Sarah Husain, B.B.A.’06, Management – WMU Alumni Association Board President
How were you involved on campus?
Visit Relations Coordinator - WMU Student Ambassador Program, Intra-Mural Tennis, Muslim Student Association Public Relations Committee Chair, Medallion Scholar, Presidential Scholar, National Who’s Who Award Recipient for the Management Department, Management Student Organization Advertising Committee Lead. I also got to study abroad in Pakistan for a semester doing my Honors College Thesis on Professional Women in Developing Countries, which was totally an incredible experience!
Hometown: Kalamazoo, MI
Current Location: Just moved back to Kalamazoo this summer after 7 years in San Jose, CA.
Job Title and Company/Organization: Sr. Manager, Business Development @ Stryker
Favorite campus memory: As a Tele-Counselor & Student Ambassador, I got to call incoming freshmen and congratulate them on their acceptance to WMU! It was so exciting to speak with new students and their families – especially the proud moms & dads! I also LOVED giving campus tours – and once gave a tour mid-Tornado Warning – I had to take the tour group into Sangren Hall and follow the proper tornado drill protocols while the sirens were blaring to take immediate shelter– thankfully everything turned out OK and the prospective students & their families had a great story to tell afterwards!
Story
It was my destiny to be a Bronco! My dad came to Western as an international student in 1974, with just a suitcase and a small wad of cash that my uncle gave him before he boarded his flights from Lahore, Pakistan to Kalamazoo, MI. My mom followed a few years later, and both enrolled as graduate students at WMU. When I was born, I spent the first decade of my life living in off-campus housing near Western’s campus, and I also attended preschool on-campus near the Faunce Student Services building (Sara Swickard Preschool). For my entire childhood, I attended nearly every WMU International Student Festival, the USTA Boys National Tennis Tournaments at the Sorensen Courts, countless Football & Hockey games, Bronco Bash, and Pakistani Student Association concerts and Eid Parties. I was a Bronco girl through and through.
My parents, having been international students themselves, really wanted to make the new students feel welcome & at-home in Kalamazoo. So, nearly every weekend, we hosted WMU students from all over the world, including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Kenya, Jordan, Pakistan, India, Senegal, Ghana & Egypt, just to name a few! My entire childhood was shaped by the amazing cultural & diverse experiences I had at WMU – so it was inevitable that I would end up at Western for college. When I applied for universities, I wanted to branch out and leave Kalamazoo, but my mom convinced me to apply for the Medallion Scholarship. 
When I came on-site for the Medallion interviews, I fell in love with the campus and I was most impressed by the dedication and commitment of all the faculty and staff toward their students. Everyone at WMU had a student-centered focus – and that blew me away! From that day onward, I knew I was officially going to be a Bronco – exactly 28 years after my dad set foot on American soil to attend WMU!
I’ll be forever grateful to my parents for promoting diversity & inclusion at WMU – they paved the way for me and countless other students to have a wonderful experience at Western but to also challenge the status quo on campus for all minority communities. I’m also thankful for the many faculty & staff that mentored me throughout my time in college. It was through my involvement in various RSOs on campus, as well as through my experience as a WMU Student Ambassador that I ended up working for two amazing companies in my career – Stryker & Apple. My affiliation with WMU, both growing up and eventually as an Alumna, has truly opened doors for me both personally & professionally.
As the current President of the WMU Alumni Association Board, I will do my best to carry on the Bronco Legacy that my parents instilled in me – that of grit, grace & promoting diversity & inclusivity for all Broncos!
