This week, international students studying in the UK from across the world joined together to celebrate all they have achieved in the UK in the House of Commons.
At the APPG for International Students, Student Ambassador from University of Warwick Saida Alimdjanova called for international student voices to be heard, for policymakers to include them in decision-making and for us to work together to recognise all they do.
We also heard from Lord Jo Johnson on how policy uncertainty is affecting students, institutions and the higher education sector.
Thank you to the APPG for International Students for inviting us to support this event, championing the regional impact international students bring to communities across the UK.
The below is an adapted version of the speech that Saida gave at the event.
My name is Saida Alimdjanova, I am from Uzbekistan, I study Predictive Modelling and Scientific Computing at the University of Warwick, a #WeAreInternational Student Ambassador from UK Council for International Student Affairs, also known as UKCISA, and the upcoming Chair of its Student Advisory Group.
Standing in Westminster as an international student is a testament to the fact that I am not only receiving a world-class education; much more than that: I am part of a democratic society here where my voice is heard. I am incredibly humbled, grateful, and honoured to speak for one of this country's most significant and brilliant communities – international students.
All the work that helps invigorate the UK's regional economies through our voluntary contributions is something we ought to celebrate not only on International Students’ Day. Indeed, to do justice to our indispensability in UK academic, economic, and social landscapes, we would have to celebrate more than there are calendar days!
I study at the University of Warwick, where I have fed into the regional makeup through projects on political issues, improving the student experience, and competitive sports.
There is no better reward than seeing how home and international students come together to help shape local MPs' perspectives on their governance. In my time as Academic Officer of Warwick Politics Society, I brought together both groups to enable informed, political dialogues on the management of health equality in socially disadvantaged parts of Birmingham, on how we should tackle the economic consequences of climate change in Leamington, to name a few.
The dynamic exchange of different experiences between home and international students helped our local politicians develop their policies and ideas with increased consideration for the global nature of their constituencies.
I remember fondly rushing with speakers through parking lots under pouring rain, briefing them on the event as we got soaked and even managed to have a nice chat about the policies in the meantime!
At the end of the day, Birmingham, Coventry, and Leamington Spa are highly active economic hubs, endowed with cultural richness and financial contributions brought by international students. And the best thing about political dialogue between diverse groups is in fact that there are no serious impediments to us sharing our perspectives with those in power for improved and inclusive decision making – us and our global mindsets are right by their very doorstep, not only inside our classrooms and lecture halls! You don't have to travel the world – it suffices to look next door.
So we not only come here to study but we also want to help the UK hone its reputation as a world leader in education. In my projects with the Student Experience Director's office, my experience of coming from Uzbekistan, having lived in Austria, and three years now in the UK, serves to optimise my University's delivery of various initiatives targeting the entire student body. We help create vivid language exchanges between home and international students that stay with you for years. We help long-lasting learning experiences germinate. And they make one's university experience stand out from anyone else's who has studied in less diverse environments. I am immensely proud to study at the University of Warwick, which, actually, thanks to its community, students, and staff has won Institution of the Year at UKCISA’s #WeAreInternational Awards last night.
In the past three years, I have also captained our University Rifle Club, helping it grow into one of the most competitive student teams in the country. To once become captain of a large team within a typically British sport just shows that there are no limits to international students' integrative efforts. This experience has fundamentally shaped me as a person and shown me more than ánything else what UK culture, humour, and teamwork is all about. The best friendships originate from cold days spent together on a Birmingham range, with no heaters or direct water access, long rides to training sessions and coaching beginners from any background. This is the raw local experience – and we belong there because we take part.
So being global does not just mean being diverse, heterogenous or simply more different. From just my experience alone, being global means to drive for dialogue, harmony, memorable experiences, excellence and competitiveness. Being in but not from the UK makes a clear, visible impact to academia, society and the economy.
Now, what I would like to guide your attention to, is that most of our work goes unnoticed and falls short of recognition.
The recently introduced levies on our tuition fees and the graduate route reduction have not made it particularly easy to maintain our contributions to the UK society, and will restrain them more so in the future. After all, they do not just affect migration numbers, but also have a deep, long-lasting impact on lives, our lives, and the work that we do.
I am therefore proud to work with UKCISA to continue to advocate for international students. UKCISA empowers and continuously supports students like me and education providers in the pursuit of positive changes in the UK. And UKCISA also shows us, internationals, that the UK cares about us – despite all the barriers we experience in the job market, the ever-rising costs of immigration and studies. UKCISA therefore amplifies our regional impacts by opening our doors to Westminster.
The celebration of hard, and excellent work is an incredibly beautiful and purposeful cause to convene on a very cold November day. But at the end of the day, our work is in your hands, and we most sincerely ask you to help it gain recognition by shaping your policies and personal work with global considerations in mind.
We ask you to let our lived experience guide the policies that shape our futures – work with us, not just for us.
Help our voices be part of the decisions that affect our studies, our lives, and our ability to contribute. Help us shape local initiatives, keep up to date with our voluntary efforts, open your eyes to how we co-create your constituencies and become part of them.
Let's make things truly global – together.
