Nominations are now open for the Student Elections 2022 and this is your opportunity to put yourself forward to represent over 18,000 students here at the University of Plymouth.
There are four roles available; President, VP Education, VP Activities and VP Wellbeing & Diversity. If you are passionate about ensuring that the voice of students is heard then consider nominating yourself today.
Wondering where this role could take you? Find out more from someone who's actually done it - check out Millie's interview below.
What’s your name, what was your role and when were you in the position?
Hi everyone, I'm Millie and I was previously VP Education between 2019 and 2020.
Find out more about the role of VP Education here.
What did you study?
I studied Conservation Biology at Plymouth.
Why did you nominate yourself/why did a friend nominate you?
So I nominated myself for VP Education, because a couple people mentioned it to me, and I never really thought about it and I didn't really know what it was. And I was just kind of like… I'll think about it. I was already a School Rep and Course Rep at the time so I was involved in a lot of meetings and student politics. I was thinking about it, I was like, well, I know I want to go into government and working with policy and things like that. And so it was kind of just the next step for me. And I just love pushing myself into situations that I know nothing about. But it was just a great experience.
What are you doing now?
After I was a Sabb, I went and did a master's in Global Sustainability. I did an internship and now I'm in a graduate position with Devon County Council in their Waste Management team. So I'm working on behaviour change and education, I'm working with schools making resources for children and teachers, making videos, social media posts, and all stuff I love doing and hopefully making a difference to reduce waste and the environmental impact of it.
What skills from this role helped you get to where you are now?
Honestly, being a Sabb was one of the best experiences in my life. It massively, massively helped my confidence. When I first started, I was so nervous I would shake when I had to talk in front of everyone. But my confidence grew so much because I had to do speeches, I had to go on the Board of Governors and put the student voice across and big educational meetings. If I didn't, the student voice wouldn't be heard so it was so important to me to be able to get the student voice across in those situations. So that's a massive skill for me. And also, being able to do videos and social media, massive campaigns on sustainability, getting feedback from students, and all these kinds of things I'm using in my job right now it's amazing how many of the skills I learned then.
What advice would you give someone who is studying at the University of Plymouth who is thinking of running?
So if you're thinking of applying, 100% go for it. But seriously, read up on it, talk to people from the SU and maybe the people in the position at the minute because they'll know what it's like day to day. But most importantly, you've got to have that something that you're passionate about because it will really help you in your role. If you've got something you really want to change, or you really think needs promoting or whatever it is - for me, it was sustainability and climate change and also worked with other officers on campaigns around disability. So find your passion and it'll drive you. I mean, if I could apply again, I would... so that says something about the role. But good luck and I hope you apply!
Nominate yourself now! Suggest a Student
Nominations are open until midday on Friday 4th February. For an informal chat about any of the four roles come along to our Thinking of Running session or get in touch with the Student Voice team here