Kaziwa Kadir: Candidate for VP Welfare

By Paris King

As the whole campus prepares to vote in the upcoming student elections, The Print has interviewed a number of candidates standing for representative and executive positions. All candidates were invited to participate. Those who did not respond are not included. Other candidates are available and students can see all of them on qmsu.org/elections. Anything mentioned in the text reflects the candidates’ opinions, not The Print’s. The length of the interviews does not imply preferences for a candidate, but instead ensures that we are factually reporting on their interviews. 

Kaziwa Kadir, running for the VP Welfare position, believes she is a strong candidate because she is able to ‘combine advocacy skills, communication skills, and mentoring skills.’ She believes she brings a confident voice to her campaign for the student elections. Kaziwa highlights her experience as a student mentor and her academic background in Politics and International Relations as key qualifications for the role of Student Welfare VP. ‘I know firsthand what the struggles have been for first-year students specifically because I’ve mentored them, [and] because I’ve known the financial struggles, the mental health struggles, and the challenge of trying to balance work and university,’ she explains. As a final-year BA Politics and International Relations student, Kaziwa feels her academic background equips her to understand the political dimensions of student mental and physical well-being. She emphasises the important role politics plays in shaping the quality and experience of student life. Debates in the classroom, she says, have given her a strong voice for leadership—one that understands the internal and external processes necessary to bring a clear and confident voice to the SU. Drawing on her personal experiences, Kaziwa emphasises how they help her connect with the larger student body. As a first-generation university student, commuter, and someone who has struggled to adapt to university life, she believes she can relate to the challenges faced by many students. 

Kaziwa states that she is deeply engaged with the scope and influence of the SU. While she acknowledges the successes in welfare on campus, she highlights a gap in the current infrastructure when it comes to reaching commuter students. Reflecting on the achievements of previous office holders, Kaziwa is confident that they have made and delivered commendable promises. In fact, she considers them ‘role models’ for the work they have achieved. However, she notes, ‘What I would do differently from them is signposting and showing students that there is help.’Drawing from her own experience at university, Kaziwa highlights a lack of emails, workshops, and advice that engage students outside the classroom. To address this, she plans to use signposting to make existing services more accessible and visible. Beyond emails and workshops, she proposes encouraging lecturers to introduce available programs at the start of lectures. This, she believes, is a quick, efficient, and simple method to ensure students, especially commuters, are aware of the help available to them early in their degree. Through signposting, Kaziwa also hopes to introduce better counselling options and one-to-one support for managing finances and mental health, starting from students’ first year. 

‘I am very strong-headed on counselling,’ Kaziwa states, connecting the typical struggles of university life to the challenges of stepping into adulthood. Rather than being ‘thrown into this sphere’ that is university, Kaziwa hopes that counselling services will help students feel better supported and provide greater guidance on navigating university life. She emphasizes the growing population of first-generation university students who do not inherit guidelines or advice about university life from their families. For these students, she believes, greater support from universities is essential. 

According to Kaziwa, the biggest issue facing students today is the cost of living. She highlights the financial strain of living and commuting to Mile End.  To address this, Kaziwa plans to inform students about available scholarships, bursaries, and free activities on campus that their tuition already covers. She believes that raising awareness about these resources can help alleviate some of the financial pressures students face.

While Kaziwa’s manifesto highlights a commitment to advocating for women and ethnic minorities, she also acknowledges the importance of addressing broader mental health challenges and ensuring that every student feels supported. ‘It’s not my place to say your opinion is wrong or right. I hold my own values and morals, and someone else holds their own values and morals. What I think may be right, you may not think is right, and that’s totally fine,’ she explains. Kaziwa emphasises the importance of finding common ground and understanding differing perspectives. She plans to approach the role of Welfare VP with empathy and respect, aiming to represent all students regardless of their background or beliefs. “I do not need to be a specific gender or ethnicity to understand what struggles you go through. I just need to know that you’re going through them so I can advocate for something for you and for people like you on campus.” Kaziwa also identifies a need for a more open and supportive environment at QMUL where students can discuss mental health without fear of stigma. To address this, she plans to introduce initiatives such as mental health awareness campaigns, peer support groups, and accessible counselling services. She hopes to foster a culture where students feel confident sharing their challenges, whether in private or public settings. To amplify student voices, Kaziwa draws inspiration from the SHARP system implemented in her previous education. This system allowed students to anonymously report concerns about themselves or others, ensuring that every voice was heard. She envisions introducing a similar initiative at QMUL to provide students with a safe and accessible outlet for raising issues. 

For Kaziwa, success at the end of her term would mean increased student awareness of available support services, a noticeable reduction in the stigma surrounding mental health, and the successful implementation of an anonymous reporting system to amplify student voices. While she does not expect to achieve all her goals during her remaining time at QMUL, Kaziwa hopes to introduce change ‘little by little, one mark at a time,’ represented by her campaign mascot: the ladybug. For Kaziwa, success would also mean handing over her aims and goals to the next candidate, ensuring that the well-being of students continues to be a priority. She hopes her ideas will gain momentum and support, creating a ‘snowball effect’ that benefits students for years to come. Her campaign is centred on spreading care and creating a supportive environment for all students, with a particular focus on underrepresented groups. She aims to address key challenges such as mental health, cost of living, and inclusivity through practical initiatives and collaborative efforts. 

Voting runs from 23 to 26 March 2026.