Candidate Profile

Talha Syed

(He/Him)

My name is Talha Syed, I am a Psychology major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois. I am an aspiring physician who is currently on the pre-med track, in hopes to pursue a career in the field of medicine. I am a courageous, dedicated young man who is eager to make a difference in my community. Pursuing medicine has always been my destination, but throughout this journey I have discovered who I am, and what I am passionate for in the process. My pride comes from my community. I feel that giving back to those who helped mold my character is imperative to building a bond that will last a lifetime. Along with my passion to give back to those around me, I am relentless in my pursuit of success. I have faced tribulations throughout my life, whether it be academically or personally, yet, I am proud of my bravery to tackle these situations and come back more knowledgeable from them. Here at the University of Illinois, I plan to continue progressing towards my aspirations in a new community, the Illini family. One that embraces diversity, encourages academic excellence and illuminates passion. Being able to be part of Illinois Student Government allows me an opportunity to pursue my passions, and create an impact on my new community. The Senate Position particularly drew my interest as it is a way for me to foster ideas of the students and implement change and dedicate service within the university. This position gives me an ability to represent, advocate, and serve the Illini community. My mantra has always been to create positive change that influences success. Being active in taking initiatives is something I guarantee would occur if I was elected to the Senate. My candidate platform would be centered around inclusion and action. I believe it is imperative that all students, regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, or any different background are heard. As our voices are our most powerful influences. A student body cannot be represented properly if the entire student body’s voices are not valued and heard equally. A community includes all of its members and the strength of a community comes from the diversity within it, thus I will advocate for ensuring that all students feel that their voices are heard and that their concerns are addressed. This flows directly into the second part of my platform, action. Once everybody’s voices are heard equally, then initiative must be taken to address the situations presented within a community. We must show forth change rather than just speak of it and hope it randomly occurs. In order to see change, you must implement change in the course of actions. Whether that be through service, guidance, incorporation, or physical change, our actions are what we leave behind to show change. I believe that through these two key ideas, inclusion and action, then we can see a community come together and create positive change.