What do you do in your role?
Currently I am a year 1 student union academic representative for Psychology. In my role I support students in getting the most out of their course by asking them for feedback on their lectures and seminars and anything that comes up will be relayed back to the appropriate people.
What do you study at university?
I study Psychology with a year in industry
What is your proudest achievement to date?
My proudest achievement to date was being able to represent my county in Archery competitions from 2018 until present. It is my proudest achievement because being in the team has enabled me to achieve my county and Welsh records and also further my skills in the two styles of bow I use which are Longbow and Barebow.
Are there any women mentors that inspire you to continue learning and representing students?
One woman that inspires me to keep going with my studies and learning is Mayim Bialik. She is a neuroscientist who is famously known for playing Amy Ferrer Fowler in The Big Bang Theory. After seeing her in the TV show I did my research and found that she had spoken a lot about women empowerment and how hard it is for women to get into jobs especially jobs in relation to Stem subjects. She also has a podcast that talks about mental health and emotional wellbeing, it was made to help listeners get the advice they need for certain experiences that they might be going through but also cutting down the stigma on the topics that they talk about.
Mayim Bialik inspires me to keep learning and pursue things that interest ME and that I want to do, rather than what everyone else wants or would like me to do. In addition to this through her own research into things such as OCD, she has also sparked my interest in the field of neuroscience.
Outside of being a rep, what do you enjoy doing?
Outside of being a rep I like photography and take photos of a lot of the things I see on my travels. An example of this would be being a photographer in a wedding at home, after doing this I realised that I could go far which is why I am currently in the works of creating my own business doing something I love.
Do you have any advice for women entering (degree) or becoming a rep?
My advice would be, when deciding a course, you should choose the course that you like and have obvious interests in and that you have more passion in whether someone tells you that you shouldn’t or not. And to make sure that your decisions are your own and that are not influenced by negative opinions of others.
In addition to this my advice for women if they are thinking of becoming a rep is to GO FOR IT!. Being an academic representative is a way for you to join socialising with your peers and getting the most of your course together, it will also help you feel a part of your course’s community and that you’re a part of something and making a difference. Another benefit of becoming a rep is you will develop a range of skills that you can use to your advantage when applying for a job and you can also use them in the future.