Hey everyone!
September has been a whirlwind! From welcoming new and returning students to campus, meeting our amazing sports clubs and societies, and organising my first Welcome Week event, it’s definitely been a busy but exciting month as your Vice President! With so much happening, I wanted to share a little insight into what I’ve been up to, both around campus and behind the scenes at Kingston Students’ Union (KSU).
1. From Student to Officer: Sharing My Journey
One of my favourite moments this month was speaking at the KSU Ambassador recruitment session on 3 September. Having previously worked in several roles across Kingston University and the Students’ Union, it was a lovely opportunity to share my experiences with students interested in getting involved. Preparing my presentation also made me reflect on how far I’ve come. From being a Student Ambassador and Academic Mentor to getting involved in sports clubs, societies and student representation, I’ve experienced so many different sides of university life. It felt like a full-circle moment to now be sharing those experiences as an elected officer! I really enjoyed encouraging students to explore the opportunities available to them and showing how getting involved can help build confidence, develop skills and make the most of university.
2. Behind the Scenes: Making Student Voices Heard
Although September has been full of events, there’s also been plenty happening behind the scenes! During our final Officer Manifesto Workshop, I noticed that many of our manifesto commitments overlapped, so I suggested bringing them together into one shared structure rather than having three completely separate manifestos. I’m really pleased that the team adopted my suggestion, and it’s now the structure we’re following throughout the year! We have three main priorities that we’re working towards together: Financial Support, Employability & Opportunities, and Access, Inclusion & Student Experience. These have been broken down into six manifesto objectives, each with specific actions to help us deliver meaningful change for students. Some of these objectives are led by individual officers, others are shared between two officers, and one is something all three of us are working on together. For example, I’m leading on improving employability opportunities for students, working with other officers to improve the international student experience and campus life, and collaborating as a team to tackle financial challenges students face. I think this is a great way for us to work collaboratively while still focusing on our individual priorities and delivering on the promises we made to students. We later presented this structure to our Trustee Board and sports clubs and societies, receiving some really positive feedback!
I’ve also attended several committee meetings, including the Regulatory Framework Committee, where I contributed to discussions alongside senior university staff. During one meeting, I raised a question about student reassessments, which sparked conversations about a potential research project exploring students’ experiences of resits and how the reassessment process could be improved.
One thing I’ve noticed since becoming an officer is how much more confident I’ve become in these environments. Alongside committee meetings, I’ve participated in staff recruitment panels and trustee training, learning more about how the Union operates as a charity. There’s definitely a lot to learn, but that’s something I’ve really enjoyed about the role so far!
3. Getting Out on Campus and Meeting Students
Another big part of September was getting out onto our campuses and speaking to students! On 7 September, I delivered my first Students’ Union induction session to nursing students, introducing the Union and encouraging students to explore our services through a short interactive activity. I even discovered a few things myself!
I also visited Kingston Hill and Penrhyn Road for our Welcome Week pop-ups, promoting events, meeting students and giving away wristbands through our spin-the-wheel activity. These experiences reminded me that every campus has its own community, with different needs and interests. I’d particularly love to hear from students based at Kingston Hill about what they’d like to see from their Students’ Union. Whether it’s more events, opportunities to get involved or something completely different, your feedback matters!
4. Welcome Week: Sports, Societies and Student Life!
Of course, I couldn’t write a September blog without talking about Welcome Week! It’s been amazing seeing our campuses come to life again and watching so many students get involved in everything Kingston has to offer. Ahead of Welcome Week, we delivered our Sports and Societies presentation, introducing ourselves as officers and sharing our priorities for the year ahead. Having been involved in several clubs and societies myself, this was something I was particularly excited about! Throughout the week, I also got involved in the postgraduate picnic and supported different student activities.
Then came Welcome Fair!
With just under 3,200 students attending, it was an incredibly busy day, but such a great opportunity to see the variety of sports clubs and societies we have at Kingston. I also joined our Hamza in showing members of the University’s senior leadership team around the Fair, giving them a chance to see our student communities in action. And of course, I couldn’t resist getting some of our clubs and societies involved in my vlogs! I’ve recently started creating more video content to showcase what happens across the Students’ Union, so keep an eye on my social media for a closer look at what we’ve been up to.
Towards the end of Welcome Week, I also attended Sports Fest and presented prizes to students from Tech Society following our Minecraft-themed competition. It was lovely to celebrate the winners and see the creativity students brought to the activity!
5. Back to 2016: Organising My First Welcome Week Event!
One of my biggest personal projects this September was organising my first Welcome Week event — Back to 2016!
As someone who loves music and bringing people together, I wanted to create a fun throwback night inspired by the songs, trends and memories of 2016. From designing posters and filming a Mannequin Challenge promotional video to organising a DJ and decorating Knights Park Bar, there was a lot more planning involved than I initially expected! The event took place on Friday 25 September, and I’m really happy that all 140 tickets sold out! Organising my first event from start to finish was such a valuable learning experience, and I'm excited to take what I've learnt into future events. We’re also looking to gather feedback to understand what students enjoyed and what we could improve for future events. A big thank you to everyone who came along and supported the event!