At a university as large and politically active as UCLA, student government often serves as more than a campus institution—it becomes a reflection of which voices with minimal representation can be heard. In recent years, conversations around representation within student leadership have expanded to include the experiences of students who have historically occupied more peripheral spaces in campus politics. Among these shifts is the growing visibility of Muslim students entering spaces like the Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC), bringing with them perspectives shaped by community advocacy, service, and experiences navigating higher education as members of a minority community.
As campaigning for the 2026–2027 USAC elections continues, two Muslim students—Khadijah Abdalla, a first-year transfer Political Science major, and Omar Slayyeh, a first-year transfer Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics major—are stepping forward with campaigns centered on advocacy, transparency, and community care. Their candidacies reflect a broader moment of growing Muslim visibility and representation within prominent leadership spaces at UCLA.
Abdalla, who is running for Transfer Student Representative (TSR), grounds her campaign in her own experience navigating UCLA as a transfer student. In her platform, she describes feeling “disoriented” upon arriving at UCLA, struggling to find footing academically, socially, and professionally. Rather than treating those struggles as isolated experiences, Abdalla frames them as symptoms of larger institutional barriers facing transfer students across campus.
Slayyeh, who is running for USAC General Representative, centers his campaign on transparency, accountability, and community wellbeing. A third-year transfer student, Slayyeh argues that students deserve greater clarity about how university and USAC funds are allocated. His platform also addresses labor justice, support for underserved workers, and expanding student-centered resources such as food assistance and networking opportunities.
Representation matters not simply because students may share religious identities with their elected leaders but because diverse leadership often broadens conversations about whose concerns are prioritized. Muslim students, particularly those from immigrant, transfer, or first-generation backgrounds, may bring unique insight into prominent issues. Their presence challenges assumptions about who occupies positions of authority and leadership on campus.
As UCLA students prepare to vote, the candidacies of Abdalla and Slayyeh highlight an evolving campus political landscape in which Muslim students are increasingly claiming space within leadership and governance, and their campaigns reflect a broader vision of student leadership rooted in inclusion.