and beyond has always been fulfilling, and now being awarded for this special recognition goes beyond what I could imagine.
Could you tell us about your contributions to the UBC community (and beyond)?
Knowing about the welcoming and engaging environment at UBC when entering my first year, I was determined to find my place on campus. It was not until I joined the Arts Undergraduate Society at the end of my first year that I truly felt like I was a part of the UBC experience. Starting my position as a Director, Vice-President Internal, and now the current President, it has been an honour to contribute to the Arts community. Introducing new initiatives such as the Sustainability Department, Human Resources Department, and now fully implementing strategic and operational equity and inclusion practices in the AUS have been one of my key projects. My role as a mentor within the Political Science Student Association has also provided me with the opportunity to work with first-year and second-year prospective Political Science majors with their academic and professional development. In my final year, I joined the Student Alumni Council as a member of the Campus Traditions committee, where I was able to create engaging student events while also providing them with the opportunity to connect with UBC alumni.
Aside from my involvement at UBC, I have been a part of the Collingwood Neighbourhood House Peer2Peer Program for almost seven years. This program works at the community level where we organize a project on a social issue ranging from anti-racism to food insecurity that will later be shared at an education-sharing conference. My involvement here for the past four years has been as a mentor for the other high school students involved as I oversee their projects and ensure that they are ready for the community showcase at the end of the program. My work in social issues and advocacy extends to a larger organization known as the Girl Up Campaign sponsored by the United Nations where I have served over two years on the Provincial Executive Team as a Secretary and Co-Events Director. A group of five women and I started the British Columbia coalition, forming groups all across the province ranging from UBC to Vancouver Island. This campaign has provided me with the opportunity to work directly in the Downtown Eastside where we held a clothing drive collecting clothes all over the Lower Mainland in order to donate to the DTES Women’s Shelter, as well as the opportunity to continue my advocacy work in intersectional feminism research and education.
Fatima Rua, Outstanding Student Leaders in the UBC Community and Beyond Award Recipient
Lastly, I have been fortunate enough to have experience beyond UBC and my local community where I had the privilege to have a summer internship at the Portuguese Consulate in Vancouver. I was able to assist individuals by gathering and organizing the information necessary for citizenship documents, passport renewals, and other legal documents. After this experience, I realized that I enjoyed working in immigration and applied for another opportunity to work in a related field at Edelmann & Co. Law Offices where I assisted a lawyer on refugee-related cases by interviewing clients, researching, and preparing client profiles for future court hearings. All of these experiences have provided me with the opportunity to directly work within my community and continue my efforts in helping others.
What have you found most fulfilling about your time at UBC?
The opportunity that I have found most fulfilling about my time at UBC has been the ability to connect with so many different students on campus. Being a part of different clubs and organizations, I have had the chance to meet students who all come from different faculties and backgrounds which I would not have been able to do without the opportunities I have had. I feel as though in the moments before going to UBC, all I heard was to optimize my time there and to make the 4 years at UBC count. At the time, I thought that meant getting straight As and being a part of every single club. However, I have come to realize that my most fulfilling moment at UBC cannot be described as a single moment or a single project within a club, but the accumulation of memories and individuals I got to connect with.
Why did you pursue a Political Science Honours degree? How has being a Political Science student contributed to your experience at UBC?
I decided to pursue a political science honours degree because I was interested in the opportunity to do undergraduate research and write a thesis. My two favourite classes at UBC have been POLI 101 and POLI 328C where I learned about Canadian politics and refugee/immigration global politics. These two courses sparked my interest to dedicate my thesis work to refugee settlement across Canada. I am currently researching and drafting my undergraduate thesis on multi-provincial (British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta) refugee settlement policies and its metagoverning dimensions. The courses I have taken in my political science degree have made my academic experience at UBC more enjoyable as there is such a wide range of topics within the department. Being a political science student at UBC has allowed me to meet some of my best friends, connect with incredibly intelligent professors, and receive an education on real-world and global issues.
What words of advice would you give to other current or incoming UBC students who also want to take leadership? What would you have told your younger self about university and this phase of life in general?
My words of advice for current or incoming UBC students who want to take on leadership roles is to go for it and don’t give up! That may sound easier said than done, but if you are committed to serving students, there are always opportunities for you to do great work. This is definitely something I would have told myself in first year as it was quite difficult to find my community on campus right away. Having the courage to just put myself out there and try new things is a piece of advice that I will continue to take with me in this phase of my life and future ones to come.
