Usman Riaz Soomro – Engineering Cross-national Student Relations

Uzman Riaz Soomro is not a typical university student. Currently studying Engineering, he not only attends his daily classes at Curtin University, Sarawak, but he is the pioneer of extra-curricular activities on campus.

“I’m not a guy who can just stay into the books. I want to do studies along with other things”.

Fundamentally, Curtin, Sarawak, provides the perfect backdrop for cross-cultural activities to occur. Uzman explains that its international reputation as a quality university is key – as this was the motivating factor in his move to Malaysia from his homeland of Pakistan, and for many other overseas students. Undeniably, it also acts as a unique study option for both inter-regional and extra-regional students, seeking a non-traditional Australian tertiary education.

Subsequently, the international melting pot of students at the university has informed Uzman’s desire to create an active student community at the offshore campus. Specifically, he has been a key figure in introducing and administering a Model United Nations society at Curtin, Sarawak.

“I started my first internal Model UN Conference in 2011. We discussed the legalisation of drugs in different countries”.

However, his aspirations for Curtin’s student community go much further than simply conducting Model UN engagement in locality. His outlook is transnational.

“Our target is to make Curtin the platform in Malaysia for model UN activities – creating a link, a bridge between different universities throughout the world”.

“Next semester, we are trying to work on an inter-university MUN. We are trying to invite universities from Brunei, Sarawak, East and West Malaysia and high school students from around the local area”.

Along with this, Uzman has drawn on his passion for art, to further encourage the student community to engage in campus activities together.

“This semester I had Curtin’s first Art and Photography Exhibition. I started another program in Curtin called ‘The Gallery’ – in which we try to empower creative people”.

“I’m trying to work something out with the university so we can start an art program in Curtin and in Miri locally. People need a healthy outlet to spend their time”.

While Uzman’s transnational education has exposed him to a wealth of culturally diverse experiences, it is remarkable that he is also making a commitment to shaping the experiences and perspectives of not only his current university cohort, but future students.

“I want to create new grounds over here for the future international students who come. We are only here for a little while, but the university is going to go on and international students need to have all these different outlets”.

Unquestionably, Uzman’s contribution to the university experience of students at Curtin, Sarawak, will have a great impact on student organisation for generations of entrants.