Editor’s note: There was an error in Shan Hussein’s major. She is an economics major. 

Economics major Shan Hussein is the first in many years to occupy one of two Student Government Association (SGA) international member-at-large seats.

As a part of a leadership program, she came to USI from Kurdistan with 23 other students in 2010 for six weeks, before returning to USI again in Spring 2012.

“I don’t want to be confused as being Arab because I’m not Arab,” she said. “I am from Kurdistan, which is in northern Iraq.”

She said the Ottoman Empire had dissolved following World War I, and Kurdistan was divided into four parts within Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.

“So I am ethnically Kurdish but politically Iraqi,” she said. 

After returning to Kurdistan, USI offered the group of students two scholarships. Hussein applied and received one of the scholarships, allowing her to study economics and social work at USI.

Hussein said she had been a part of an organization similar to SGA in Kurdistan. In this organization, she had to know the needs and wants of more than 450 students. She also volunteered for the Asuda Organization, which promotes awareness of women’s rights. 

“My goal is, of course, helping people,” she said.

She said she has plans for transportation and housing changes during the summer for international students.

“Whenever I came over here in spring semester, I went to an apartment,” she said. “Then they said, ‘Okay, this is summer. You need to move to another apartment.’ Then after summer, I (had) to move to another apartment for fall semester. You know, we don’t have a car. We have so many things (with) us because we don’t have our parent’s house to leave so many things over there and then bring it back. So we have everything on us.” 

With an empty seat on SGA for many years, Hussein said she does not know what the international member at large did previously. 

“I am looking to find my own path and go on it and try to know how to apply my dreams into reality,” Hussein said.

SGA has a second available position for the international member-at-large. SGA President Sarah Krampe said they have had some interest in the second seat and hope to get it filled.

“I think we have faced a lot of challenges with (diversity) over the years so it is something that we are hoping to address and something we are hoping to pursue, and I think that with Shan having applied for the position – we are thrilled to have her here – we are taking the right steps,” Krampe said. 

Aside from the remaining international member-at-large vacancy, SGA still has several available positions for students meeting the requirements.

“You know, we started off this year with some pretty small numbers,” Krampe said. “I think part of that gets into the fact that it’s hard for people to think at the end of the spring semester, ‘What do I want to be doing next year?’ So we get a lot of interest at the beginning of the fall semester because people are thinking, ‘What do I want to be involved in?’”

Krampe said SGA is always looking for new members who share the same goals they do, and they hope to fill more positions in the spring election.

“We’re not all the way there, by any stretch of the imagination,” Krampe said. “I don’t think we are ever all the way there, but I think we are taking steps in the right direction, and we’re really excited to have someone in that position.”