Clodagh: From sports member to VP Activities
Hey! I’m Clodagh, your new VP Activities. I wanted to share my experience as an LJMU student, my experience with sports and societies and how, by becoming an active member of JMSU, got me to where I am today.
A little about me...
I grew up in a little village in County Derry and was an Irish dancer for 10 years, winning 3 World Championship titles with my team! I decided I wanted to go away for university and choose LJMU to study Biomedical science.
I moved into St Luke’s View, where I met a girl who wanted to get involved in the Snowsports society (JUSST) and convinced me to go to the Freshers fair with her. So, I signed up to the first JUSST taster session with her, despite having no experience and it was one of the best decisions of my time at uni. It was within JUSST that I made some of my closest friends, that became part of the reason I loved JMSU so much.
My time in JUSST
Throughout my time with JUSST, I became Comms officer in my 2nd year and then president in my final year (despite being unable to Ski and Snowboard!) but it’s all part of the fun. My time on committee meant I spent a lot of time working closely with JMSU, ensuring that we could get the best for our members. This is how I got insight into how the SU runs and how I could get involved if I became a student officer. So, I decided to give a go and run for Vice-President Activities, which evidently, I was successful! I ran with a manifesto completely based off students’ comments and what they wanted to see change, to improve their student experience.
My time as VP Activities
As part of my role, I work closely with all of sports teams and societies. If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be to get involved with these groups as it is the best and easiest way to make friends but also stay active and engaged!
We have over 40 sports and 70 societies to choose from so you can find your group of people. If you don’t find one that interests you, you can start your own! We’ve had lots of new societies set up this year, such as ‘Aviation, tourism and events management’, ‘RIDE’, ‘Khaleeji’ and lots more that can be found on our website. There have also been new sports clubs set up, including ‘Open water swimming’, ‘Men’s Lacrosse’ and ‘Hiking’.
So get involved, join a club and become an active member of JMSU. You might just make some friends for life and make change happen in all the right places.
