Xiaohongshu
We're incredibly excited to have recently welcomed a new team of Sabbatical Officers, as voted in by you earlier this year in our Leadership Race (our biggest one yet!). Alongside this, it is sadly time to say goodbye to our amazing 2025/26 team. Their efforts and hard work have made a massive impact on improving your student experience at UCL, and we want to say a huge thanks!
Here are just some of the things your 2025/26 Sabbs have been able to achieve this year...
Sarah, Education Officer
Sarah, your Education Officer, has played a key role in shaping education at UCL this year, representing students across UCL and advocating for fairer assessments, widening access, and students to be genuine partners in change. She has worked to improve the student experience by securing additional study and wellbeing spaces during exam season, while also raising concerns at Education Committee about the challenges of January exam scheduling, leading to further consideration by the Senior Education Team.
Sarah has also been championing work on the additional costs of study, highlighting concerns raised by Academic Reps about students facing extra expenses to complete assignments and degree requirements, and the financial strain this can cause. As she begins her second term as Education Officer, Sarah is excited to build on this progress and continue championing positive change for students across UCL.
Eda, Equity and Inclusion Officer
Last year, Equity and Inclusion Officer Eda Yildirimkaya launched the ‘Liberate Art Gallery,’ a new space in Phineas dedicated to showcasing the work of marginalised student artists. Introduced during Black History Month with support from the POC Network, and developed in collaboration with artsUCL, the gallery provides a platform for underrepresented voices and celebrates creativity, identity, and resilience across the student body. This year, the Liberate Art Gallery returned for a second exhibition, showcasing more art speaking to the theme of 'liberating marginalised voices'.
Earlier this year, following feedback gathered directly from students, Eda helped make a new free UCL East shuttle bus service a reality, improving travel between Stratford Station and the UCL East campus. The pilot scheme was introduced to reduce journey times and make travel more accessible, with a fully electric, wheelchair accessible service designed around student needs.
After securing funding for the UCL East shuttle bus, Eda set out to make TfL transport more affordable for all students across London. She attended a round table with the Deputy Mayor of Transport in March, a second one at the end of June, and now, after a full academic year of lobbying: London students no longer pay £90 upfront for a year of Santander bikes. Instead, 25% off monthly subscriptions, unlimited 24/7 journeys, for £15/month, with the flexibility to opt out anytime!
Ana, Activities and Engagement Officer
In March, Varsity - the annual competitive sports series between UCL and King’s College London - returned with record-breaking engagement, championed by Ana, your Activities and Engagement Officer. She focused on making fixtures bigger and better, with more emphasis on the spectator experience. TeamUCL took home the trophy once again, and it was our highest selling Varsity in recent years, with over 4,000 tickets sold.
One of Ana's biggest priorities has been ensuring that every student has the opportunity to get involved, regardless of the barriers they may face. She's worked to introduce activities and opportunities aimed at allowing commuter students and shy and introverted students to get involved in a way that works for them, as well as working to introduce a Commuter Students Officer and Network so that commuters are further represented.
She also introduced a taster grant fund to support clubs and societies in running taster sessions outside of Welcome Week, increasing opportunities for students to connect with groups beyond the Welcome period.
Darcy, Postgraduate Officer
Darcy, your Postgraduate Officer, continued her series of Career Supercharger events, designed to develop your transferable skills, boost your confidence and grow your network. A wide range of events were rolled out, including alumni panels marking International Women's Day and celebrating the success of our women alumni, as well as region specific panels focusing on career pathways in Singapore and China.
This summer, Darcy is championing Postgraduate Summer - an opportunity for students to take time for themselves, upskill, and try something new. Whether it's uncovering hidden gems right here on campus or experiencing everything London has to offer, Postgraduate Summer encourages you to explore, connect with other Postgraduate students and make the most of your surroundings over summer.
Hana, Welfare and Community Officer
Housing has been a key priority for Welfare and Community Officer Hana this year. She has helped secure the return of the undergraduate accommodation guarantee, worked to improve the MyCampus reporting system, and introduced room-specific booking preferences for UCL accommodation. She's also established forums to gather student feedback and is launching a Know Your Housing Rights workshop during Welcome.
Throughout the year, Hana has also been working to make UCL a safer, more inclusive place for all students. She's been involved in UCL's Harm Reduction campaign, which helps students make informed choices about substance use and alcohol consumption by creating open routes for support without fear of punishment.
Hana also attended the Russell Group Students' Union residential, alongside Education Officer Sarah Jilani, contributing to national conversations about student welfare, including supporting our Gender Based Violence project, which has including supporting the petition to legislate misogyny as a hate crime. The petition has now reached over 100,000 signatures, which means it must be considered for a debate in Parliament.
Anam, President
For Anam, a major focus this year has been your finances: she attended the UCL Finance, Performance and Planning Committee to lobby directly for a freeze on tuition fees, while also advocating for expanded undergraduate scholarship provision.
She also travelled as part of a UK Student Union Leaders Delegation to China, meeting with universities and gathering insights she is now bringing back to benefit students here at UCL.
Closer to home, she has been working on a Community Fridge and Food Pantry initiative as a practical response to cost-of-living pressures, and has been attending the highest levels of UCL governance, including UCL Council, to make sure the student voice is always in the room. Anam has also championed improvements to campus spaces and affordability - following extensive work by the Sabbatical team and in response to student feedback, the reopening of the Print Room Café created a modern, welcoming space for students to study, socialise and relax.
Next year, Anam will be moving into the role of Postgraduate Officer!
A huge thank you
While this is only a glimpse of what our Sabbs have accomplished this year, their impact has been felt across the student community. Thank you to this amazing team for all the energy and commitment they've put into improving your experience. We’re incredibly proud of everything they've achieved and can’t wait to see what they do next!
We are excited to be welcoming back Sarah (Education Officer) and Anam (incoming Postgraduate Officer) for the 2026/27 academic year, who will be joined by Vivian (incoming Welfare and Community Officer), Christian (incoming Students' Union President), Rawleka (incoming Equity and Inclusion Officer) and Audrey (incoming Activities and Engagement Officer).
