Thejasvi Ramu

I am a fourth year Political Science and Anthropology major at the University of Victoria on lovely Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, who is incredibly excited for graduation! Formerly was born and raised in Doha, Qatar but decided for a change in climate.

Visiting Egypt in 2000 when I was 5 years old is my earliest memory of falling in love with archaeology, history, architecture and mythology. Since that trip, my family and I always travelled to places where there was plenty of archaeological and historical background. This inspired me to major in Anthropology. More than that, being born an Indian in Qatar and then immigrating to Canada made me appreciate the value of multiculturalism and the distinctions between cultures. My time in Victoria has inspired me to look at various political and anthropological perspectives on the issue of culture and rights and I only look forward to knowing more.

I am a dedicated Model UN geek! Many assume that this is because it is either I am obsessed with the UN (which I kind of am) or because it looks wonderful on a resume. I've been doing MUN since 2009 and I will agree that it has definitely helped me acquire some wonderful skills! Today, I enjoy staffing at various conferences because it allows me to transfer those important skills to young individuals, in hopes that it helps them in their life like it did for me. The most important lesson it taught me was that regardless of my personal views on certain issues, there is no harm in taking the time to consider the issue from someone else's perspective, accept why they may take a particular decision, and how this benefits their population.

Besides MUN, I am the President of the Undergraduates of Political Science, the student society that represents all students that take any political science course at the University of Victoria. We liaise with the department of political science, the university's student society, and the university administration to help put together both academic and social events. This year, my team and I have decided that our goal for the course union is to create a community for these students and bring them all together! The work is amazing because I enjoy being there for my fellow peers, from helping them with course selection to being an ear for them to voice their problems at.

Email me at [email protected] for more information or check out my Linkedin profile.