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Student Leaders of UCL200
At the heart of UCL200 are our Student Leaders, a community of students helping to shape and champion the bicentenary. From Film Festivals to Crafternoons, this article spotlights three of our student leaders and how they're volunteering led them to spearhead flagship events.
Louis Philpot
UCL Film Society and the people there will have a hold in my heart that I'll carry with me long after I graduate.
As a young film director from London, Louis found his people in UCL Film Society almost as soon as he arrived. Back in 2024, before he'd even started, he came across an old interview where Christopher Nolan talked about "a student-run Film Society in the basement of the Bloomsbury Theatre." From that moment, Louis knew that UCL was where he was meant to be. He was so set on studying at UCL that when his first application didn't work out, he simply applied again.
Since then, from their first event at his Welcome week, to becoming President of the society during UCL’s bicentennial, Louis has thrown himself into everything Film Soc had to offer. As President, Louis has helped put on many a society event including; their biggest ever premiere at Regent Street Cinema and a special UCL200 Summer Festival night in the Main Quad screening 78 years of student films, with guests including director Harry Bradbeer and the cast and crew of Nolan's Following.
Now in his final year, Louis is shooting a musical short film, The Lights After Little Venice, on the society's beloved Arriflex 16mm "Nolan Camera", alongside friends and collaborators he's met along the way. For Louis, Film Soc was never just a student group. It's where he grew as a filmmaker, found his people, and made memories he’ll hold in his heart long after he graduates.
Hope Arpa
Joining Debate Soc was the best decision I made at university, I had incredible professional opportunities and met some of the greatest people, who are now among my closest friends.
Hope loved debating throughout school and so joining the UCL Debating Society when she started at UCL was a no brainer. A Canadian international student (shoutout Toronto) studying Politics and International Relations, she made the fairly spontaneous call in spring of her second year to run for Debating Society Convenor, a role she admits could get a bit chaotic, but one she loved anyway. The hard work of the role paid off, and she was elected Vice-President of Debate Soc that December, then President the following spring.
There were plenty of highlights along the way, but Hope's standout was helping run one of the Union's Summer Festival flagship events: the ‘UCL200 Great Debate’, handling logistics, moderating on the night, and running a series of show-debates in her final event with the society.
For Hope, joining Debate Soc opened the door to opportunities, experiences and friendships she never expected, and that's what she’s valued most about her time at UCL.
Inara Vanessa Andre
I realised the best volunteering opportunities were found by word of mouth. I wanted to change that.
Inara arrived at UCL keen to get involved with the local community and started out tutoring through our Volunteering Service. It didn't take long for her to realise teaching wasn't for her, so she went looking for something closer to her degree in Politics and Economics. But between coursework and a part-time job, finding volunteering opportunities that actually fit her schedule was harder than she expected.
Rather than give up on community engagement, she found her way into leadership roles instead: Treasurer, then President, of the Vegan and Vegetarian Society, and Diversity and Inclusion Representative for UCL Women's Rugby. Along the way, she kept noticing the same problem: the best opportunities went to those already in the know.
Seeing the work our Social Impact team were doing to change this, she and her friend Rawleka ran for Volunteering Officer together, on a manifesto built entirely around making access to volunteering fairer, something Inara understood first-hand from juggling it all herself.
Since taking on the role, she's helped organise the World Record Crafternoon, landing her a spot on BBC Radio and a Guinness World Record certificate to go with it.