School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies Society (SSEES): Vice President

Hey everyone! I'm Nadia a PSEES student and I am running for Vice President at SSEES Society.

SSEES Society record

Being enthusiastic and highly motivated has always been my strength when taking part in new projects and events. This is shown by my accomplishment as Events Officer in the last year, where I have been able to organise an extensive number of social and academic events, with many embassy visits. The results are clear, the number of events organised by the society rose to a minimum of one per week for the whole year, always with a high attendance.

Why me?

Although I am proud of my time as Events Officer and the team's accomplishments, it is time for me to step down and let the new generation fill in my role as Events Officer. This is why I would like to run for Vice President, in order to give my advice to the future team, providing them with knowledge from my past experience and being available to support them whenever my help is required.

As Vice President, I will continue the legacy of the SSEES Society, maintaining partnerships with the societies we have previously worked with, as well as liaising with other ones for an increased diversity in events. Partnering with external conferences and events related to the SSEES region is an idea I would like to develop, especially after discovering the Central European Conference which might interest a lot of our students.

I would like you to renew your trust and confidence in me for this role.

As the incumbent VP and the former FYR, I have learnt all the dos and don'ts of SSEESSoc, being involved in all aspects of the society, whether it is academic, volunteering related, or social. This year, I wish to remain a part of the committee to keep delivering the events we know and love and to keep helping SSEES have the community-feel it is renowned for! 

I am planning to keep the balance between the areas SSEESSoc covers: 

On the academic side, I vouch to bring even more frequent embassy visits, to host more speaker panels, and to cover even more of the SSEES region countries through events. By frequent collaboration with other societies, I will also bring more types of events such as SSEES moot courts or policy workshops. 

On the social side, I will ensure to host more karaoke nights and party nights in general, keeping the vodka taster going (info coming soon on this year's edition btw!), bringing back the SSEES ball and having more stress-relief events! 

Lastly, in terms of our relationship with SSEES, I will ensure students have a stronger voice in the department, having concerns and feedback be shared effectively and quickly with SSEES staff and that students are always at the centre of decision making! 

Hello! I am Genevieve and I am in my first year studying Russian and Ukrainian.

I would like to be your Vice President because SSEES society has been a really big part of my life since I started UCL and I would like to continue its work and grow it so that it reaches more students. When I first joined SSEES society, I expected it to enrich my learning of the region to complement my degree, but I have found so much more than that. The society's film screenings, cultural dinners, embassy visits and talks with political experts have given me so many new ideas on a personal level as well as an academic one, that I can safely say that I would not be as passionate about being a student at UCL without it. I have had a very active role within SSEES since I joined, being the academic representative for my course, a member of the SSEES library committee and, most recently, helping to organise the Ukrainian collection drive. SSEES is, therefore, very central to my life and if I were to be elected, I would work so hard to make it the best and most exciting society for you. 

As I am also very passionate about writing, one of the first things I would be keen to introduce as Vice President is a regular SSEES society journal written by students for articles on literature, film and art from the region. I believe this journal would be a great way to motivate people to travel more, visit exhibitions, read more widely and get the most out of being a student here.

Representing a school as prestigious as SSEES is not only an opportunity for me, but also an honor. Other than my attachment to this region, I believe I imbibe the cultural values of Eastern Europe. Coming from a racially diverse society like Singapore, I can draw parallels between my country and Eastern Europe, which is as multicultural. Not only that, I believe that this region has a strong cultural identity, one that I can understand because of Indian ethnicity. Despite not being from the SSEES region, I resonate with the cultural identity of this region so well that I want the chance to represent them at the highest level possible. This, amongst others, is my primary motivator to apply to be Vice President.
During the orientation lecture, I was surprised to see how qualified and skilled the teaching staff at SSEES were, and by becoming a Vice President, I wish to forge deeper bonds with them and develop a professional rapport. Not only do I wish to gain opportunities from this role, but I also wish to give back to society. I want to make SSEES stand out, with its rich history, with other prestigious departments of UCL like the Department of Law or Engineering. For this, I will try my best to organize events that appeal to students, both inside and outside SSEES. I am not standing for this position for a simple tag or label. I want to do my part to ensure that our stay at UCL is one of great learning so that our future is full of opportunities.