My name is Waleed and I will be representing you as your VP Voice for the year 26-27. I will be graduating (hopefully) from the University of Surrey in 2026, with a Masters in Data Science. I am an international student from Pakistan, with an undergraduate degree in Electronics/Avionics Engineering and I somehow ended up here! 

I have always been passionate about representation and ensuring people feel seen and heard, most notably in my role as Programme Manager for a flagship peace building project in Pakistan. In this role, I managed to establish a network of over 300 community leaders from all across the country who worked as first responders to incidents of violence, played a key role as mediators between conflicting parties, and worked as catalysts of ensuring harmony among the extremely diverse sections of the society. 

Since starting at Surrey this interest for representation has only grown. I started my engagement with the Students’ Union by participating in the Course Rep elections and winning it as well. I have been regularly attending Student Voice Forums, participated in the Student Equality Network, and sat on the University’s Student Experience Subcommittee for the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences.  

Other experiences include being an active volunteer for Talk Together which is a brilliant initiative under the Support Zone aimed at providing peer-to-peer support for students, President of Pakistan Society and getting involved with everything that I possibly could. I was actively involved with Friends International, University Careers Team, The Hive, and everyone else who was happy to have me involved. 

As VP Voice, my priority is to continue to increase the visibility of the Voice Zone and wider Union, to ensure students know of the services and support available to them. Following my experience as a postgraduate and Internationalstudent I want to also ensure these cohorts feel represented in University and Union decision making. We are a Union of more than 17000 students and not just a handful few. I want to guarantee that every voice feels heard and represented, no matter how big or small the issue or concern.  

By the end of the year, I want to be able to look back and clearly see that students feel more informed about the Union, understand what we do and know how we can support them. What students ask of the Union, we work hard to deliver.In my role as VP voice, I want to lead this change with the support of my absolutely amazing Voice Zone Team, and if by the end of my service as your VP Voice, your faith in the Union and the University has strengthened, I will feel comfortably successful.