Impressively independent

"We want to urge the University to invest in more entrepreneurial ventures that are set up by fellow Michigan students. We want to set up an international students association for the over 5,000 international students at Michigan,” announced Manish Parikh who was recently elected president of the Student Body at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Son of noted in vitro fertilization specialist Dr Firuza and neuropsychologist Dr Rajesh, Manish is a senior at the Ross School of Business pursuing a dual degree in business and political science. "Although many of my predecessors and colleagues have told me that I’m the first independent candidate or international student to be Student Body president at Michigan, I’d be shy of saying something like we’ve created history. But if we’re able to return student government back to the students, I think we would have set a very strong precedent and created history,” mentioned Manish in his email response to Parsiana.

One of America’s largest and best known schools, the University of Michigan that was founded in 1817 has over 58,000 students on three campuses with a large number of them in Ann Arbor, notes their website. As Manish had announced at the time of his election, "We also want a bike share program for Ann Arbor which is a very green city which would help to promote a more sustainable and energy efficient campus as well as make transport extremely convenient for students. The student government will fight against tuition increase, keeping in mind how in the past five years tuition has increased by 22 percent whereas household income in Michigan has decreased by 1.75 percent.”

To explain his reasons for standing as an independent, Manish had declared that he "wanted to be responsible to only one boss — the students. When you run with a political party you have two bosses: the first being the students and the second being the political machinery that helped you get elected. This can certainly interfere with your loyalty to the students. Our success as independent candidates will also serve as an example to countless students in years to come and show them that as long as they work hard, they too can run for this election and win!” Endeavoring to change the image of student government on campus, Manish had declared, "We want you to see us as we should be — cool and savvy, yet committed and serious, as jovial and caring, but not as a joke, and of course as people who were elected by you and who will only strive to work for you.”

Before being elected president, Manish was never previously involved with the Central Student Government (CSG). This historic election saw amongst the highest voter turnout. As part of the campaign he reached out to over 700 presidents of student groups, designed campaign material in several languages, and created his platform by taking a blank notebook across campus and asking Wolverines (the animal being abundant in the Michigan area, it was adopted as the University mascot and as early as 1801 the students and alumni referred to themselves as ‘Wolverines’)what changes they wanted to see at the University. Prior to joining CSG, Manish launched his own startup on campus, was a leader for the International Affairs Society, and represented and won several awards for the University of Michigan at conferences at Harvard. His favorite sports are soccer and tennis, favorite place on campus is the Law Quad, favorite TV show is "Mad Men,” and his favorite movie of all time is Godfather.

Committed to the cause of social entrepreneurship, after college Manish plans to launch startups which create a positive impact on society. Although born in Connecticut he spent his formative years in Bombay and completed his International Baccalaureate from the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Bombay. As conveyed by him, "I became interested…after seeing my parents’ contribution… (They) decided to return to India in 1989 because they wanted to contribute to the field of medicine and were committed to the development of India. They are my great inspiration. Every religion is beautiful in its own way. Dad has always engendered a secular mindset and has taught me to appreciate and imbibe the best qualities of every religion. Mom on the other hand is a devout Parsi, and so I consider myself to be half-Parsi as well. I’ve grown up reading Parsiana, and seeing mom in your magazine, has always made me want to be in it as well! The aspects I admire the most about the Parsi community are its honesty, simplicity and work ethic. And of course Parsi bhonu (food)... which I miss terribly while I’m here at college!...

"Mom often jokes that her prayers ensured my victory... I don’t disagree! On three successive occasions our opponents petitioned for our disqualification on technical grounds. All three cases were dismissed by three separate courts and courts of appeals, and finally almost a month after the actual elections we were certified as the victors. Zoroastrianism teaches us the importance of moving on and even treating our adversaries with love, kindness and respect. Using this lesson, many of my opponents have now become some of my greatest friends! There was an article I wrote during our campaign. It praises rather than criticizes all of our opponents (something I have learned from being Parsi) whilst pledging that we would not engage in mudslinging.” They preferred to champion issues that the students truly care about: a 24-hour café, calendar reform, more concerts on campus and greater engagement through social media. "We’re also using some really creative ways to engage every minority community on campus,” announced Manish.

Soon after his election Manish was among the 15 student leaders invited by the White House for a 45-minute telecom with US President Barak Obama. The youngster appreciated Obama’s "devotion to university students all across America, his empowerment of women and minorities, his furthering of ties with India and his integrity, vision, grace and humility…”

In his welcome address to the class of 2016 Manish had stated, "As you enter this land of Maize and Blue, you should all know that no matter where you come from, or how you look, no matter what your orientation or whom you love, we are all equal! We are all Wolverines! And we are all heroes!... My hope for you is that you truly immerse yourself in the Michigan way, that you expect respect here at Michigan, give it and get it, that you embrace diversity and equality here in Ann Arbor, and that you always remain proud of your identity in the face of any adversity.”