Hi, I'm Jay let me tell you a bit about myself,
Building community is central to who I am. Many of you have met me and my assistance dog Percy. If not please say hi, I love to chat and Percy loves a cuddle in his breaks. Growing up in a military family, I moved every few years and to other countries. This made me very adaptable and I can relate to international students as I understand the challenges of moving abroad and language barriers. I approach everyone with kindness, recognising that everyone has their own story. As an estranged student and survivor of domestic violence, I understand the importance of mental health and I advocate for support for all. My experiences gave me resilience and fueled my passion for supporting people. I am proud to have been described by a court judge as “a force to be reckoned with” after winning an appeal on behalf of a young person. I bring this determination to all my community work and believe that all my experiences make me a strong candidate.
For the past seven years, I have worked as a community organiser and liberationist. I started out helping to set up and run community kitchens, mutual aid projects, and community gardens. This led me to advocate for asylum seekers and people experiencing homelessness. I have organised many community projects and events that bring people together, such as clothes swaps, music gigs, fundraisers, and skill-share workshops. I believe it’s important to create spaces where everyone feels welcome. I also run mental health and mindful craft workshops, as well as slow, sustainable craft sessions, using what I have learned from the Nettles Project. I feel fortunate to serve as a community college leader at Southlands and soon at Whitelands. Being a CCL has helped me connect with many people in our university community and given me valuable experience in organising university events. This experience has prepared me for this role, and I would be grateful for the opportunity if I am elected.
Most people know me because of Percy, but there's much more to me. I'm from Cambridge, I like singing in choir, reading, hiking, cooking & photography. A fun fact is I used to train assistance dogs and trained Percy myself more than seven years ago.