Politics graduate Nosheen becomes first SU Muslim woman president
Wed, 05 Mar 2014 10:43:00 GMT
Nosheen Dad, Politics graduate from the University, has become the first Muslim woman President of the Students' Union and hopes her year in office will change perceptions of Asian women and encourage other women to seek leadership roles.
She is keen to dispel the notion that all Asian women are downtrodden and unable to fulfil their ambitions. Nosheen is the youngest of five in a Muslim family. She’s confident with a strong sense of social justice and the determination to succeed.
As a University of Huddersfield Politics with Media graduate, Nosheen is currently in her year of office as the University’s Students’ Union president and also a NUS National Executive Council member.
Nosheen says her social and political awareness came from her family explaining: “I am the baby of the family – there’s 20 years between me and my oldest sister – so my sisters and brother were more like mentors and guides to me. I was privileged to have them. In my family we all shared this sense of social justice. My parents were really engaged with current affairs and politics, and all my siblings went to university. They’re all graduates in the social sciences, now working as senior managers.”
While Nosheen’s siblings were her role models, she now sees herself as a positive influence on others. Before her election as President of the Students’ Union – she is a former Vice President for Wellbeing and Equality – female engagement at leadership level was lower than it is today.
Nosheen says it was the studies for her university degree that fine-tuned her interest in politics; her final year dissertation looked at how the media treats female politicians differently from their male colleagues. “I realised there are certain things I’m really passionate about. I joined the Labour Party as an undergraduate and became involved with the SU.”
She sees herself as a modern day feminist and explains: “Even after the introduction of the Equal Pay Act, income inequality has still risen in the UK. Women earn approximately £140,000 less than men in a lifetime.
One of the first things Nosheen did after becoming active in the SU was to set up the union’s first women’s group. Among the issues she has been keen to tackle on the campus is ‘lad culture’ among students. Another issue she feels needs to be addressed is that of student welfare and mental health – for both men and women, commenting: “Students are under a lot of stress - They are under a lot of pressure to come out with a first or a 2:1 and know that a really good degree isn’t enough in the current climate so they need extracurricular things on their CV. They also have worries over finance.”
As far as her own CV is concerned, Nosheen is already able to show that she has leadership skills and is not afraid to speak out. “I’m not sure what I’ll do after my year in office,” she says. “But my career is driven by the difference I can make.
“I’m a practising Muslim; I’m a woman, I’m president of the SU and I’m a Yorkshire lass, but the one identity that I’m most proud of is that I’m another human being.”
