International student new member of the union's board
The Student Union in Östersund has its first international student on the board. This means that all board meetings are now held in English, and that the international exchange students will have a completely different representation in the union.
Mikhail Sandzhiev is from Russia and is 23 years old. He is in Sweden and Östersund for a master's degree in ecotechnology and sustainable development.
Already when he came to Mid Sweden University 1.5 years ago, he noticed the transformative power the collective can have.
– In the university I had my Bachelor’s from was no such thing which would bring students together to defend their interests and support their activities. That sparked my interest from the first week in Östersund and I was looking for a way to contribute to the university’s student-politics.
After being the president of the International Students group for a year, it was a natural step to get involved in the union. As a member of the student union board, he has a mission to work with issues that affect the international students. In addition to the fact that it is a good way to meet Swedish friends and that the union offers a platform where international students can air their views, questions and opinions, Mikhail also believes that it is important for the university to include the exchange students. He thinks that Mid Sweden University is working well with these issues.
– Mid Sweden University takes the interests of international students seriously and works to ensure that we are included.
From the Student Union's side, it is important that the international students feel included and they are warmly welcome to join the union.
– It's the right time to work with internationalization and work even more with international students' perspectives. It feels especially good that we can join Mid Sweden University, which is also working even more with internationalization in its new strategy. It is also part of our operational plan to work more clearly with inclusion for more students. This means, among other things, that we hold our board meetings in English and send out our documents in English. It's a small challenge, but a fun one, says the chairman of the student union in Östersund, Emanuel Magnusson.