Why do you want to apply for an Officer position?

When I first moved to Canterbury for university, I struggled with a lot of mental health issues. Joining and getting involved with Students’ Union societies gave me friends and a support structure that allowed me to find my own footing as a person, build confidence that I had never even knew I had before, and the agency to create change within my own community through the Students’ Union. I’m a CCSU success story – I know many other students with similar experiences to mine, and as Union President I want to recapture some of that magic I felt when I first got to Christ Church.

Throughout my 3 years at Christ Church, I have seen and learned so much about the Students’ Union and the students that make it happen. CCSU is run by students, for students, with what’s best for students at the core of every decision we should make, to make the experience of studying at Christ Church the best it can be. The slogan for this election is “CHANGE CHRIST CHURCH”, and in this role I want to do exactly that; I’m running for Union President because I want to represent the student community at Christ Church and create lasting change at CCSU for the better.

What are your priorities?

With your vote, I pledge to;

• Work with the President for Student Life to drive up student engagement with the union, increasing membership for sports and societies and involving more students with the work that we do,
• Engage in university-wide campaigns to educate people on and stamp out racism, homophobia, and transphobia, both at the university and within the wider community in Canterbury,
• Represent Christ Church beyond the university and engage with organisations such as the NUS, putting the interests of our students at the heart of how we represent ourselves within the wider student community,
• Continue the invaluable campaigns of our outgoing president, Alice, in both continuing and expanding upon our SU Pantry and advocating for students accessing academic support.

What skills and experience do you have that would make you a good Officer?

I’m a third-year politics student, also currently the President of the LGBTQIA+ Society and formerly the President of the Socialist Society at Christ Church – during my time in those roles, I have…

• Served on the Union Council as Trans + non-binary officer,
• Led the ‘CCSU Vote No’ campaign, in which we secured Christ Church’s position within the National Union of Students – the UK’s largest, and most powerful, confederation of Students’ Unions – with a 2/3 majority of votes,
• Issued a statement with both of my societies along with Labour students at UKC in condemning Rosie Duffield’s attacks on the trans community,
• Assisted the Palestine Solidarity Society in working with the Students’ Union to publish a statement condemning the collective punishment of Palestinians during the Gaza conflict.

These experiences demonstrate that I am a powerful advocate for the student community, that I’m able to take a critical eye to decisions made at the Students’ Union and challenge them, to ask how we can be doing better for the student community. Through my work with the LGBTQIA+ society I want to champion the diversity of the student community and will be a strong pro-Trans voice on the sabbatical team, especially at a time where our trans cohort are feeling increasingly under attack in the country.