Hello, aanii, bonjour!
My name is Malek Abou-Rabia and I’m the Vice-President Education of the Students’ General Association (SGA/AGÉ) at Laurentian University.
I’ve called Laurentian home my entire life. From being a swimmer for the Laurentian club for nearly ten years, to having all my family members either work or study here, I have spent my whole life surrounded by Laurentian culture and academia. In this time, I’ve grown a passion for this campus, its gorgeous environment, the five lakes surrounding the University, and the tight-knit community that makes Laurentian so special. You can only imagine how excited I was to finally be a student here and live on campus when I started last fall. I’m currently entering my second year of Entrepreneurship in Business Administration.
Throughout my first year, I was fortunate to be able to co-author OUSA’s Rural and Northern Students policy paper, present during Laurentian’s research week, become the student lead for one of the University’s strategic plan outcomes, join committees, and work within the Sudbury community. All of this on top of homework, eating, and little sleep, of course.
As I began to dive deeper into the post-secondary education sector, I started to notice the gaps students face and I sought out solutions to those gaps within my own institution. I felt a responsibility to improve the PSE sector not only for the University that I cherish, but for students province-wide. My background in STEM and entrepreneurship allows me to find creative, out-of-the-box solutions for issues such as environmental sustainability, experiential learning opportunities, and accessibility. As an Egyptian-Canadian living in Sudbury, advocating for improved mental health services, as well as equity, diversity, and inclusion on all levels is something I value closely.
Regardless of challenges that lie ahead, I always look forward to the future, helping as many students as possible, building new relationships, and working together for a better tomorrow!
Thank you, miigwech, merci,
Malek Abou-Rabia
VP-Education SGA/AGÉ