All Roads Lead to the Union: Newsletter
Omar Tsai – What the Union Means to Me
Omar Tsai is a recipient of the Union Student Leader Scholarship, which recognizes students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership within the union. Here is in an interview about what the Union means to him.
Please tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Omar Tsai, I’m from Provo, Utah, and I’m majoring in Graphic Design and Strategic Communication. I am a first-generation student coming from a single parent household where I was the only child.
What does the Union mean to you?
I think the Union is a very special place where people from all backgrounds and majors can interact with each other in a very neutral and safe place. Unlike other buildings where they tailor to a certain major or group of students, the Union welcomes all. The Union provides people with the perfect environment for people to get involved or seek resources.
How has the Union scholarship affected your leadership opportunities?
The Union scholarship has allowed me to focus on my leadership opportunities, which is where I can really give back to my fellow students and the University as a whole. I don’t think I would have been able to accomplish as much as I have without it! I was able to lower the hours I worked outside of the U to be able to join ASUU’s Assembly, be a Director of the Union Programming Council, and an intern at Housing and Residential Education.
Speaking of leadership opportunities, tell me how your role in UPC has been?
UPC has been a huge part of not only my leadership experience but my college experience as a whole. My whole college experience would have been so different without UPC. I would probably be sitting around at home doing nothing without UPC. I started out in UPC on the Freshman Ambassador Board during my first year, and it really opened my eyes to what the university had to offer to me. UPC really made me feel like I was part of a family, which is what I really needed coming into college not really knowing anyone. I loved UPC so much I then became an Associate Director of the Marketing Board. This is where I really got to dive into UPC and get involved with the events first hand since marketing is the backbone of every event. I loved the experience of creating content for events so much that I even applied to be the Director of Marketing; which is where I am now and will probably stay for the rest of my collegiate career.
Do you feel like you have found a community in the Union?
I definitely feel like I found a community in the Union, with not just UPC but with the Admin Office, the Services Desk, ASUU, and others. I pretty much live in the Union, with how much time I spend in it. The reason I can spend so much time in the Union is because of how welcome and safe it is to me.