By Katherine Hasegawa – Business & Law Vice Presidential Candidate
A call to ARU’ youth to be resilient and carry hope: COVID-19 will pass!
As I write this, most of you – fellow students – might be moving back home with the fear of being in danger and far away from your loved ones. For those that stay in Cambridge, your main concern might be “how am I going to pay my rent in the following weeks?”.
I know changes can be overwhelming, but the reality is, we all face changes every day – a delayed bus, last-minute requests from teachers and employers, or cancellations of events due to extraordinary circumstances. Life itself is, indeed, uncertain. Heraclitus once said, “The only constant in life is change”.
Changes will for sure happen, the way how we handle them it’s what impacts our destiny. This thought has brought me to wonder, what attitude are you taking right now, are you stepping back and waiting for this to pass? Or do you accept that changes happen, and challenge yourself to explore the unlimited potential you have within you to be resilient?
My invitation to you is to experience the second one and share with your student’s community how creative and compassionate you can be.
This is me and my money-dress. I made it last year for the Global Week. I hoped the dress would be shocking and would help people to experience, in a tangible way, the currency crisis in my homeland, Venezuela.
Visit this link, if you want to read more about this journey https://socialinnovation.blog.jbs.cam.ac.uk/2019/04/24/the-venezuelan-economy-not-worth-the-paper-its-printed-on/
Since then, I have been able to represent our university and the B&L faculty in different contexts – e.g. as a guest speaker at Cambridge University talks, speaking out about the socio-economic and political injustice in developing countries. Furthermore, I have participated in fairs and charity activities raising money for schools. Through these experiences, I have developed the confidence to represent our interests and desires as students. More photos on my website: https://www.ideasforvenezuela.org
If elected as your SU’ Vice President (Business & Law), I promise:
- Social networking platform, by lobbying the university to get an online network to connect you all with other students and academics, with the purpose to generate collaboration across faculties. The aim is to support the development of your ideas, projects and campaigns.
Having this on campus will help you to develop enterprising and employability skills.
- Greater financial education, by organising the money festival which will include dynamic workshops with experts to learn about money, value and wealth.
- And last but not least, be a voice for you. I will ensure that everyone has equal opportunities by working closely with our LGBT+, disabled, women, black and minority ethic’s reps. +Societies!
Here a little proof that I will be your voice: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9uhkS1pZ7U/
I am confident that you valiant students will strengthen your lives in the coming days, you will create deeper connections with your friends and find new ways to do things. I am certain that Covid-19 will pass, and we – young people of the world are the ones that will bring hope to society.
I would like to leave you with this final question, has university taught you how to handle changes and economic disruptions? If the answer is not, then, engage with me in influencing the way the university works to prepare us for the future, not just the way it teaches us to pass the exams. University life should be more about preparation for long life than just literacy.
If you need help and/or want to know how I will cope with self-isolation in the days to come, message me on www.instagram.com/katherinehasegawa/
Visit the SU website to cast your vote. Polls close on March 20th at 2 PM.
Images: Photos By Benjamin Guy (full shot of money dress) & Zheko Georgiev
Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by The Ruskin Journal. The Journal will publish similar submissions from other election candidates that want to get involved. Contact the editor for more information.
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