Husam Leads by Example as GSC President

Husameddin AlMadani intended to focus all of his time at Texas A&M University on his Master's degree in petroleum engineering. He did not expect to become an active student leader, even though he had extensive community service experience. When Husam arrived on campus, he was captivated by the Aggie Spirit. He immediately realized the importance of being an active part of the Aggie family and made the decision to become involved with the Graduate Student Council (GSC). Recently elected as GSC President, Husam now works with GSC executives and representatives to help other graduate students understand the importance of being an active participant in the graduate student experience.

Part of what caught Husam's attention and motivated him to become more involved was the heartfelt traditions and camaraderie at Texas A&M. He was particularly inspired by the significance of Silver Taps and Aggie Muster.

"The traditions at Texas A&M are a large part of what make this campus unique and had a profound impact on me," said Husam. "Muster and Silver Taps especially demonstrate the special bond we all share as Aggies It is very noble and inspirational that students are committed to honoring and remembering their fellow Aggies who have passed. These traditions exemplify the importance of our connection as one, big Aggie family."

Husam also said he has been impressed with the level of diversity at Texas A&M and the genuine interest in learning about other cultures and perspectives.

"I knew that Texas A&M was a large campus with a diverse student population," Husam said. "However, there is much more  diversity than I expected and opportunities for students to learn about various cultures. I believe that today's students realize the importance of understanding diverse perspectives. By embracing different cultures and perspectives, students gain a more comprehensive view of their work and a more realistic experience of what it means to work in today's global society. The fact that an international student has been elected as GSC President is just one example of Texas A&M's dedication to diversity."

Husam states that unity is an extremely important component to move toward progress and achieve greater goals for the graduate student community. Husam's experiences have demonstrated that graduate students need to be more informed and then become more active as part of the collective campus community, in order to impact positive changes and growth.

As his term begins as GSC President, Husam develops plans to engage graduate students, bring recognition to graduate students, and elevate the participation level of graduate students across campus.

"While my term is just beginning, I have three strong goals which the executive team and I plan to implement immediately," said Husam. "One high priority is to develop more effective mechanisms of communication between representatives on GSC and their graduate student constituents. Many students may not know who their representative is or how to express their ideas or opinions to their representative. It is essential that we change that in order to provide graduate students a unified, strong voice. Secondly, we want to highlight the achievements of graduate students. We need to convey the contributions made by graduate students and the important impact we have upon Texas A&M. Our third initial goal will be to engage and motivate graduate students to be more involved in campus wide initiatives. We want to help facilitate additional methods for graduate students to contribute in order to help Texas A&M achieve the objectives outlined in Vision 2020--and beyond."

Husam agrees that the university administration, at all levels, is genuinely interested in addressing the needs and concerns of graduate students. He believes that graduate students can start making an impact immediately by being informed and contributing their input through GSC.

"Students should get to know their GSC representative," Husam said. "Communicate with your representative regularly. Share your experiences, thoughts and ideas. Also, go to the GSC website (http://gsc.tamu.edu/) to learn about programs and opportunities for involvement. The GSC will have office hours posted online in the fall. Additionally, students can attend GSC meetings, which are open to all interested. We want to provide effective methods for graduate students to be involved and share feedback, although first we have to encourage students to understand the importance, develop an interest, and then facilitate their involvement."

The 2009-2010 GSC Executive Committee is Husameddin AlMadani, President; Laura Ingels, Executive Vice President; Natalie Hewitt, Vice President for Finance; Brittany Jones, Vice President for Information; and Julian R. Avila-Pacheco, Vice President for University Affairs.

To learn more about GSC or to share your ideas and experiences, visit http://gsc.tamu.edu/ or email Husam at GSCPresident@tamu.edu.