We caught up with Rachel and Rawleka, your People of Colour Officers, to find out more about their leadership journey and what having a seat at the table means to them.
Rachel Lim and Rawleka Wilson are your People of Colour (POC) Officers. They're responsible for leading the Union’s POC Network in continuing to build an engaging, dynamic, and rewarding community of POC students and make sure that the Network caters to and is inclusive of all its members.
What does being a POC officer mean to you?
Rawleka: It's not just about me being a person of colour, or me helping out people of colour, but being able to have a seat at the table and represent my community, that's what's really important to me. I think the experiences I've had in this role are going to stay with me long after I finish at UCL. It's been so affirming to know that I have a seat at the table, and that I deserve to have it. It's made me realise our voices do matter and that we can make a difference. It's something that I didn't think was actually possible in such a big institution like UCL.
How did you learn about the POC officer role?
Rachel: I was a student trustee with the Students' Union for a year and getting to understand the Union and see how it works made me want to continue to be involved, which is why I went for this role.
Rawleka: I was in the accommodation team at UCL, I just saw advertising for the Students' Union and thought why not get involved? And then through that I went to the welfare policy zone and, and that's how I learned about the POC role, and I'm really grateful that I took the small steps because I love being in this role.
What impact do you think you've made in your roles?
Rawleka: I think we've made a really positive impact, even starting from welcome week to begin because people didn't know that the POC network even existed. I think we've also one a really good job putting on events, like we had an Afro-Cuban event. We've had film nights, debate nights, we had lots of stuff going on.
And it's been really nice to see people come back. I started seeing, regular faces at our events and then I see them on campus and it's been really special creating that sense of community. Because main goals was to create a community.
What would your younger self say if you told them you were a UCL student leader?
Rachel: I would be really surprised at the opportunities I've had. I was so lucky to be able to represent UCL Students' Union in Kenya. When I was running, I didn't know there would be opportunities like that for me.
Rawleka: Coming from the Caribbean to England, I never really saw people like me in leadership positions, so I was always the one person to go out and do it myself. To be a leader is something that's really inspirational and I would be so shocked if I told my younger self what I was doing. It would give me hope as well and I would know that my voice actually matters, and there is a place out there for me and people like me too. So yeah, young of me would be really, really happy about it. And current me is really happy.
What would you say to someone who was thinking about applying for a leadership position?
Rachel: If you were thinking about nominating yourself or you talked about it or you have a little inkling or anything, you should just do it! Put yourself out there, you have nothing to lose and so much to gain. If you can think of it, you can start doing it - it is possible. Don't limit yourself to what other people have done before you.
Rawleka: You never know what's going to come from it, and I think you don't need to have a specific trajectory or background. Being a student is what qualifies you for these roles and you'll have so much support to learn on the job.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. I am always asking questions and then sometimes I feel awkward, but chances are people are thinking it as well. And you may inspire someone else and yourself and you may find avenues that you never knew existed.
