Shrestha Dristy for Vice-President of the ISO in the FALL

Name Shrestha, Dristy

Home Nepal

Class 2011.5

I am Dristy, a Sophomore Feb from Nepal. You probably have noticed me as the loud, “hyper” girl around or on stage performing a South Asian dance or a hip-hop in Riddim or I might have tried to fix your computer problem at the helpdesk. And now I request for your support so I can extend the ripple effect of my energy and together we can celebrate the richness of international diversity on campus with each other, fellow students and other community members.
I feel very fortunate to be in Middlebury among such diverse, talented and intellectual minds and want to be able to find better ways to connect to them, have better support system for international students who come all this way with hopes to find a home away from home. I have held several leadership positions in the past- during my two years at UWC-USA and high school in Nepal and have proved myself as a capable leader through my indomitable work ethic, dedication and commitment to the task entrusted to me. I have experience in organizing and conducting several events with strong sense of duty, responsibility and hard work. I am highly motivated, organized, resourceful person and am ever happy to help others. I am sociable and a good communicator. While I believe myself to be grounded in Nepali values and proud of my heritage, I am an open-minded person with great desire to learn and try to make the most out of the opportunities I come across to learn from my peers and adults alike.
I will bring with me to the ISO Board a unique perspective as an international Feb student and will bring issues related to international students on campus to the attention of the Board. Time and again, several of us have realized how segregated the international community at Middlebury is and I understand despite the identification of the issue, we continue our efforts to bridge the gap between the international students and American students. If I were elected as the Vice-President of the ISO for Fall 2009, with the team work of our faculty and staff advisors, the Board members and most importantly, the enthusiastic members of ISO, together I aim to come up with new ideas of activities and events while we continue the traditional ones to share our culture with each other, broaden our understanding of the world we live in and take advantage of the diversity promoted at Middlebury College. I believe in the power of communication, expression and sharing. I will reach out to the members directly and encourage their participation and urge the Board members to do the same so that we can accomplish more through unified efforts.
I assure you that I will always give my best to live up to your expectations. I am dedicated to the growth of the members and the organization I belong to. I hope you find me eligible enough for this position so that I can constructively take your suggestions and apply my knowledge, experience along with the team work of other Board members to have an informative, fun-filled year. And of course, I promise you a ROCKING ISO Show 2009!
Thank you very much for taking the time to read.
Love,
Dristy

Isaac Ibrahim Sadaqah for Vice President for the ISO in the FALL

Name: Isaac Ibrahim Sadaqah

Country: Jordan

Class: 2011

Hey, I am Isshaq from Jordan. If you have a ton of homework ahead of you, then please read the next two paragraphs and the last two paragraphs of this letter. This letter is designed in a way so that you do no miss my biggest points if you only read these four short paragraphs.

To start with some introduction. I will be a junior by the time I am a vice-president, so I will have quite some experience with this place to do something both very meaningful and very well-targeted. I am doing a double-major in Computer Science and Economics and I do some French on the side, and this is why I will be able to serve you only in the Fall, as I will be going to Paris in the Spring.

If you vote for me and elect me to be your vice-president, I will make you proud of being a great member of this great organization, and will make sure that you are the one who is influencing the group instead of having to go with what the board decides. I will be listening to you and I will make sure that your suggestions for parties, speakers, events, or whatever you like are passed to the board even if you are not physically there.

here is a list of ideas that I’ve been hearing from different people this year.

* International and those who are in love with them (i.e. all those on the ISO mailing list) are pretty interesting people. And we all should meet more often, and do more activities together and with the rest of the campus.

how do I plan to solve this?

–> More inviting, welcoming and open events. for example: bring-a-friend ice cream social. Teach-someone-to-dance party, and perhaps I will pass a hooka-session instructions to the Spring vice-president, and more of these social relaxing events.
–> On the academic side of things, I will make ISO work with the IS and PSCI departments to make good use of international students and those who have been abroad in class discussions, like organizing a student speaker on topics discussed in class, or something along those lines.

* Host families are great, but they do not know each other.

how am I going to solve this?

-> A big dinner will be made for them, in which they can invite their beloved students and their friends to join them.

* ISO is not only for internationals, everybody should know that they can be part of the organization.
How am I going to solve it?
-This year I have already recruited 20+ new members in the Feb activity fair, 50% of them had participated in at least one event so far. This is going to be at least tripled next fall.

* I feel that ISO has improved over the course of the two years I have been here, and I see ISO going in this direction. And I pledge to make it even better for you next year!

–> So more fun sessions, more big events with co-operation with other big organizations, perhaps an international-style ball, where you have to come with a date that is not from your home country, or who speaks a language you don’t.

So here comes my last two paragraphs.

I will focus on few things. 1) I will increase membership by personal recruitment in the student activity fair. This increase in membership will be matched with a larger and a more diverse board that will be able to reach the whole organization body. 2) I will make ISO move towards more interaction with the academic departments, host families and the local community.

And I will make sure that more events take place and that ideas for events should come from you. So whenever I see you around I will, literally, say “hey, what do you think is a good idea for ISO to do in the next 10 days?”. Electing me to be your vice-president will grant me the honour to be even more committed to the ISO and to serve its mission and its memebers.

Rei Anno for Vice President of the ISO

Rei Anno

Class of 2011

Nationality: Japan

Running for Vice President

Konnichiwa to everyone who is reading this; my name is Rei Anno, and I am a sophomore student from Japan. Some of you may recognize me as the one who was running around backstage, sometimes frantically, during the ISO’s annual Cultural Show.

As a freshman I was mesmerized by the cultural show – music from around the world, exotic costumes, and hilarious skits – it was easily my favorite event of the year. I applied to be on the Cultural Show Committee because I wanted to not simply participate in the show, but to be part of it from the organizing process. And I must say, it was a lot of work. Many meetings, panicky e-mails between committee members, and of course, running around backstage. But I loved every minute of it.  I’m proud of the show we put on, and grateful to everyone who took part in it and made it the amazing show that it was. Hopefully, the show was as wonderful an experience to all of you as it was for me.

However, being a member of the board and attending weekly meetings made me realize that ISO is so much more than the cultural show. We offer varieties of other events, symposiums, parties, and the soccer tournament, that may not be as widely attended as the cultural show. Difficult issues have come up in the meetings, such as more integration among international students and American students, better involvement of the student body, international and Americans alike, for our events, and questions about having opening and closed board meetings, just to name a few.

ISO is a great organization that provides international students with support and the college with dynamic diversity, but there are still many problems that need to be tackled. As Vice President I hope to help the ISO cope with these issues and become an even better, and more inclusive organization. I believe that my past year experience as a member of the ISO board will help me in doing so.

(By the way Konnichiwa is hello in Japanese.)

Amer Dastgir for President of the ISO

Name: Amer Dastgir

Graduation Year: 2010

Nationality: Bangladeshi

Position Applying for: ISO Presidency

My name is Amer Dastgir and I am a Junior from Bangladesh. Being a member of Middlebury’s International Student community is one of my foremost identities on this campus. As a UWC graduate, I have spent the majority of my formative years in multicultural environments, and have thus come to love and highly value activities which involve exposure and exchanges between cultures. I am also a person who tends to assimilate the cultures I am exposed to, and thus truly regard myself as an embodiment of multiculturalism. I have participated in intercultural activities beginning from my UWC days, carrying it over to my student life here at Middlebury. Thus I am heavily involved in not only the ISO, through my regular and often over-zealous participation in the ISO show, and in helping organise other ISO events, but at the same time, I have also been involved in helping organise the events of other cultural groups on campus, such as the South Asian Students’ Association, UMOJA, and the Islamic Society.

Granted, my involvement has been mostly behind the scenes, in the planning, organising, (and often cooking!) stages, as I have previously shied away from ever taking up a leadership role. But in my eyes that does not make my involvement any less worthy, rather, it only signals that the time has come for me to be emboldened and take my involvement a step further. On that note, I have decided to emerge from the background and run for next year’s ISO Presidency. I would be an appropriate candidate for this position, not only because my involvement in the ISO and the activities of the other cultural organisations reflects my passion for “international” and intercultural activities, but also because my friendly and approachable manner means that I would be a readily accessible president, since I would always be willing to listen to and act on any feedback, suggestions and criticisms you may have for me and the organisation, whether at board meetings, or even if you see me anywhere on campus! Your voices will be heard and acted upon, and ALWAYS with a smile: that is my fundamental promise!

So on that note, all that remains is for me to ask you, members of the ISO, to vote for me as your next President, so that I may not only continue the ISO’s amazing traditions, but also build on what has been accomplished thus far, using my experience and passion for this organisation, to help make 2009-2010 a memorable year!

Annabelle Fowler for President of the ISO

Dear International Students, American Students, Friends:

My name is Annabelle Fowler ‘10 and I’m writing today to introduce myself as a candidate for ISO President for the 2009-2010 academic year. I am a dual citizen of Ecuador and the United Kingdom, and am currently working towards a double major in Math and Economics.

The ISO has accomplished many goals since I came to Middlebury in 2006. I look back, and must say that it has been truly inspiring to watch our organization grow and flourish. I have, in addition, been able to stand back and maintain the objective viewpoint necessary to recognize not only where we have succeeded, but also where we have failed. Together with working from the heart, I aim to maintain this objectivity as President of ISO.

One of my main goals is to improve accessibility to the ISO, giving all members a voice and an opportunity to participate, regardless of class year or level of involvement with the organization. This year, the ISO significantly improved the website, which I believe is one of many steps in the right direction. In addition, I aim to improve our relationship with other organizations on campus and to make sure the ISO is transparent, efficient and resourceful in terms of communication to members, non-members, and different individuals and committees in the College’s administration.

Many of you may remember me from International Orientation, either as an incoming Freshman in 2006, a PA in 2007, or a Lead PA in 2008. Many of you may remember me from the ISO Cultural Show, which I organized with members of the ISO Cultural Show Committee in both 2007 and 2008, or from the International Bring A Friend To Dinner in FIC last Spring. I may know others from random conversations on campus, classes, meals or weekend shenanigans. As for the rest, I am excited about meeting and getting to know you and listening to what you have to say.

I truly believe that constructive criticism is an essential aspect of improvement, and will welcome it throughout the year. I understand the broad array of age, cultures, experiences and nationalities of our members, and thus believe that the ISO should confer no stereotype to its members. I believe the ISO should cater for International and American students with different ideas, perspectives and lifestyles. As well as our well-known traditions, shows and events, I’d like to address more real-world issues, engaging more students and community members.

My interest in the International community at Middlebury goes beyond heavy involvement with students from an administrative perspective in the ISSS and a more social perspective with the ISO. I care about the well-being of our community and developing a healthy relationship among international and non-internationals. In addition to more visible roles on campus, I have worked behind-the-scenes to promote awareness and wellbeing, becoming heavily involved with the Host Family Program and giving a presentation on International Student Life to our Trustee’s spouses with three other international students.

Over the past few years, I have had the honor to meet and learn from countless students from all over the world at Middlebury. As President of the ISO, I will have the flexibility, responsibility and openness necessary to make the most of our combined skills and expand the outreach of the ISO. I invite all of you to contact me with any questions or recommendations, and to attend the question and answer session after Spring Break.

Warmly,

Annabelle Fowler

Mirwais Hadel for President of the ISO

Name: Mirwais Hadel – 2012

Home: Afghanistan

I am a firm believer in mutual understanding and successful cooperation between nations in order to solve the future problems of our world. In the same way, I view the International Student’s body at Middlebury College as representatives of their own nations, working together toward the same goals. My motivation in global issues started during my senior year at Riverstone International School in Boise, Idaho, where I interacted with many students from around the world.

This leads to why I am interested to run for the ISO president. The answer is simple; I like the international diversity at Middlebury College. I see myself part of the group of students from around the world with different backgrounds and cultures living together as one family. Thus, I care deeply about the International Student’s Organization on campus and I will do whatever I can to serve this organization to the best of my ability.

Keeping ISO as an active student organization on campus will be my main goal. It will explore new ways and ideas to improve this organization. I will work hard to bring American students to join the ISO board. I am confident that there is no limit to the extent we could learn from each other’s interaction. I will work to improve the resources for newly arrived international students to adapt quickly and smoothly to the American culture as well as campus life.

Finally, I am interested to serve this organization to continue the long tradition of the ISO at Middlebury College. I will continue to maintain the good image of the organization on campus. Thus, I confident that I will be a good fit for the ISO president and I hope you vote for me.

Thank you!

Sopheak Chheng for President of the ISO

Friends, my name is Sopheak Chheng. I am a sophomore from Cambodia and a Philosophy major. I am honored to tell all of you that I am running for the president position on the ISO board. According to my two years of experience with the ISO board, one year as a guest of the ISO board and one as the Web Master, I have seen all of the efforts that every ISO board member puts into the job. While in a minute I will present some specific plans and ideas I hope to implement, I would like to say that l know as well as anyone that talk means nothing without demonstrating the ability to fulfill your promises, but my actions will speak louder than anything I will tell you today. I am going to bring ISO to a new level through hard work and dedication. It has nothing to do with the current organization, but I promise to make the ISO a better organization.

The first main issue that I would like to address is one of my major concerns for the ISO. I present to you the international students a few questions. Where have the male international students been in the ISO over the last two years? What have they done for the ISO so far? This campus has an almost even split between the genders, and it is time that the ISO represents the male opinion and force on campus.

I strongly believe that, only all of us together, I mean the entire international student community, might be able to reassert this organization within the college community, using as a base the old saying that “unity is the main force of victory”.

Friends, together we can do this! All of us are far away from home, we have nothing greater than our friendship here in this college. How can the International Student Organization exist while some people care about it and some do not? We must work together as a whole to improve our organization.

I am going to share some ideas that I am planning to propose to the new ISO board even if I don’t win this election:

- Strengthen the internal relationship among the board and committee members

- Create a gaming event between the ISO and American Students (War Craft III, Star Craft, Unreal Tournament and Counter Strike)

- Create more chances for international students to meet and communicate

- Home Photo Portfolios (asking each student to bring photos from their home country and make an online gallery in the ISO website)

- Re-design the ISO website and create a blog to provide the latest news in the ISO (Event, Board meeting minutes, and news from different countries)

Finally, I have nothing more to say but to express my gratefulness for all the ex-board members who did their best at helping our community to be better and better from year to year. I am asking everyone to vote with their conscience and please think before you vote for anyone during this election. Together, we can!