New ISA President Mohamed Naleef: Enhancing Campus Life is a Priority

Mohamed Naleef Ahamed Mazhar is from Sri Lanka, but has previously lived in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for several years because of his father's job. He is currently studying medicine in his 4th year. Naleef was recently elected the President of the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) International Student Association (ISA). This will be his second year on the ISA Board having served as Liaison Officer in the unpredictably challenging year that was 2020.

Where do you get your desire to study medicine from?

It's partially my cultural background where the top three jobs are considered to be doctor, lawyer or engineer. My younger brother and I like helping people out, which is why we both turned to medicine. He might be coming to RSU as well. 

Has the pandemic changed the way you feel about your studies?

It's cemented my love for family medicine. I think primary care physicians are very important to the healthcare system. They alleviate the burden caused by too many patients going directly to specialists.

You have the whole world open to you because of your international background. What drew you to studying in Latvia? 

I was introduced to RSU through an agency that handles medical studies. Latvia was one of the better options economically, and it allows me more exposure than other countries. If you come to Riga, you have access to a lot of other countries, which was important to me. I wanted to be able to get internships in and visit other countries. If I had studied in Indonesia, Belarus or Nepal, for example, I would have been restricted to those countries. 

The education at RSU is compatible with many different countries. In some cases RSU offers more practical education than other universities in Western Europe where education is more theoretical. Comparing systems is always hard, but RSU does prepare you for a lot.

Did you speak to any students before coming here?

No, actually. In fact I arrived two weeks late because of visa issues, so I missed Orientation Week. I was completely unaware of a lot of things that were going on. I think I spent a month just getting everything sorted.

Having missed Orientation Week, what did you do first in order to meet your fellow students?

When I came here, I was introduced to other students living at my first accomodation. From there, it snowballed into me joining the RSU Asian Society, which is the second largest national society we have. I got really involved and was elected the President there as well this year, alongside ISA. From there on in, I got involved in the behind-the-scenes of ISA and it was natural to join the board as Liaison Officer in 2020.

RSU Breaking Barriers event. Photo from private archive.

What made you want to run for President?

It can be summarised in one sentence as wanting to improve campus life. I have noticed that there are a few gaps in our social experience here. This might come from stereotypes from American TV shows and movies regarding what college life is supposed to be, but what I essentially mean is having more workshops and seminars, or opportunities for sports. 

It's also important for me to increase international students' voice in the decision making process. After changes have taken place, we're often left wondering as to whether they consulted any students when they were made. I've attended a few meetings and realised how much benefit there can be from voicing an international perspective.

Detective game CluedUp. "We dressed up as mad scientists and played all over Riga!" Photo from private archive.

How was it being on the board last year? It was a year none of you signed up for considering that the pandemic started a month or two into your new roles!

The situation got tough when most students started demanding compensation for gaps in their classes. During the first month it was really hard for some departments to adjust to being completely online, so some courses didn't take place as planned. This was a problem that we tackled thanks to our academic affairs officers. My role was mostly to contact the embassies together with the national societies, and then reach out to other universities. This was a very anxious time, because we also had to get information from airports about what flights were available for those students who were leaving. Everyone was panicking, and it was tough to deal with.

None of the issues we faced were RSU-specific, however. As I was in contact with other universities as part of my role, I know that all universities had to compromise and think on their feet to come up with solutions. In most self-contained campuses they can control students' movements to a greater degree, like in India, so they have a different kind of flexibility with course schedules. One of my friends is currently studying there. 

Being on the ISA Board must take up a lot of time. What added value do you feel that being involved with ISA gives you?

I was involved in my school's government structures both in Sri Lanka and the UAE. We used to call them prefectships then, so I've always gravitated to student organisation.

I enjoy the feeling of seeing a lot of little pieces coming together. This is something you see when you organise various events, or set up sports teams, or structures that continue on after your role ends. It was always motivational to know that previous presidents started projects that still continue today. An example of this are the academic societies that started around two years ago, and the national societies that we set up about 5-6 years ago. I want to be the president in order to continue this legacy, essentially.

Another reason is to ensure that the university's decisions do not only benefit themselves, but also the students. University studies can be a grey area in terms of consumer versus provider, so we have to make sure to raise our concerns as we go along. Our role at ISA is to always be prepared and to look for that little string to pull on and get to the bottom of a situation and solve it. I'm encouraged by my team.

There's a good atmosphere on the board - everyone is always looking out for things to solve, and coming up with solutions. 

What are your top priorities for next year?

1. A short term goal that could become a long term goal is to improve the quality of our studies during the coronavirus pandemic.
2. We will also prioritise expanding opportunities for sports and extracurricular activities at RSU. We will work on encouraging the university to follow through on this, or implement new opportunities ourselves.
3. And finally also to handle problems exclusive to the international student community at RSU. The issues we face are quite a bit different and can't just be lumped together with other student concerns. I want to work hard to make sure that all international students feel that they are being heard. 

What's important to the international student community at RSU?

One of the main things that's important to international students is consistent and quick information.

Because we're students, we're kind of at the bottom of the communication hierarchy. This is massively confusing for us. It causes more stress than necessary. ISA is now tackling this issue by trying to work with management to ensure that we ask all the right questions and that the answers we get are sufficient, in order for students to maintain, or manage, their workload.

How many languages do you currently speak?

I speak Tamil and English fluently, and passable Arabic depending on the situation. Another language is Singhalese, which I understand to an extent. They're all quite different grammatically, and in how they're written.

Have you learned Latvian?

I think I'm quite adept when it comes to day-to-day conversations. I've learned the shopping phrases, like “dodiet man lūdzu” and things like that. When it comes to treating patients, I can ask the odd phrase like “do you have these symptoms?”, but I cannot have a nuanced discussion.

Are your sights set on Europe after you graduate? Where would you ideally want to work?

I'd prefer Europe for my residency in order to get the knowledge I need. I would also like to spend a couple of years with Doctors Without Borders or the Red Cross, to join a humanitarian mission, essentially. After this, working in an English-speaking country would be preferable, but I would be willing to learn another language too.