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Candidate for the position of Students' Union Council - All First Year Representative

Image for Maria Miln

Maria Miln

I'm passionate about making sure that everyone is heard, I believe that all suggestions are valid and useful as they're a reflection on the union as a whole and so no matter how insignificant your point may seem I'll do my best to make sure it's seen to appropriately.

 

  • I believe that as the first years we are the most important people in the student union, we have the freshest perspective on the union as we have only just joined it. Therefore as first year representative, I would do my best to make sure that we are heard fully and that our suggestions and opinions are given their entire weight so as to best enhance the union policies and rules and procedures for the outcome of the first years joining us next year. 
  • I understand how challenging it can be for first year students who are moving out for the first time having to cook, clean and organise themselves with no one looking over their shoulder telling them where to be and what to do. This can be a slightly double-edged sword though and I feel as though as your representative I would make sure that the union is doing everything it can to help support this change. All of the events they run are great but is the advertising of them enough, I know many first years I have spoken to simply have no idea that things are happening and so they cannot reap those rewards of finding out truly all the support that is available to them.
  • Coming from a 2 year break from education I have experienced what it is like to be completely independate before tackling a slightly constricting lifestyle of being a student, this is something I am very passionate about. Making sure that those students who are slightly older, taken gap years, travelled, worked, etc are still getting involved in union life. I think that although they may feel that they already have their independence they dont need to do many freshers activities or attend union events because they are fine doing their own thing, they are the people whos opnions are super valuable because they have the real world experience to be able to pass down to their fellow freshers to allow them to enhance and adjust to their new student life. 
  • My final point, and possibly my most important one is about how difficult and lonely it may feel starting Uni. I know I have found myself sitting of an evening, completely alone feeling like I will never make friends and that I will always be destined to be by myself and I want to be in a position where I can enact changes that help those people specifically. I want to make sure that people are aware of all the amazing ways they can make friends not just within the uni but in the wider community also and that is why if you voted me to be your representative I would work hard to make sure that nobody feels alone and that an open door is really an open door to everyone that has any semblance of an opinion or even just wants to listen to others opinions and meet potential new friends. 
Queen's Students' Union
Queen's Students' Union