It’s crazy that a year ago I was only beginning to think about the sabbatical officer elections and now I’m halfway through my term as the Undergraduate Access, Education and Participation Officer! The role is super busy but has also been really interesting and rewarding, and I’ve loved every minute of it.
People
I obviously see the rest of the sabb team quite a lot. We have weekly meetings to share what we've been working on and discuss big decisions that need to be made as a team, as well as small group meetings if we're working on a campaign or project together.
Within the team I work most closely with Amelia, my postgraduate counterpart. She's the best partner I could ask for, and we always have a great time, whether we're filming promotional videos or making jokes to get us through some of our longer committees...
The highlight of my role has been talking to students, seeing what issues are cropping up around the University and Colleges and how the SU can help. I work most closely with Academic Reps, who I see at a fortnightly Forum during term time, and Access Officers, and I’m always inspired by the incredible work they do.
I get to talk to a lot of important people in various University departments. Amelia and I have monthly meetings with Graham Virgo, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education, and I also regularly speak to staff from Education Services, the Centre for Teaching and Learning, and the Cambridge Admissions Office.
Big projects
Being the UG AEP comes with a few projects attached to your portfolio. The biggest is the Shadowing Scheme, an outreach programme for students from widening participation backgrounds who are interested to learn more about applying to Cambridge, which I've had a blast running this year. I also lead the Student-Led Teaching Awards with Amelia, which collects nominations from students and gives out awards to staff members in recognition of their exceptional effort, innovation, care and dedication.
Committees
The AEP role is definitely the most committee-heavy out of all the sabb roles, because I sit on both Education and Admissions committees. This will usually involve reading some papers, discussing important topics with other sabbs on the committee and some SU staff, then representing student voice in these high-level decisions.
This is only a whistlestop tour of what I get up to so I’m always happy to take any questions if you want to find out more about my work!