NUS Conference Delegate - self-defined women

 Excellent and in-depth multi-faceted understanding of students. As a current UCL postgraduate student and a PGTA on some courses in the School of Engineering, and a professional student representative, I am very familiar with undergraduate and postgraduate teaching content stances and approaches.I have an excellent ability to summarise and identify issues and express my views. I have several internships (e.g., Microsoft) and have been involved in two papers (eg AAAI, EI.)I learn more about people's perspectives by regularly interacting with students from different countries.

Growing up an expat in Qatar, I have been very fortunate in my privileges; hence I believe it my duty to lead for positive change. I am the Life Sciences Faculty Undergraduate Representative at UCL, a Youth Advocate at the charity Education Above All, a curator at the World Innovation Summit for Education, and an ambassador for the Qatar Airways Student Club and Doha Debates. I also founded Qatar's first youth empowerment conference, Qatar Youth Power. These involvements have enabled me to hone skills such as leadership and team management- key assets to possess as a successful NUS delegate.

My name is Zoe, I’m a third-year undergraduate studying History, Politics and Economics at SSEES. I am involved in students advocacy on campus and with Liberate the University, a student activist group advocating for free, decolonised and demarketised education.

Easily approachable: I am the current LLM representative. I am able to actively listen to your views and bridge the gap between students needs in UCL and expressing them at the NUS.

Reliable: I ensured to resolve students complaints with regard to exam changes due to Covid-19. This led to extensive reporting on students sentiments towards the examination department.

Reliable: I am a goal-oriented individual, reflected in the awards I received during my undergraduate. I was awarded ‘The Best Clinician Award’ due to my due diligence, taking the initiative, and going above and beyond.

Easily approachable: I always make myself available in developing my community. I carried out multiple women empowerment workshop programs in rural areas in Kenya. I encouraged women’s professional and personal development through computer literacy skills.

As the Founder of Pankh, a menstrual hygiene organization to empower rural, menstruating girls by building self-esteem for greater socialization during their periods, I learned what it means to be the voice of others. In the course, interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, enhanced my ability to work in cross-cultural environments, amplifying my exposure and communication skills. This will help me add value to the NUS as a delegate as I would be able to voice students' opinions better, more confidently, and with an open mind. 

 

I’ve been supporting the work of UCL Student Socialist Alternative for the academic year - I’ve also helped with the preparation and organization of protests to demand free education and strike action for the UCU. 

I’m experienced with graphic design and editing. I’m familiar with software such as Canva, ProCreate and Adobe Premiere. This means I can use art, photography/videography and social media to mobilize students to build mass movements. 

Since I’m a person with strong communication and interpersonal skills, I believe I am a potential candidate for this position. My experience as a panellist for the student inclusivity champions panel has helped me develop leadership skills. It has helped me employ active listening skills and the ability to reflect on others’ views. I will strongly influence students to initiate a debate about the issues that they are facing as students.

If I could represent UCLSU, I would make the best decisions for the upliftment of all UCL students.

I have experience in lobbying and advocating for student rights through my work in external organisations and have a deep understanding of the issues pertaining to students. 

As part of the BME Network & Women's Network committee and as a volunteering rep I currently work on incorporating student views in policy-making processes and other discussions. I worked as a course rep to bring forward thoughts, ideas and concerns of students and served as a student trustee in the SU and so have plenty of experience in effectively representing and amplifying student voices.

I'm a trade unionist and socialist organiser with seven years of experience on the UK left - in the student movement and beyond. I recently was elected as student trustee on a pro-BDS and pro-UCU platform: my experience trying to these implement these changes within such a bureaucracy has trained me well for managing a similar task within NUS. Additionally, I currently sit on the society committees of UCL Labour and as UCL Students for Justice in Palestine.

I will defend a de-marketised education system within NUS and ensure we do not resort to capitulate on our demands or radical vision.

Being a Student Representative, I have found myself raising issues of varying degrees of seriousness to key figures in my department.  I have previously held the roles of Ethnic Minorities Officer in MidEssex Young Labour, and was Women's Officer in the exec. of my previous constintuency's Labour Party. Therefore, I am well familiarised with the structure of unions and conferences, and can use the skills I have acquired from my membership for serving the UCL student body by persisting in our voices being heard.

Transparency and reactionary behaviour. The first means I value the importance of honesty and success within the student body: having the ability to understand everyone’s wishes and aspirations for the union and consequently acting towards catering to your needs. Reactionary behaviour comes as a result of things gone wrong; which is inevitable in an ever-changing, fast-paced environment, ardently striving towards the betterment of our academics. I am well accustomed to the need to adapt, complete unforeseeable tasks at uncomfortable times, so that our goal is well achieved.

I have previous experience of being my sixth form's Integrity Club president, which aimed at fighting corruption in academic spaces. Being involved in liberation campaigns pushed me to better understand the struggles underrepresented members face and this will allow me to

delve into the nuances of each student's

experience to improve it. Volunteering opportunities made me proactive by gaining the

interpersonal skills required to transparently

engage with the concerns students have and

motioning those.

I have extensive experience in grassroots organising, especially in the area of LGBTQ+ rights activism. At UCL, I've been involved in multiple student organising campaings at UCL, including the UCL Vote Yes campaign for the SU to support the striking staff and the recent protests and trans rights campaigning to rejoin Stonewall. I've also held a variety of representative roles such as Women’s Rep for the LGBTQ+ Student’s Network, as well as Course Rep and LGBTQ+ Rep in my departmental EDI Comittee.