Oki! My name is Annie Ebenmelu and I am a second year Public Health student from Nigeria. Something I found interesting during this campaign period, was how our student elections aligned with my country’s presidential elections. One of our political parties is PDP, which stands for People’s Democratic Party. Their slogan is power to the people and I truly believe in that statement. I am not a politician, I’m just student who is concerned. I want to see international students, such as myself, thrive. Coming here alone as a teenager is tough. No job, maybe no family. Coupled with the pressure of school work and heavy fees/cost of living breathing down our necks. It is easy to be in this constant state of turmoil and regret for choosing - or not event choosing - to leave your home. In my term, I would love to promote the thriving process through strengthening our communities, developing cultural competence, and aiding in good governance. Some considerable initiatives I am to achieve are: a culture fest and blending the student communities with the wider Lethbridge communities. I may be the only one running, but I hope to be actively chosen by the students to be our next International Students Rep. Thank you!