Wednesday 20-01-2021 - 13:19

Why did you decide to run for a full-time officer position? 

 

I was first introduced to the full-time officer positions when I was nominated during my second year, but with a year still remaining on my course I decided to go to the SU and find out a little bit more. I spoke to various staff including the Representation and Democracy Manager Marc Caldecott and the then-CEO Sarah who explained a bit more about the purpose of the Students’ Union and the sabbatical officers.

From there, I decided to run for the position of Student Council Chair and was successful, which gave me a year of working closely with previous sabbatical officers Angus and Kieran. I used this year to find out more about the role and then ran for the position of Vice President at the end of my third year alongside the then-VP Kieran Irwin. Following a successful year as VP I decided to run again in the 2020 elections for the role of SU President and won alongside your current VP Chloe.

 

What were your concerns about running and do you have any advice for anyone who is considering running? 

 

My biggest concern about running in the election was the campaigning. It can seem quite daunting to have to promote yourself to many students, but with the continued support of SU staff this turned out to be a really fun process. The best advice I can give is to speak to people who’ve been through or understand the process well. Chloe and I are always happy to answer students’ queries whether it’s an email or a message on our President’s or Vice-President’s Facebook pages.

                                                                                                                  

Did you get much support whilst undertaking your role? 

 

Yes, the SU staff team are an immense support team and are there to help you on every step of your journey as a sabbatical officer. If you have an idea, they will always work together to ensure that your visions become reality. The SU team are like a small family and are some of the most welcoming people I’ve worked with, and I’m sure that all future sabbatical officers will feel the same. The SU staff are continually working to ensure that students are represented and are having the best possible experience during their time at university.

 

What has been the best thing about being a full-time officer? 

 

There have been so many incredible moments during my time as both VP and President. As an Events Management graduate I’ve loved being hands-on in planning and delivering Freshers’ Week and other events for our students. It’s been fantastic to represent the students based on their feedback across all levels of the University, from various committee meetings to the Board of Governors. On the whole, I think my favourite thing about being an officer is seeing the students develop their confidence and abilities thanks to the various activities the SU has to offer, whether it’s through training opportunities; our sports & societies; student council; being a student rep or a full-time officer. 

 

What skills have you learnt since being a full-time officer? 

 

I’ve learnt so many new skills since being a sabbatical officer. Many of these are business-related, such as strategy planning; financial management; report writing; time management; networking and leadership skills. 

As a sabbatical officer at WGSU you will have a personal development coach Steve Coole who I have worked with closely on a monthly basis since starting my role. Here, you will develop skills such as confidence, public speaking and persuasion techniques. However, if there is something specific you would like to develop Steve can work on those with you. 

You will also have the opportunity to undertake various other training opportunities such as Student Governor training, alongside training you will be given at various NUS UK and NUS Wales events across the year.

 

Do you have any campaign tips for those who are wanting to run? 

 

The best tip I can give to anyone campaigning is to be yourself! You can draw on your own personal experiences as a student and act on the changes that you want to see in your institution. Consider what areas you think could be improved or challenged to enhance the student experience and work from there. Finally, try and reach as many students as possible, it’s easy to ask our friends to vote but we have a large number of students so get creative with how you’ll get your message to them all! 

I want to wish the best of luck to all of those who are considering running in our 2021 Elections. As always, if you have any questions or want to know more please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on supresident@glyndwr.ac.uk or on Facebook @WGSUPresident and I’ll be more than happy to give you any advice or tips!

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

 

 

Written by Ebony Banks, WGSU President and edited by Lauren Hole, WGSU Digital Marketing Assistant

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