By: Anthony Danilov
Receiving the scholar of the month as an eight-year-old expatriate, reviving the Muslim Student Association, and then becoming the Vice President in her first year at Bergen, to being elected Chief Justice of the Student Government Association – Meryem Tos has done it all. And she’s only 18.
They say comparison is the theft of joy, but sometimes it can become fuel for one to want to do and achieve more. Meryem Tos is someone who has devoted her time to helping the students at Bergen get more involved in helping their community and feeling included – while I contemplate if I even want to get out of bed in the morning.
Tos is filled with that fuel that I spoke of, the fuel to never stop striving for one’s goals and to always go beyond what is expected of them. Tos comes from a diverse background. She was originally born in Türkiye, and then came to Maryland, United States. After some time, she went to Cambridge, United Kingdom before retuning to the States in New Jersey. When I asked her what the transition was like when she came to America, she surprised me, saying it wasn’t that difficult for her. She gave credit to the high education standard in Türkiye, but I can’t help but think she was being modest.
With a resume like Tos’s, I couldn’t help but be a wee bit braggadocious but as she listed off the positions she’s held, she spoke of them as if they were humble beginnings. For Tos, her achievements aren’t for transfer schools or for herself; it’s for the community and people around her.
When I asked about her family’s reactions to her achievements Tos told me her family, here and abroad, have always given her the support she needed but she held a special spot for her father. She told me that even from a young age, her father saw his daughters as leaders, and more importantly global-minded leaders, and urged them to live their life as such.
When Tos came to Bergen, she immediately got in contact with Student Life, wanting to immerse herself into the community as much as she could. While the Muslim Association had been inactive, Tos took upon herself the task of bringing back the club. Over the months to come, she attended training sessions for leadership provided by student life and, with her friend, brought back one of the campus’s most important groups.
From there, Tos became the Vice President of the Muslim Association and the student club was in full swing. Later that year, Tos decided to join the Student Government Association, a place where she could make her goals of making Bergen more inclusive and student-engaged a reality. Now in her second year at BCC, while studying at Anadolu University as a dual enrollment student, Tos acts as the new Chief Justice with the newly elected SGA Board.
“I can confidently state that she has done an exceptional job by putting together events, drives, and initiatives that promote our five core values,” says SGA President Hanieh Kachooee. “In just a semester, she has organized a stress relief session in collaboration with the Personal Counseling, Behavioral Intervention Team, and CarePlus NJ to help students manage stress more effectively and utilize crucial meditation techniques.” Tos spoke of how important Mental Health Awareness was for her in the month of September.
SGA Executive Secretary, Derya Nur Arslan, says that Tos has gone above and beyond her role responsibilities, as well: “Whether it’s through the toy drive, Thanksgiving drive, Giving Tuesday, or the stress relief session, she’s shown how much she cares about supporting and uplifting everyone at Bergen.” And Tos is just getting started, with future events already in planning.
It’s safe to say that the plate is never full for Meryem Tos and any stride she makes never marks the end, but leads to the beginning of a future endeavor. Her story of passion and determination, as well as the work she delivers as part of the SGA, is an integral aspect of what makes Bergen the special place that it is. Tos tends to keep it that way and to see that the growth of the school’s inspiration never dwindles. That fuel inside her transcends far beyond her career or her education– it represents who she is and will always be: a leader and a bridge between communities.