MONTEGO BAY, St James — Having recognised her limitations as a Jamaican international student in the United States of America, Davia Willis is looking to instil changes.

Willis told the Jamaica Observer that she is the newly elected vice chair for international affairs in the University Student Senate (USS) of the City University of New York (CUNY). The 21-year-old St Catherine native is a criminal justice major at Queensborough Community College where she is also the student government association president.

She explained that her goal is to push for greater inclusivity for international students studying at colleges and universities in the US. Pointing to her upbringing in Jamaica, the Dinthill Technical High School past student said that she strongly believes in pushing for the changes she wants to see. She said that since transitioning to an American school a year ago she has seen several issues affecting scholars studying on F-1 visas.

“CUNY comprises 25 campuses, and I became the vice chair for international affairs representing international students. One of the things I realised is that as international students here, we go through a lot of restrictions, and they are imposed federally, so I decided that I was going to advocate for myself and others,” Willis told the Sunday Observer.

“I always take initiative and I’m always trying to be involved,” she added.

At the same time, the young woman shared she was surprised to note that she was the only international student vying for a position in the student senate — this she attributed to international students shying away from student government.

“That made me realise that even though we’re all here, people don’t really know us because we’re so timid and shy — but I was not the child that was raised to be quiet,” she said.

Willis’s decision to vie for the position of vice chair for international affairs in the student senate wasn’t hard, as she explained that her success during her campus election brought a sense of confidence and determination. However, she still experienced some jitters and she knew it was a big task.

“I felt nervous because I was running in an election against people that were seasoned. I was just new to the association, I was just new to New York, I was just new to everything and I was questioning if I really wanted to go all out for something that I think I would rather have more knowledge in. But then I was like, you know, coming from Jamaica, I’ve always been that person that takes initiative,” she told the Sunday Observer.

“So I said, ‘Let me do something,’ because apparently no one else was stepping up to advocate for the group,” Willis added.

With the election now a distant memory Willis is looking to advocate for major changes in how the affairs of international students are handled, but she has her work cut out for her as she will tackle deep-rooted issues faced by the students.

“My goal with the association is to go to the White House to advocate for international students on how we can get access to opportunities and [additional] funding for these students because it is like they tell us that they have education here but then when we come here they are like, ‘Okay, we give you the green light to come but now you have to fend for yourself here.’ If any circumstances abruptly occur we’re left on our own with no funding and no access to scholarships, despite being eligible,” she told the Sunday Observer.

She pointed out that she has had first-hand experience of the limitation.

“There are several scholarships that I’ve come across — and I’ve been eligible for all — but the fact that I’m an international student and not a resident, I wasn’t able to obtain them,” Willis explained.

In the meantime, Willis is looking forward to making an impact in her home country after completing her undergraduate studies. She told the Sunday Observer that her ambition is to practise international law.

“For now I am doing politics as a means to broaden my network but I am planning to be a lawyer in the long run. I want to be an international lawyer, so I will come back to Jamaica to practise,” said Willis.