Thursday 24-06-2021 - 14:22

Before starting university, I was so quiet and I had a bit of a dislike for my personality. I felt like I couldn’t do anything right, and it seemed as though I couldn’t find a group in which I could fit in.

Then I joined Liverpool John Moores University. Six hair colours, ten piercings, seven tattoos, independent living, exposure to different cultures, lots and lots of character-building drama, and a whole bunch of new mates later, I now can be the loudest in the room and can be unapologetically me. For that, I thank the university and its community.  

I became your student officer after initially being scouted for my activity as a Society President by an ex-student officer, the fabulous Julia Daer. Two years has passed, and all of my experiences still feel fresh and surreal. To be entrusted with representing 26,000 students is a very unique experience and really, I have constantly pushed myself to try to fill those shoes. As a result, my insight, appreciation and my uttermost admiration of our wonderful student body has flourished.

Yes, there have been challenges, but I am eternally grateful I am in the position to be able to face and overcome them for the benefit of my peers. Some campaigns didn’t progress and some prospered, but the common factor was that I learnt from every one of them. It’s harder now than ever to be a student with the rising costs, negative stigma and being absurdly overlooked during a world-wide pandemic, but my belief in the movement and the amazing potential in the student community helped me find the passion to continue striving for wins.  

I have been through some challenging times, being diagnosed with depression and anxiety and going through some very difficult times during the pandemic. I have had ups and downs, but support and encouragement from my colleagues at JMSU have been invaluable. Yes, my confidence and emotional resilience has increased, but as an introvert at heart, trying to be a constantly vocal and visible advocate and figurehead for all students has been especially tough on my resolve. I persevered however, as I know the cause is an amazing one and you guys deserve the best that we as a union can offer!

Would I do this again? A hundred times over.

But since I can’t – what have I learnt from it?

• The power of using your voice – you provide a unique perspective to any discourse, there will always be someone who relates to what you’ve said, it gets easier the more you do it and you are likely to encourage others to speak up as a result.
• Know what your values are – know what your priorities are, believe in your values, consistency is key as people may try to sway you by saying your goals are unobtainable or ambitious. Trying to convince others and pushing agendas is difficult, but much easier when you have a clear vision and trust yourself.
• Always have an open mind – While it is good to know where you stand and why you stand for it, constantly listening and learning from the people around you and situations you find yourself in means you can constantly develop your perspective based on new information. This will help you adapt to challenging circumstances and people to come to a decision that is good for all sides.

There have been countless highlights in my two years that I reflect upon fondly, such as the campaign for the university to declare climate emergency, two Sustainability Weeks, the Student Wellbeing Townhall, a variety of live Q&As and the opportunity to represent you in a wide range of institution-level meetings about student mental health, disability and safety, just to name a few.

So many people have blessed my life– those who helped me campaign, students who believed in me and voted for me, students I collaborated with and ran campaigns with, my officer teams, JMSU colleagues and the wonderful people I have worked with at LJMU, my heart is full and please know that every one of you have played such an important part these past two years.

I wish the new team good luck, though I’m sure they won’t need it. Ambar – contact me any time you need guidance as the new VP Community. I know you’ll do great. Remember, no question is too small.

I really hope I’ve done you guys justice; it has been an absolute honour representing you.

However, I’m not leaving completely yet. Come September I am going to be pursuing a Masters in Human Resource management at our lovely LJMU. Back to being a student, hooray! If you do see me, please come up and say hi 😊

Megan, your VP Community & Wellbeing 2019-21