Have you seen a role that’s caught your eye? Still unsure if you should nominate in the upcoming elections? Don’t just take it from us. Hear directly from students, just like you, who have held these positions themselves throughout their time at Imperial.
Over the next 2 weeks, we’ll be sharing a series of stories from Imperial students who have held positions from Deputy President Officer Trustees and Presidents of Constituent Unions, to Mental Health and LGBTQ+ Officers leading their Networks. Get a real-life, first-hand perspective from your fellow peers who’ve held these positions. Keep an eye out right here on our website and on our socials to get the behind-the-scenes intel.
So why should you nominate yourself? We’ve put together this handy little list of the top reasons why you should nominate and get involved, straight from the words of wisdom of those who’ve been there and done it themselves! We asked them why students should run in the Leadership Elections, and this is what they said…
Aglaia: Mental Health Officer 2023-2024
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Student representation and campaigning is a great opportunity to build new skills and strengthen your CV.
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You’ll meet wonderful like-minded people and have fun!
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You’ll make tangible impact on the Imperial community and beyond.
Avi: LGBTQ+ Officer 2023-2024
1. Genuine Passion: A true passion for LGBTQ+ equity and justice will carry you through a year in this role!
2. Systemic Change: If you are keen to drive systemic change within an institution, this is the perfect opportunity to enhance the experiences of many students identifying with this minority group.
3. Organisational Skills: Finally, juggling this role with my academic and extra-curricular commitments has been challenging.
India: Deputy President Clubs & Societies, 2021-2022
Working at the Union helped me develop management skills that will support my career going forward - I sat on countless interview panels, made strategic staffing decisions, and proposed solutions to challenging problems.
I gained experience in managing my workload in a very different way from my degree - I was able to prioritise projects that were important to me alongside those that were essential to the role.
But best of all - I just had a great year! I was able to work full-time helping students while continuing to take part in the societies I loved and experience all that Imperial has to offer for one precious extra year. I highly recommend taking a sabbatical year if you are similarly passionate about the Imperial student experience and what you can give to it!
Reha: RSMU President 2023-2024
It’s a great way to contribute to a community you are an integral part of and to advocate the best interest of your peers. It gives you a sense of pride to be able to organise something for an entire student body, just like how someone would have done for you in the past or in your fresher's year!
It helps improve your interpersonal skills such as leadership and professionalism, public speaking and communication, organisation, financial management and learning how to work in a team- all soft skills essential for post-uni career life and life in general!
You get to meet some amazing (and some not-so-amazing) people throughout the process, and they're all part of the experience in teaching you how to be a good leader and an approachable person. Your networking skills also improve.
So, there you have it. Still not sure if you should take the plunge? Our friendly Elections team are hosting a bunch of drop-in sessions for you to come by and ask any burning questions, and we’d love to see you there.
You can check out all our election events and see what's coming up, or if you can’t make it in person, you can always send us a message at elections@imperial.ac.uk