Sabieh Mateen

What relevant experience would you bring to the position you are seeking?

As a volunteer at my local mosque, I was the youth leader. I taught the youth, coordinated and organized events, and helped them understand religious concepts. At UMBC, I am on the PakSA executive board as the public relations officer. I help advertise events, make posters, and help get more people involved in PakSA. Collaborating with the rest of the PakSA board is essential to running successful events, and this is an important skill that I will bring to my role on the SGA. As a leader, I am also able to promote events, encourage people to participate in class, and motivate others to thrive to do their best.

How do you intend on fulfilling your role while working alongside other members of SGA? What strategies do you use to address conflict?

Working alongside other SGA members, I will suggest innovative ideas for events and programs, spark productive discussion, and create fundraiser ideas. Good and productive communication is important to address conflict. Understanding both sides and finding the common ground between various viewpoints allows for conflicting parties to come to a resolution. I can also relate to others and see outside of my point of view, which helps mitigate conflict.

What is your vision for UMBC and the UMBC student body?

Being a member of the SGA would allow me to be a part of the planning process to enhance students’ academics as well as social life, and to ensure the voices of all students are being represented when making decisions or creating initiatives for the community. Although the pandemic has generally made it more difficult to be involved on campus, I hope to create more opportunities through SGA for the general student body to also be involved in the UMBC community. As we slowly begin to move back to campus, I hope to help make it a smoother transition for all students. Additionally, as a transfer student, I know especially how difficult it can be to adapt to a new college environment. I hope to help facilitate these students’ acclimation to UMBC, and to make them feel welcome in the UMBC community.

How do you plan to facilitate communications with your constituents?

To facilitate communications with constituents, I would contact people through email, by going to various campus events, and attending different club meetings to reach out to a broader range of people. I would connect with more students, and reach out personally, as to hear the voices of individual students and make their thoughts known.