Wednesday Nov. 5, the International Student Government Office held their Initial Meet and Greet in partnership with the Dashew Center in Bradley Hall. With coffee and delectable delights, the event showcased a chance for international students to find their own support system.
The International Student Representative, Keya Tanna, gave a speech on initiatives and opportunities available for international students. This was followed by a panel presentation, in collaboration with USAC’s Student Government office for International Students, from several of the International Student Ambassadors, or ISAs. Their input and experience on being an international student and the program’s benefits showcased the community’s effort in making marginalized students known.
Rudaba Sarwar, a fourth-year student, double majoring in mathematics of computation and statistics and data science, shared her experience as an International Student Ambassador for the Dashew Center.
The International Student Ambassadors “create a space and community for international students to meet fellow people from different cultures, to get to know each other and find friends,” said Sarwar.
Coffee and treats were served as students mingled with each other. This created a space for international students to commune and learn about resources on campus meant for their guidance.
The ISAs are composed of several committees. Sarwar’s own committee plans to extend outreach through social media initiatives, trending videos and public events to help advertise the committee as well as their role. They plan to “publicize events we have and get more people to know what we do.” The ISAs even help students with questions related to their status and visas. ISAs can help out “whoever comes to the events and direct them to the right people.”
Sarwar said that there is often “disparity and disconnection between students. They feel out of place because they don’t know where to look.” But through the ISA program, “I’ve met so many amazing people. Connecting with people and feeling a bit more at home. Finding people I can relate to and an amazing program, I’ve met fellow international ambassadors from around the world.” She mentioned everyone is welcome to come and you can find out more about their initiatives on their Instagram page or by messaging the International Student government through their email [email protected].
The International Student Representatives often holds events like this, including Mocktail Mixers or Fall Pumpkin Painting in order to sustain a community of support and growth.
Newly, they even started a literary journal called “Echoes.” “’Echoes’ is an anthology of literary works by UCLA students, written in their own languages,” according to their Instagram page. Students submitted their own short form literary poetry to the journal in a language of their choosing. A reading session of submitted authors is set to be held in late November during education week. “Echoes” gives a space for others to share their personal culture and identities through literature. For more information on the events and guidance the International Student Representative’s Instagram page is available.
These events showcase just one of the many initiatives on campus and throughout the community from Student Government.
UCLA’s Student Government, or USAC, offers students a support system to thrive on campus. Composed of 15 student officers elected by the student body, USAC is a leadership institution meant to represent the interests of the student body through leadership initiatives. From Transit Rallies to the International Student Representative Meet and Greets, USAC offers many ways to get involved in policy and find your community.
Offices span across from general advocacy initiatives and projects to marginalized communities of students. The wide range of offices is meant to cover the needs and wants of the student body.
Individual offices hold events and outreach initiatives in order to increase awareness of school resources, whether it was the International Student Ambassador Meet, held by the International Student Office, or the Midterm Mindfulness, held by the Transfer Student Representative Office.
Through various resolutions, for the 2025-26 school year, USAC advocated on behalf of the student body for the most pressing issues. In particular, the “Resolution Condemning Layoffs and Governance Changes to the Campus Retention Committee (CRC) and the Student-Initiated Outreach Committee (SIOC)” addressed the recent, more pressing budget cuts and instability of campus and summer jobs pay for students.
The resolution expanded upon the recent issues relating to the need for “the immediate reinstatement and initiation of summer payroll for all hired staff, both for the summer and the 2025-2026 academic year” — a call for change that affects students of marginalized and underrepresented communities on the individual levels. Eventually, this will restore much needed funding for financially insecure students. Further initiatives seek to not only restore funding through various grants, especially for students of first-generation backgrounds, but ultimately, to raise graduation rates of students. The resolution ultimately aims “to increase graduation rates of UCLA students and serve educationally disadvantaged communities and populations” as the end goal for these reinstatement initiatives.
Student government plays a significant role in the protection of student rights and security on campus. Through various initiatives and events, USAC has various ongoing activities to get involved with. Follow the USAC President Instagram to get more involved with advocacy opportunities and recent projects.
Collectively, these efforts show that the student government is not a distant institution but a network of peers who work every day to make UCLA feel like home for students. Events such as the International Meet and Greet give students a chance to form friendships, ask questions about visas, housing and campus life, and learn where to turn when they feel uncertain. Creative projects like “Echoes” invite students to celebrate language, culture and identity, while advocacy work around payroll, retention and equity focuses on securing the material conditions students need in order to succeed. These social, cultural and political initiatives affirm that support exists for international students, transfer students, first generation students and anyone who may feel overlooked on the UCLA campus. By attending events, following office pages, sharing concerns and joining committees, students can both benefit from this network and help shape it. In doing so, they contribute to a community grounded in care, representation and shared responsibility for the future of student life at UCLA. This ongoing engagement keeps student voices at the center of decisions that shape their own campus experience.
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Featured Image Photographed by Aaron Fu/BruinLife
