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Student Spotlight - Bakar Ali

Bakar Ali knows a thing or two about working hard. The double major in Urban and Community Studies and International Studies, with a minor in political science, plans to graduate in only three years, taking 20 credit hours per quarter since he's attended RIT.

His accomplishments have been well-documented, including receiving the Bruce James '64 Distinguished Service Award this year for his contributions locally and in his native Somalia, and several leadership awards.

Ali hopes to apply that can-do mentality to his latest endeavor: serving as the COLA Senator for the 2013-14 academic year. For students in the college, his enthusiasm and accomplishments indicate he'll be able to make a difference.

"I'm definitely interested in working very hard," said Ali. "I want to see more recognition of COLA across campus."

Most people will think of technical fields when RIT is mentioned, but Ali believes that COLA, and the liberal arts themselves, have made important impacts at the university and the greater world.

"I believe that if you look back at the past, we notice that most people who actually influenced the change in the world are of the liberal arts persuasion and influence," said Ali. "I definitely want to show that there's a lot of potential to be successful and share the skills [of COLA students] with not only the RIT community but Rochester and other places through the world."

Ali has experience working with Student Government, as he served as the Cross-Registered Senator during the current academic year, representing deaf, hard-of-hearing and NTID supported students enrolled in all colleges of RIT besides NTID.

As a result, Ali has a plan to simultaneously generate interest in the accomplishments of students while fostering a stronger community within the college.

"I want department websites to have a location for students to post their success stories, like a spotlight section," said Ali.

The spotlight sections would reward students for hard-work and achievement while inspiring others. It could also serve to motivate and connect students with similar interests and aspirations.

Another part of Ali's vision for COLA is for active engagement from students in different outlets, like the college's Student Advisory Board and peer mentors.

"Next year I want to work to make sure that we have a Student Advisory Board that is committed and motivated," said Ali. "I believe they can do something to make change happen within COLA."

As for the peer mentors, Ali thinks that it's important that they gain more exposure amongst students attending the college. Ali served as the peer mentor for Urban and Community studies this year.

"I will be working in collaboration with them [the peer mentors] and networking with students to host more events in partnership with them," said Ali. "The more students see events, the more they will be involved with the college."

Ali also sees room for improvement in the resources for COLA students in the Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services, which he feels have a strong technology focus.

"I do think we need more recognition," said Ali. "We need to find a way to encourage students to grab opportunities that will be specific to their career choice."

As was the case during his tenure as the Cross-Registered Senator, Ali says that he's always willing to meet with students about any questions or concerns that they may have.

"You can communicate with me any time that you need to," said Ali. "Feel free to come up to me, maybe I'll even buy you some coffee."