Zara Mohammed is tugging a bright pink wheeled suitcase when we meet in Bloomsbury. In July, the 25-year-old human rights law postgraduate from Glasgow became the first woman to lead the Federation of Islamic Student Societies (FOSIS) in its 53-year history, and she has barely stopped moving since.

She has been travelling up and down the country meeting students, and today she is fresh from back-to-back meetings with colleagues, community leaders, and heads of national Muslim groups. Mohammed is setting this impressive pace because she is on a mission to radically shake up the federation, which represents 115,000 Muslim students in the UK.

When BuzzFeed News asks her whether FOSIS had been doing the best possible job in representing Muslim students, she doesn't pull her punches. “I think absolutely not, and the problem is we don't showcase the good work we do very well," she says.

"I think having the first female president is a good sign of the health of the organisation and our diverse makeup. Really highlighting the work we do and what students are doing – that's our challenge. Focus on the future, guys."

It's an interesting time for student activism and student politics. The controversy surrounding the election of Malia Bouattia as the first Muslim woman to be president of the National Union of Students (NUS) rumbled throughout the summer – her election made headlines across the national media.

The issue of "safe spaces" at universities has been raised in parliament, with prime minister Theresa May criticising the culture for shutting down debate, while the Rhodes Must Fall Campaign recently became a focal point for the issue of free speech in British universities.

Muslim students – there are about 330,000 of them in full-time education – have not only been caught up in this debate about free speech at university, they also feel caught in the crosshairs of the government's counter-extremism strategy and a national media fixated on radicalisation. They are also more like to face employment discrimination after graduation. With the new academic year looming, and freshers' week under way, thousands of Muslim students will be coming to terms with some of these issues.