This week I was super lucky and excited to get to sit down with one of my favourite people in the entire city.
Tofunmi’s room and large-framed glasses are as colourful as her personality. If you have never met this literal ray of sunshine on campus, in the numerous organizations she is involved in or while she is out and about on the town, you are severely missing out!
Her global perspective has allowed for her to excel not only in her studies, but in her capacity as the President of the Political Science Students Association (PSSA). Although she was born in Nigeria, she has lived in Lesotho, South Africa, Saskatchewan and left Alberta to come to McGill almost four years ago to study Political Science and African Studies.
This is her second year as a PSSA executive, her foray into the association. When asked why she decided to join in the first place, she candidly admits it was for her own selfish reasons (who isn’t trying to bulk up their resume, let’s be real!) “But it has since become so much more than that,” she admits. The organization has allowed her to work with incredibly talented people and meet political science students outside of the classroom setting and in a social environment.
For those of you who thought PSSA provided ‘services’ (like me… whoops) you are mistaken and Tofunmi was sure to explain! PSSA’s mandate is to represent the interests of their constituents – all students enrolled in political science. Furthermore, they: coordinate academic and social events, provide advising and support, and enhance the relationship between students, staff, and administration as student liaisons. PSSA, and other department organizations, are vital because “they are the primary linkage between the administrative departments and students” so that students’ concerns alongside their desires and wishes reach the administration in a decisive and immediate fashion. So basically big shout-out to PSSA and my department organization for all the work they do!
If any of you are like me, dreaming about graduation and with too much free time on your hands, you may have clicked through graduation photos per department. If you’re not as lame as me, you may not know that political science composes an extremely high proportion of students in the Faculty of Arts. So one would assume the President of the association in charge of all these students would feel the pressure, but Tofunmi is too calm and collected for that. “There’s certainly pressure to ensure that you are actually representing the wide range of people who have varying interests, goals, backgrounds, and so forth,” she admits, “Nevertheless, it an incredible opportunity to get to know a widespread number of people and is a reminder that there’s a big family of people who love politics”.
Just for giggles, I asked her opinion on the US election which is her personal opinion and does not represent the beliefs of PSSA. For her, this election has been tiresome (she’s telling the American *throws shade*) but it will “serve as a classic case study for scholars who work in the developing world and attest the inadequacy of democracy. It also presents a major shift in Western understandings of the other, the reality that racism and prejudice is not dead, and that humans really have not learnt from past historical experiences”. She’s staying positive, though, (this is what I mean about the ray of sunshine) and hopes that the election will ignite serious political change in the United States regarding who has access to the presidency. So you never know, if they change the eligibility requirements we might see Tofunmi 2036! I’ll be with her (see what I did there?).
Don’t forget to go to Gerts on November 8th to see the results of the US election unfold, hosted by PSSA. Check out the event here and bring me some tissues if you can! Get involved in PSSA as soon as you can, Tofunmi promises it will enrich your time at McGill, help you make friends, and gain valuable experience!
Images obtained from interviewee.