Its your 25/26 Officers final week… so this week we are releasing round-up articles of their highlights of their year in the role!
My time as Wellbeing Officer at Undeb Aber has been nothing short of a rollercoaster, in the best way possible. I have faced many great moments, challenges and wins along the way. At Undeb Aber, the goal is to ensure Aber students have an epic student journey, are happy, healthy and empowered, with lasting friendships and promising futures. I am grateful to have been part of a team that goes above and beyond to make this happen, so here are my top three highlights from my time as an officer.
Firstly, presenting has been one of my highlights this past year. I presented at some of the Welcome Talks for Freshers Week alongside our enthusiastic Officer team. After the Welcome Talk for international students, we were able to interact with students who wanted to understand student life and what it takes to navigate the pressures that come with it. Students are at the heart of officer roles, and I have loved seeing them find themselves, overcome challenges and find their friends in unexpected ways. I also worked with the Head of Accessibility and Wellbeing, John Harrington, to deliver a wellbeing presentation for students in foundation year. We also presented on wellbeing during times of stress, uncertainty and overwhelming workload for final year students in the Geography department, a model which Student Services are hoping to implement across various departments in future. I also presented some of the work the Undeb does at the Race Council Cymru/Black History 365 event. The event had positive outcomes with more clarity on areas for collaboration between the Undeb and university staff. I also tackled difficult conversations as I reflected on my own role as an officer in contributing to the systemic change I hope to see. I am immensely grateful for the collaborations we have had this year.
Secondly, collaborating with students on various campaigns has been rewarding! I have gained many insights from working on the anti-spiking and bus campaigns as well as the BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) action team. We have managed to engage the local community in town such as Ceredigion County Council to help implement a new stop in Fferm Penglais as part of the 301-bus service. We have also engaged members of Student Journey and the Council to help identify streets that are poorly lit and what can be done to contribute to safer streets for students. Aber is generally a safe place compared to some cities, but there are still incidents that happen and there is always more that can be done to ensure it is even safer for its students and residents. It was great to be part of a growing campaign that aims at making life easier for students. Students of different ethnicities are sometimes overlooked and dismissed in daily life, so it was great to create a space for student engagement through house meetings, textured-hair hair workshops with skilled hairdressers Grace and Oluwabukunolami and the BAME student project with Student Minds. A couple of the students on the action team attended a workshop run by Osaro Otobo, founder of Making Diversity Count, a social impact organisation dedicated to creating sustainable, inclusive, and innovative environments. Students have made this role worthwhile, and I will forever cherish every single contribution to make campaigns and events a success.
Lastly, a major highlight has been winning union of the year! Staff members at the Undeb work hard to make things happen and I wish I had more appreciation for their contribution as a student. Our Chief Executive Officer, Opportunities, Advice and Wellbeing, Finance, Voice and Communications and Engagement teams are all legends! I was part of the phenomenal Advice and Wellbeing team. Our People and Wellbeing Manager, Annmarie, and Student Advisor, Molly, ensured that I remained sane and grounded throughout, and I will forever be grateful for their thoughtfulness, gems (priceless gems) of wisdom and support! The Officer team I have worked with this year has been amazing. I was worried at first because we are all unique, with different backgrounds and ways of doing things. However, it all worked out in the end, and it was a great learning opportunity. I got to learn to be resilient and have fun alongside this all-women team with an incredible work ethic, rich sense of humour and never-ending TikTok ideas! Millie, Nanw, Esperanza and Ffion are all exceptional and I have learned so much from how they show up for students and staff, unapologetically!
This role has provided many opportunities. I have learnt about trusteeship and how that differs from my role as a student representative. I have also sat on influential committees and meetings where students’ voices can be advocated for and amplified in different ways. It was a memorable year for me and so much growth has come from this position as Swyddog Llesiant.