Senator Spotlight: Zahara Osman
Becoming involved with Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Student Government helps give students a sense of confidence and allows them to build their communication skills, as noted by At-Large Senator Zahara Osman.
Osman is an aviation major student who cares deeply about the functionality of other students throughout the University, which is why she joined Student Government.
“I joined because I wanted to advocate for the students and help them with the issues they are facing. I want to voice my opinion on things that matter most to me as well,” Osman stated.
In this organization, Osman has been elected into the role of At-large Senator, meaning she doesn’t have to focus on one specific college, but instead her and the other At-large Senators collaborate with Senators from other sections based on their interests.
Osman is currently working on a few projects that will take a year or two to complete, but are worthwhile.
“Right now I am working with the residential Life Senators to create a new learning community for the LGBTQ+ community,” Osman explained, to help students feel safe in their learning environment.
Other projects include collaborating with the College of Business Senators to create and hand out surveys to students. These surveys are created to help professors and the University understand the strengths and weaknesses of the way classes are being taught.
One of the most important questions included in this survey asks students what delivery method of classes they like best, choosing from in person lectures, zoom lectures, or asynchronous. These answers will then be sent to and discussed by the Academic Affairs.
A last project Osman is working on is designated for the aviation program on campus, since she is an aviation major and can relate to these students.
“I’m working with this department to reconstruct their aviation management program, since these students have pointed out they need to take more management classes. This will take a year or two, but we want to help these students,” Osman stated.
Student Government isn’t the only thing Osman busies herself with. Along with this, she is the shift leader for Campus Kitchen, community member of Academic Affairs, community member of Student Allocation Committee, board member of the CSU, takes on various roles within Students United, and, in her free time, will volunteer with the Student Events Team.
Osman recommends joining Student Government to anyone who’s pondering on the idea. “I think it’s a great way to get involved and to get to know your school and other opportunities on campus. It’s also a unique opportunity to grow as a person.”
With all that Osman does to help the MNSU community, she’s proud of the work she and the other senators complete.