Dear Roehampton students,

Since the recent news of my departure as VP Education, many of you have reached out with kind messages, questions, and concerns about my future. This has reminded me of what a wonderfully supportive community we have here at Roehampton. Your words have made me feel seen and valued, and they are a big part of why I am so committed to continuing to serve this community.

I would like to offer some clarity, share my reflections on the past eighteen months, and highlight what we have achieved together.

Stepping into a new role

To answer the main question many of you have asked: I am not leaving Roehampton.

I have decided to step down from my position as Vice President Education at RSU to take up a new role as College Engagement and Activities Officer for Southlands College. My new role will still involve many of the same priorities as my current one, and I will continue supporting and working with Roehampton students, even if it looks a little different to how it is now.

I am genuinely excited to keep giving back to the Roehampton community and to continue serving and supporting students in my new capacity.

What does that mean for students?

With both the VP Education and VP Welfare roles becoming vacant, a strategic decision has been taken to reinvest those salaries into more paid student jobs and opportunities, so that your voices remain central to everything RSU does. This will create new ways for students to be paid for their contributions to representation and engagement, and more details are available in the article “What’s Next for Student Representation.”

Looking back on 18 months

Reflecting on the past eighteen months, it is hard to know where to begin, because this role has been both incredibly rewarding yet at times challenging.

In January 2024, a good friend of mine encouraged me to join the Hockey team, which I was completely awful at, but I met some really nice friends who helped me navigate a challenging final year.

I didn’t know many people and public speaking sounded like a nightmare to me, so to be honest, I didn’t think I was going to get the VP Education position (I even went to a job interview the same day as the election results!) Regardless, I pulled off the election and never looked back.

When I started as VP Education in July 2024, I remember my anxiety being so severe that I had to write down every single question before I could even consider raising my hand, and even then, it often felt impossible. Two months later, I was asked to give a Graduation speech to over a thousand people and, although I was completely out of my comfort zone, forcing myself to do it made public speaking just a little easier each time after that.

Why am I telling you this?

Many people have come to me recently about thinking of running in the elections - lots have said they believe they are not “confident enough,” “well-spoken enough,” or “too introverted” for roles like this. I want to challenge that idea: this job has not been easy for me, but I do not regret a second of it.

It has helped me grow personally and professionally, while giving something back to a community that has given so much to me. So, the message is to you. If you are thinking about running in the upcoming elections, go for it. You have nothing to truly lose, and endless opportunities and learning lessons to gain.

In the last eighteen months, I’ve got to meet hundreds of students, build relationships with so many beautiful people, and have unforgettable experiences (like visiting parliament, the BBC broadcasting house and hearing a speech from the Palestinian ambassador.) I have been able to make ideas come to life, help students accomplish their goals, and complete most of my manifesto alongside an amazing team.

What we achieved together

During my time as your VP Education, there are several pieces of work that I am particularly proud of because they were shaped directly by your feedback and experiences.

• L.E.A.P (Learning English for Academic Purposes): After identifying a lack of English language provision, despite 23% of our student body asking for support, I developed, funded, and implemented a free three-tiered LEAP programme to address that gap and better support students’ academic success
• Wellbeing Wednesdays: I introduced a policy that protects Wednesday afternoons from academic commitments for undergraduate students, giving you protected time to engage in sport and wellbeing activities, which has already led to a 68.3% increase in participation in sport and active communities.
• Academic Representation Review: our representation team led a comprehensive review and consultation of the Student Academic Representation System, resulting in a restructured model that now engages and supports almost 300 student Academic Representatives.
• Community Pantry: Building on the foundations laid by 2023–2024 President Amy Hopkins and working closely with 2024–2025 VP Welfare Adam Fewster, we ran a successful donation drive that restocked the pantry with over 700+ items and secured microgrant funding to keep it continuously stocked.
• Union Development and funding: I have secured close to £5,000 in funding from internal and external stakeholders and microgrant schemes to support initiatives aimed at improving student life and wellbeing.
• Representation, events, and recognition: I have sat on more than fifteen committees, served as Deputy Chair of Presidents’ Committee and the RSU Board of Trustees, supported 2 Freshers’ Weeks and 1 Refreshers, hosted 6 welcome weeks, and helped deliver 100+ events. I was also selected as a finalist for the opportunity to join Coole Insight at the ACUI Region VII Conference in the USA for a project on “Elevating Student Leadership Through Peer Mentoring Excellence.”

Final Thank You

Finally, I want to take a moment to thank all the amazing people I have had the opportunity to work with over my time here: from the entire RSU team to the University Faculty, our community partners and all the students – it has been an absolute pleasure.

Thank you for trusting me to be your VP Education. It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, and although my title is changing, my commitment to you and to this community is not.