Hey! Natalie, your current elected Disabled Students’ Community Convenor for the Students’ Union, and Student Ambassador for Beckett Careers here!
Why should you vote for me to become your next Welfare Officer?
I am an extremely hardworking and motivated individual as well as being a keen advocate for positive change. If I get elected again, all be it being for a different role, my main goal is to improve the health, wellbeing, and safety of students. Some examples include wanting to raise the importance of things like smear tests, increasing counselling hours, to work on awareness around spiking in Leeds and improving the streetlights around the lanes in Headingley. Additionally, I hope to work alongside underrepresented students with these issues too (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic students, mature students, disabled students, first in family students and care experienced students). Lastly, I hope to continue my current work within the Students’ Union like developing the #Doitmyway toolkit.
Why am I the best person to be your next Welfare Officer?
I believe I have a great understanding about student voice as a student who is classed as ‘underrepresented’ myself (I am first in my family to attend university, a mature student and suffer from chronic fatigue so I am classed as disabled) and because of this, I am tremendously passionate about helping and supporting those who have also not had the easiest of experiences. I also stick to my word - in my Disabled Students Community Convenor role, I'm about to achieve all my objectives plus creating and working on more to help towards making students life’s better!
What is my previous experience?
As well as my two current roles at the university and union, I am also a 3rd year Childhood Studies student and volunteer for a children's reading charity. Last year, I volunteered at a disabled children’s charity and through this role, I was awarded ‘Young Volunteer of the Year 2021’ for the Newcastle-Under-Lyme area. As a student at Edinburgh College in 2018, I also worked within their students’ union as a volunteer student trustee and a low carbon travel assistant. In addition to this, I have been a class representative and worked at the University of Edinburgh. Finally, as a mature student, I have worked in full and part-time roles since the age of 16-years-old until now (25-years-old), so I have gained a wide range of skills, knowledge, and experience that I believe will make me a great fit for being your next Welfare Officer!
What do I intend to do to meet my objectives?
I intend to work closely with students, the students’ union, the university, and health/safety services to make my objectives happen. In my two current roles at the union and university, I have developed strong networks with internal and external people which I know will help me with this!
You’ve put your faith in me before (and I've never let you down), so you know you can do it again! #VoteNat4Welfare