Senior Plattsburgh State President of Student Association Vrinda Kumar is an international student from Dubai.
Four years ago, she was researching for colleges and then decided to choose Plattsburgh State.
“Plattsburgh State has very good scholarship program, and they are very welcoming,” Kumar said. “I like how the campus was so different from Dubai. Plattsburgh is cleaner and more environmentally friendly.”
Before majoring in public health and social justice, Kumar was in the cytotechnology program. It is also the reason why she first decided to attend PSUC.
“That was the program I first wanted to do here,” she said. “But then I decided to switch my major.”
Kumar has a big passion about public policy, how resources are given to people, social justice and public health.
She also explained briefly about public policy. Kumar mentioned the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as an example of public health.
“In public health, I also learn about medication, learn about why they are important and how to implement them and put them into action” Kumar said. “After graduating, I am going to apply for a master’s degree and look for a job as well.”
Her career goals are to work for the United Nations in the future. The United Nation is an international organization founded in 1945, and they take action on many issues such as peace and security, climate change, sustainable development, human rights, disarmament, terrorism, humanitarian and health emergencies, gender equality, governance, food production and more, according to their official website.
Kumar has been the President for the Student Association for two semesters. She said the reason why she decided to run for that position is because she wants to create a platform that make people feel safe, comfortable and being accepted for who they are on campus.
“I am very happy with this campus because there are always so many opportunities here,” Kumar said. “Most of the students have been very supportive, and I feel welcome in Plattsburgh.
It is going to be hard to graduate and leave the school.”
As the Student Association President, she said there is still work to be done before she can say she is successful. She still has many projects and work going on, for example, on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Hurricane Harvey and Irma and more.
Sophomore marketing and international business major Smit Pujara, one of the members in the Student Association described Kumar as a “hard-working, responsible and reliable” person.
“She is an amazing person and involved on many things on campus,” he said. “She takes part in many community activities.”
Smit said he respects everything about Kumar because she does everything with passion, make an effort and spend time on it.
“Kumar is a very proactive person,” junior political science major Amber Cruz said. “When she said she is going to do something, she is very determined to reach that goal whether it is a small thing.”
Cruz also referred Kumar as ‘a funny person with a positive attitude no matter what happens’ and ‘a supportive person’ as well.
“As a friend, Kumar is a great listener,” Cruz said. “She will listen to anything whether it is related to the student association or personal life.”
Kumar sees herself as a completely different person now, comparing to Kumar in freshmen year. She said she becomes more open-minded and more passionate about social justice.
“Find something that makes you want to get out of your seat and do it immediately,” Kumar said. “It is fine if you have not found that yet because I did not know I would join the student government until I got involved.”
She suggested students to keep their mind open all the time and be willing to explore and try out everything.
Email Hilly Nguyen at fuse@cardinalpointsonline.com
