The past two months have been an exciting and rewarding start to the academic year for us as Officers. From celebrating personal milestones to engaging with thousands of students, delivering campaigns and creating opportunities for student representation, September and October have been filled with meaningful experiences, achievements and opportunities to connect with our student community 🫶🏾

September – A New Academic Year, New Beginnings

Graduation Celebrations 🎓

September was a particularly special month as we celebrated our own graduation, both achieving distinctions in our postgraduate studies. We also had the privilege of being part of the University's Platform Party at other graduation ceremonies. This gave us the opportunity to applaud and celebrate graduating students, engage with senior members of the University and represent the Students' Union during such an important milestone in students' journeys. It was a truly rewarding experience to celebrate the achievements of others while reflecting on our own academic journeys.

Freshers' Inductions and Student Engagement 👋🏼

We kicked off the new academic year by participating in Freshers' inductions, engaging with over 5,000 students across different schools within the University. Throughout these sessions, we introduced students to the Students' Union, its services and the different ways they can get involved. We highlighted opportunities within societies, student representation, advice and support, events and activities, and encouraged students to make their voices heard. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with students, particularly those just beginning their university journeys, and help them understand how the Students' Union can support their university experience.

October – Celebrating Community and Student Voice

Black History Month ✊🏿

October saw us successfully deliver a series of Black History Month events, celebrating Black history, culture, creativity and community across the University. Through events such as Ink and Identity - Celebrating Black History through Literature and Creativity, Honouring Our Communities and Afro-Caribbean Karaoke, Crown Culture, Craft and Connect and Blackout, we created opportunities for students to connect, learn, share experiences and celebrate Black identities and heritage. One of the highlights was Blackout, which welcomed over 120 students from Black African, Black Caribbean and mixed Black backgrounds for an evening of cultural celebration, connection and community. This event brought students together to celebrate the richness and diversity of African and Caribbean cultures. Crown Culture was another favourite, an awareness and engagement pop-up that reached over 160 students. The initiative explored the history of Black hair, hair care, cultural identity and the experiences of Black students, creating opportunities for meaningful conversations, learning and celebration.

Freshers Fair 🦈

We also loved meeting so many of you at Freshers Fair, which provided another fantastic opportunity for students to discover the different services, opportunities and support available across the University and Students' Union. It was great to see students exploring societies, connecting with different teams and discovering ways to make the most of their university experience.

SCO Recognition 👑

We continued recognising the contributions of our School Community Organisers (SCOs) through our monthly SCO Recognition initiative. This initiative celebrates outstanding SCOs, acknowledging their hard work, commitment and dedication to representing and supporting students within their respective schools. It is important that we recognise the people who continuously contribute to making the student experience better.

Our First Student Council 💭

We held our first Student Council of the academic year, where we presented our respective officer action plans and outlined our priorities for the year ahead. This provided an opportunity to hear directly from student representatives, receive feedback, address questions and discuss how we can continue working together to improve the student experience. It was also an important opportunity to strengthen student representation and ensure that student voices remain central to the decisions and changes that affect them.

We Wear Pink Walk 🩷

We participated in the We Wear Pink Walk, to raise awareness of breast cancer. It was a lovely opportunity to show solidarity, encourage conversations around breast health and support an important awareness campaign.

 
Looking Ahead

As we move into the next few months in Semester A, we remain committed to representing students, strengthening our student communities and ensuring that the student voice continues to shape decisions and improvements across the University.