My TUU Story Sharifah Syed-Rohan For me, the TUU election period is somewhat cathartic. It has allowed me to reflect on what has been two of the most interesting years of my life… interesting in the sense that they have not been good, yet they have not been all that bad. Now, I know what many people think: the TUU is a place where career politicians are born, and where they use their voice to pursue their self-interest. Do you know why I knew you thought that? Because I thought the same thing before coming into this organisation. Now, if I reflect on my journey, perhaps I too may have been perceived in this light. I suppose I conform to the stereotype of ‘Head Girl’ and the overly-ambitious. However, the reasons I got involved with the TUU were far from pursuing my own self-interest, but instead about using my voice, and my (albeit limited) skillset to advance the interests of my fellow students and to ensure that their educational journey was fulfilling.
fact I was in over my head with TUU policy, protocol, and expectations of my fellow SRC members, I am so appreciative of the wonderful people I met that year, the things I learned, and the leadership I saw embodied by people my age. The learning here was that things can be quite daunting, but that doesn’t mean you should knock them back. University is all about stepping out of your comfort zone and exploring new things — and that is what TUU has allowed me to do. However, as my term as Welfare Officer was nearing an end, I realised I wasn’t quite finished yet and still had a lot to learn andy a lot to give, and so I stood for the role of Southern Campus President and was fortunate enough to be elected.
For as long as I can remember, I have always been acutely aware of the struggles and injustices in our world, and have lived by the mantra that there is no purpose in complaining about the shortcomings within our society when we could instead be working towards bridging the gaps, empowering people and creating solutions. And I think that’s what led me to the TUU — this innate desire to do good and attempt to overcome some of the shortcomings I had observed in our university setting.
Therefore, in 2018 I found myself in the role of Southern Campus President, and my time transitioning into that role was far from easy. At the beginning of that year, a friend of mine passed away unexpectedly. They were somebody that, despite me never telling them, inspired me greatly because they carried themselves with an enviable degree of confidence. They were self-assured and willing to express their views, whether they were deemed to be wrong or right. Most importantly, they never viewed any issue as being too big to fix — they were proactive, competent and eager to bring people along on their journey to effect change. Whilst it took me some time to come to accept their absence in my life, and the lives of those important to me, I feel they taught me the importance of agitating for change, even when it may be difficult. This person’s time in my life, despite short, has allowed me to reflect on the practices of a change-maker I admired and they have inspired me to work harder, to speak up and to speak out about issues of student concern and the injustices of this world.
My time with the TUU started in the middle of 2017, when there was a casual vacancy in the role of Southern Welfare Officer. A friend of mine encouraged me to apply, and I’m really glad that they did, because despite the
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