Meet Student Body President Muna Mohamed
Published Wednesday, November 06, 2019
Muna Mohamed, the SMSU student body president, feels her diverse background was an influence in her decision to pursue the position at the end of last year.
She started to have an interest in Student Senate two years ago when she causally started to attend meetings to see what it was about. Last fall (2018), she gained a senator position and started her involvement in the organization, but it was her last semester as an undergraduate.
“In the spring, I just worked. Then a great opportunity came up that I could not turn down. I applied and got a graduate assistant position with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion/Access, Opportunity Success office working with Michele Sterner. I was able to continue my education close to home and fulfill my goal of becoming the student body president,” she said.
“I always had it in the back of my mind to become the president of the student body because politics intrigued me. I felt a connection with politics even though I have a love/hate relationship with it. Because we are in a rural area, I wanted to represent not only the women, Muslim, and African American populations, but also the entire student body. My goal is to help make the campus better for every student,” Miss Mohamed explained.
Student body president Mohamed has many responsibilities, from attending meetings with the dean of students and president of the university; board meetings for Students United, a part of her duties; preparing for Senate meetings; finding individuals to join Senate to fill open positions; and recruiting students to represent student government at all-university meetings.
“I always like to go above what is required of me as stated in the SMSU Senate Constitution. I make it a priority to make time to meet random students to learn more about who goes to SMSU, and I often find myself giving students advice or recommending services the campus provides to help them,” she said.
Student body president Mohamed knows how important it is to set long- and short-term goals — for the university, and herself. She has succeeded in finding more students to get involved in Senate, and she is still working hard to understand more fully her role as president.
She has discovered the work necessary as president is almost a full-time job, and she enjoys that work.
Priorities include increasing student retention rates, student involvement, making the campus more environmentally friendly, and brainstorming how SMSU can be more student-centered by enhancing student services.
Miss Mohamed is in her first year of the MBA (Masters of Business Administration) program and seeks to gain the skills that will allow her to run her own law firm, or be a consultant or lawyer for businesses with immigrant workers.
“I was an immigrant. My family moved to Marshall in 1999 from Somalia. I want to be able to help other immigrants that have already immigrated legally with issues they may be experiencing. This is the reason I choose Justice Administration and Political Science majors, and a minor in pre-law for my undergraduate degrees,” she said.
She choose SMSU because it was affordable, and was near family.
“I am very family-orientated. I wanted to stay close and live with my parents while pursuing a higher education degree. I was also able to save some money by living with my parents and working a full-time job for a majority of my undergraduate degree,” Miss Mohamed said.
Miss Mohamed enjoys the potential SMSU has to expand, and appreciates the people that surround her daily.
“The individuals I have met from students to faculty and staff have been able to teach me a lot about how different we are as individuals. Knowing people’s struggles around campus allows me to come up with plans to help resolve these issues, especially if they are brought up more than once. I get the most fulfillment knowing that people feel they can open up with me, and if they are struggling, it’s satisfying when I am able to help guide them in finding the support they need, and seeing them grow as individuals,” she said.
In addition to her duties as student body president, Miss Mohamed also works in the ODI/AOS office with her advisor, attends Students United board meetings in St. Paul and supports various clubs and organizations while working a full-time job.
She has a lot of advice to share to other students who are looking to get the most out of their college experience.
“The more involved you are with professors and the campus community, the larger support system you will gain. Experience different things help you get out of your comfort zone, and you can grow from that. People are willing to help students. Don’t let rejections stop you from fulfilling your dreams. Lastly, respect others because you never know what they are going through. Just saying hello or talking to someone may be exactly what they need. I have a life slogan: ‘At the end of the day. keep the good vibes, stay positive, love yourself, spread love, one love,’” Miss Mohamed said.
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