Hedge Fund Society: Welfare Officer

Hi everyone! I am Elina, a first-year Biomedical Sciences student, and I am running to be your Welfare Officer to help make our society a place where everyone feels included, supported, and comfortable.

A key strength I would bring is listening to and representing members' concerns. As a UCL Students’ Union Academic Representative, I collect student feedback and raise priorities in meetings with staff to improve the course experience. This has taught me to listen carefully, communicate clearly, and follow up responsibly.

As Events Officer at the Healthcare Business Society, I organise speaker events and coordinate logistics with committee members and guests. I plan ahead so events run smoothly and feel inclusive for everyone.

Dance has also shaped how I work with others. I was selected as one of five dancers to perform for Brigitte Macron and Peng Liyuan, and preparing for that meant teamwork, discipline, and delivering under pressure.

Finally, I care a lot about well-being and community. I led a fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Research UK and raised around £800. I loved seeing people come together for a good cause.

My goal is to make sure everyone feels comfortable speaking up. If elected, I will keep an anonymous feedback form open and do quick check-ins after events so members can share concerns, and I will follow up on anything raised. I would really appreciate your vote, and please feel free to say hi if you see me around!

I am standing for Welfare Officer because I believe a strong society depends on an environment where members feel comfortable, supported, and able to participate fully. The Hedge Fund Society attracts people who are ambitious and intellectually driven, but it is important that the society remains welcoming rather than overly intense or exclusive.

My aim in this role would be to help maintain a culture where people feel able to ask questions, share ideas, and learn without feeling intimidated. Finance can sometimes feel competitive or opaque, especially for newer members, and I think a society works best when it lowers those barriers and encourages genuine curiosity.

Welfare is often about small but important things. Making sure events feel open and inclusive, being someone members can approach if they have concerns, and helping create a balanced atmosphere where discussion and collaboration are valued.

More broadly, I would want the society to remain a place where people enjoy engaging with complex ideas about markets and investing, rather than feeling pressured by them. If elected, I would focus on helping the society remain thoughtful, respectful, and welcoming to everyone who wants to be part of it.

Hi everyone, I’m Grace, a first‑year Management Science student and I'm running for Welfare Officer.

Back in high school, I gravitated toward roles where I looked after people as much as I looked after the project. I founded and led clubs like STEM Club and a Social‑preneurship Club, organised our school’s first science fair and business fair, and created a prom committee from scratch. In all of these, I was checking in on teammates, making sure quieter people had a say, and keeping the atmosphere supportive even when deadlines were close and stakes felt high. Friends often came to me when they were stressed, overwhelmed, or unsure how to move forward, and I genuinely enjoyed helping them untangle things and feel less alone.

For a Hedge Fund Society, I think a Welfare Officer needs to understand both the pressure and the person behind it. If I’m elected, I want to be someone you can talk to honestly about burnout, imposter syndrome, or recruitment anxiety without feeling judged or “behind.” I’d like to set up low‑pressure spaces like small check‑in sessions, coffee chats, or study‑slash‑CV evenings where the vibe is supportive rather than competitive, and where it’s okay to admit you’re confused about technical content or career paths. I’d also work with the committee to make sure our events are inclusive, accessible to people at different levels, and mindful of workload and exam periods, and to signpost where to go if things move beyond what a peer can handle.

Hi, I am Christina, a first year Geography and Economics student at UCL. I understand that finance-focused societies such as Hedge Fund Society can be intellectually stimulating but also highly demanding. Balancing academic pressure, technical preparation and career ambitions can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially in competitive environments.

In high school, I served as President of the Economics Society, where I not only organised weekly academic sessions but also prioritised student wellbeing. I encouraged open discussion, created supportive team dynamics and ensured that members felt comfortable asking for help. I learnt that strong performance comes from a healthy and supported community.

If elected as Welfare Officer, I would focus on fostering a positive and inclusive atmosphere within the society. This could include informal check-in sessions before major competitions or recruitment cycles, stress management discussions during peak academic periods, and creating safe spaces where members can share concerns related to career anxiety or imposter syndrome.

My goal is to ensure that members of Hedge Fund Society feel supported, balanced and confident. Technical excellence and strong welfare are not opposites. A sustainable and high-performing community begins with wellbeing.

My name is Malak and I’m running to be your next Welfare Officer for Hedge Fund Society.

I would like the society to be a place where you can develop your skills and future, while also being able to ask for advice, have fun, and make friends with people who share similar goals.

Balancing applications, spring weeks and internships with university can be overwhelming at times. As Welfare Officer, I’ll organise relaxed events each term, including coffees, post-event socials, and group study sessions during exam periods. I’ll also run CV and interview advice workshops, as well as drop in sessions for anyone who wants guidance or a second opinion.

This year, I’ve also been Events Officer in another society, where I helped organise and run events throughout the year. It gave me experience in planning, working with a team, and making sure events run smoothly and that people enjoy them.

I’ll make sure there are clear opportunities for feedback and that members’ suggestions are listened to and acted on, so everyone feels represented and included.

If elected, I’ll make the society a place where members can enjoy the process of building their future and support each other along the way.

UCL can be a pressure cooker. Between the cut-throat nature of internship applications and the constant "LinkedIn-glare" of others' successes, it’s easy to feel like you’re only as valuable as your next offer from a top-tier firm. I’m standing for Welfare Officer because I’ve seen too many of us sacrifice our mental health for a CV, feeling like we’re the only ones struggling to keep up.

Last year, I hit a wall. I was balancing a heavy workload with the relentless cycle of HireVues and technical prep, and I felt like admitting I was burnt out was a sign of weakness in such a competitive field. It wasn’t. But it took me a long time to realize that most of us are feeling the exact same "imposter syndrome" behind the polished professional personas. I realized that while our society is incredible for career placement, we’ve neglected the "human" cost of the grind.

This gap is where I want to step in.  I want to build a tangible support network that acknowledges our specific industry pressures. Whether it’s the high-stakes anxiety of a final-round interview or the isolation of the library during a 16-hour day, nobody should feel like they’re navigating it alone. My focus will be on creating regular ‘Off-the-Clock’ socials—spaces where the only requirement is to leave the "finance talk" at the door.

I want to change the narrative from "surviving" the recruitment cycle to actually supporting each other through it. My goal is to build a community where we truly look out for each other.