MDXSU's president, Sagar Joshi, reflects on his two terms in the union, advocating for student voice, leadership and unfolding his true nature.

Sagar sat down with one of our students to chat about his journey in the past two years. He has been elected twice as a president of the students' union.

Sagar first came to the United Kingdom as a tourist when his brother was studying here at Middlesex University. He quickly made up his mind that this is where he wanted to be. He took the September intake in 2019 and started his foundation year in International Business Management. Coming from India, he found his life very different in London, yet he liked it here, but soon his new world was shaken when pandemic hit us all back in 2020.

Being an introvert, he had few friends in this entirely new city. Surprisingly, he met new people playing Pub G in his spare time during the lockdown period, when he wasn't working as a mental health supporter in a private company. He says that it was during that time when he really started to learn about himself and how he was doing mentally and emotionally. As times were tough and friends and family apart, he gradually found a certain joy in helping others; it all came naturally to him. This is when he also realised his true nature: helping people. A fun fact about his obsession with Pub G during the pandemic days is that he actually found the game helpful to plan, strategise, and socialise, which later proved to be instrumental during his campaign for the elections.

When things went back to normal at the university, he was approached by friends to become a PR officer for the Indian Society. He took the role and in his own words described it as "lit". Later, as he gained more confidence and became aware of the Student Union and the officers' role, he felt that being a representative, especially as an international student, he could help bring positive changes for those struggling to make their voices heard.

Well, his motivation worked, and he won the election back in 2022. He launched several initiatives like additional fee instalment plans for international students, free evening snacks from Monday to Friday at the quad along with pot lunch, a two-hour indoor lunch gathering for the SU staff to share food and catch up on life, to name a few.

When asked about a typical day in the SU office, he said that his day starts at 9 am where he attends board meetings with colleagues from the university and the SU. He then attends workshops where he and his team brainstorm new ideas to tackle challenges and work collectively to solve them. After a lunch break, he gets back into the office and participates in any events held by the SU on campus. He makes occasional visits around campus to represent our student body, and at 5 pm, he is ready to call it a day. He and his team get together for drinks in the evening after long office hours often.

As much as he is shy in receiving compliments, he is equally proud of what he has achieved so far. However, he stresses not being seen as an egotistic person when he says that he is genuinely happy for what he and his team have been able to do for students. He is so in love with his role that if he had another chance, he would rerun for a third term. "I feel that nobody can do that as passionately as I'm doing right now."

Upon asking what has changed in the last two years, he said that a lot of things have changed since his tenure as part of SU and the university. Starting from welfare and financial support to attendance on campus. The popularity of the student union has also increased, and the student-led societies and events have become more effective. Events like Meet & Greet, Welcome fairs, Movember, celebrating Black History Month, Women's Liberation, Fitness Pod along with other notable workshops have supported in celebrating a vibrant and diverse student body of the university.

He was all smiles when confronted with a tricky question. How coordinated is the SU and university in terms of the issues raised on behalf of the students? I could sense a feeling of pride in him when he said the university and SU worked collaboratively on all matters. Though independent, the SU gets full support from the university to help students access a legit point of contact led by students for students.

It is notable that he realizes his growth on a personal level. Beginning as an introvert, he is now most proud of the valued relationships he has been able to make both inside and outside uni. "I experienced a lot of things here as a president, meeting a lot of people, socializing, learning how to communicate, how to be confident - a lot of stuff. A lot of those skills... I've come so far, I'm literally proud of this."

At this point in the conversation, I felt that it was the right time to talk about the future candidates. I asked him if he had any suggestions for them to which he replied, "an ideal candidate would be humble, brave, and respectful." He went on to say that don't let success get into your head, raise voices for those underrepresented, and be respectful to people. "These are the core qualities that anybody should have, but sometimes it is hard to find these simple traits in people." For Sagar, being a president is all about embracing the good in you to help others sincerely.

"My hope for the future of this union is to see it continue driving as a vibrant hub of student engagement, advocacy, and support. I hope this SU continues to work as they're doing, or much better than they're doing right now because they have to be there for students."

He was a bit emotional towards the end of the interview, "this is so sad that I'm leaving, but yes, I would love to say thank you to the student body who saw that I can do something for them. And finally, the SU. They have played an important role in shaping me into a better person and I will definitely miss everybody in the SU."

Sagar plans to establish his own business once he graduates from Middlesex University. He will continue to inspire and help others in his final undergraduate year as a member of the SU. He is calm, passionate, and above all true to himself. We thank him for dedicating his time and effort to working towards something that mattered to him. We wish him more power for his future endeavours and thank him for his outstanding commitment and leadership. We are grateful to have had him as our President.