Pronouns: She/Her

Introduction

Hi, I'm Olivia and I'm running for VP for Student Welfare! I'm a mature student from America, currently in my second year of studies for History and Linguistics. The main reason I came to Aberdeen was the university culture here. I have made such great connections and friends from clubs such as Football, Futsal, and Volleyball! I spend my free time playing football with my friends or reading at the cafes on campus.

What are your three priorities for the year?

As the Student Welfare Officer, I would continue to build connections with my peers from King’s College and Foresterhill campuses to design my advocacy regarding my fellow students’ direct concerns.

• Accessibility to counselling services: addressing concerns regarding booking issues, student comfort during these services, and the visibility of these resources.
• Improvement of student housing conditions: connecting with current residents of Hillhead and implementing solutions for comfort and affordability through proposed initiatives.
• Assistance for international students: providing further support for incoming and current students regarding loans and financial matters, and implementing a peer support system to improve adjustment to life in a new country.
• Continuity with Support Service at Foresterhill: improving resources and inclusion for our medical students, ensuring they are actively offered consistent support, and making efforts to establish our connected campus culture so that we are united in our voices and results.

What unique skill/knowledge can you bring to the role to stand out from the other candidates? 

I bring unique knowledge to this role through my relationships with students across the King's College and Foresterhill campuses of Aberdeen. Having participated in numerous societies, I have established wonderful friendships with a diverse majority of the student population. With these connections and my own personal experiences facing adversity as an international student, I have a strong foundation for addressing the issues that my peers are most concerned with. Being a mature student, I have a wealth of experience from careers I have had, from peer tutoring to resident care. These experiences have provided me with a strong skill set to forge meaningful relationships with people of all ages, and the capability to assist and advocate for their well-being and growth.

What do you think is the biggest issue that students are facing at the moment and how do you plan to tackle it? 

The biggest issue that students face is the lack of accessibility to support regarding housing concerns, financial matters, and crisis assistance. This lack of accessibility is identified through the narrow scope at which it is applied, wherein there needs to be more assistance given to the diverse nature of our student population. In acknowledging that our international students, medical students, LGBT students, and religious students all have different needs and are facing diverse issues, we can better improve the collective mental health of our community through individual care. As the Student Welfare Officer, I would actively work with students as a first point of contact to alleviate the pressures and complications that some may face when seeking support. As an advocate for my peers, I would work to implement policies that include and assist individual needs rather than broad assumptions of what helps all students- effectively working towards an improved sense of community within our campuses and making sure that every voice is heard.