Name & Role
Francesco Lanzi
Llywydd Opportunities
Short introduction…
Hey, I’m Undeb Aber’s Llywydd Opportunities, which means that we’re gonna have a lot of fun together
Tell us an interesting or random fact about yourself...
I started uni that I was still 17 and tesco didn’t allow me to buy butter knives
Choose three words that best describe you.
Sidequester, funny, italian
It’s your last meal on earth…what’s on the menu? & which 3 celebrity would you invite for food?
Cappelletti in brodo, a pasta type from where I’m from. I’m inviting my goat Zara Larsson, Ghali (italian singer) and Will Wight (my favourite author)
What are your hobbies or interests?
I love reading, volunteering, and most sports in general
Why did you choose to stand for this role?
I've loved and been involved with the undeb since my first year, and it’s kind of been half natural progression and half the dream for a couple of years
What are you most looking forward to this year?
Superteams, you have no idea what i have in store for you
What are some of the causes you care about?
I really care about international students, being one, i care about student athletes and the challenges that come with it, and since being here I've really come to care about Cymru and its people
What is your favourite Aberystwyth hangout?
Can i say a 3am nap on a library sofa while procrastinating an assignment due at 9am? No? Ok. Then I guess I’ll have to say the Undeb and the underground, having been friends with previous officer teams i have many fond memories of hanging out in there.
If you could be an animal what would you be and why?
A dolphin so I can hangout with zara larsson. No tnh probably a bird, cause flying would be super cool
Do you have any out there traditions or strange superstitions?
I refuse to buy pizza in the UK lol
What’s your unpopular opinion?
I hate generative AI because it steals people’s work from them, and its use should be minimized if not stopped completely
What one thing do you think everyone should do/try at least once in their lifetime? (give a personal example if you want)
Travel abroad and learn another language, it opens your world. Literally lol
You are on your way to work on a Monday morning…what song comes on as your soundtrack?
Bimbi – Charlie Charles, foundational piece of italian 2010 music
Name a favourite place you have visited and why.
I'll be really cheesy and say Cymru in general, did not expect to love it as much as I did before coming here, I've fallen in love with it and if it is up to me I’d love to live the rest of my life here
RESULTS/CLEARING:
Why choose Aber?
It is the exact opposite of a big city, which for some people is exactly what they need. We're a smaller community where people know each other, and it’s one of our biggest strenghts
FRESHERS:
How to make friends during Freshers?
DO DO DO DO stuff, DO NOT stay home. Take the chances, try out clubs, go out, go on walks. In general the fisher doesn’t catch the fish if he’s on the M4. Ok the metaphor doesn’t really work but you get what I mean/. Do stuff
What are your top tips for any new students starting at Aberystwyth in September?
1 - Attend your talk, they are actually (wooooowwww) useful.
2 – join clubs, see above
3- if you are uncomfortable, or homesick. That’s ok, it’s part of leaving the nest and it’s ok to have those feelings
What is your favourite Freshers memory?
I met a friend’s flatmate at random cause I was in their kitchen, and at the end of the night I was with a group watching Ice Age 3 at a fferm house lol.
HOUSING:
What are your top tips for housing/moving in with friends in Aber?
Come to the big sale, there is so much free stuff that students who graduated left here that you can take, it’ll save you so much money
Learn to have the hard conversations with your flatmates, if something is making you uncomfortable or irritated it is better to talk about it than to have to have that discomfort for the rest of the year
EXAMS:
What are your top tips for coping with exam stress?
Be so tired that you don’t feel stressed anymore. Kidding. Maybe. No my tip is to wake up early and go to the library, and this is important, WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE, to revise. The socialization and seeing that your are all in the same boat has always helped with my stress
ELECTIONS:
What are your top tip for standing in a Students’ Union election?
Do it, it’s an amazing opportunity and it opened so many doors for me.
For election time, I'd say chat with people, that is the most important part of a campaign
COST OF LIVING:
Do you have any money saving tips that helped you out as a student?
Use apps like too good to go, can get a few cheap meals, get your my travel pass, it allows you to get 1 pound busses for basically your whole degree
Favourite ‘cheap’ meal to cook?
Pasta and tuna, if you are feeling fancy you can add parmesan and oil but it can work with just the two lol. Not the best but it’s filling and it helped out lol
ABER:
Where is your favourite place for food and café in Aber?
Can i say my kitchen? It's arrogant you say? Ok ok I won’t. I really quite enjoy the little indipenent breakfast cafes like little devil and the like
How would you spend your ideal day in Aber?
Wake up late, breakfast at sophie’s or medina or something, all my friends are there, lazy day at the beach, bonfire, then we go out
What is your favourite thing to do in Aber?
Sleeping. No probably just sports in general, I really like to go to training and play around with the team.