Vice President Manifesto

Firstly, I would like to thank you for your consideration of my application for the role of vice president of Arabsoc.

My name is Yasi Hashemi and I am a goal driven Jordanian/Iranian undergraduate student, running to be Vice President of ArabSoc, for the next academic year. Growing up in a multicultural city such as Dubai, I was exposed to various Arab identities, allowing me to gain a greater sense of awareness of the many ways it means to be Arab. Being an international student, Arabsoc provided me a sense of home that I had been searching for. As a proud member of the Arab community, I am deeply committed to advancing the goals and values of our society, and I believe that I have the skills, experience, and passion necessary to make a positive impact, as your Vice President.

Through past experiences of leading a large team, I possess strong leadership, time-management and communication skills that make me the ideal candidate for this role. As Head Peer Mentor in my final year of high school, I successfully lead a team that provided resources to better support student’s learning experiences. An example of this was creating support groups and delivering one-on-one sessions designed to empower students in their learning journey. Thus, as Head Peer Mentor, I worked with a diverse group of individuals and gained cultural competence. This experience is especially relevant for the role of vice president of Arabsoc, where cultural competence and awareness is critical to promoting diversity and inclusivity. I believe that the skills I gained from this experience will translate effectively into this position.

If I were to have earned the role of being your VP, I would ensure that I bring creative and unique ideas to the table for next year’s events. I believe that the Arab world is overlooked and underrepresented in Western society. Therefore, an event that I would like to put together if I were to be VP is movie screenings of independent films or documentaries by Arab filmmakers, that tell stories of Arab identity. This is also because I believe that the Arab world has so much talent that continues to go unrecognised. These events can inform and spark conversation between members of the society and the wider king’s community. Arabsoc is well-known for creating a society and space that welcomes people from many different backgrounds and perspectives, and I believe we should celebrate this diversity.

In conclusion, by becoming your Vice President, I am committed to working tirelessly to foster and promote a culture of inclusivity and diversity within the society, strengthen partnerships with other organisations and create initiatives that promote the wellbeing of the members of Arabsoc, at KCL. I believe that with your support, we can build an even greater community for all members. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to serving as your Vice President.