Experience
- President 2020/21
- Deputy President 2019/20
- VP for Education 2018/19
Currently:
- Advocacy Officer (Children, Adolescents and Young Adults) at the Irish Cancer Society – I lead on the advocacy planning and actions for the Irish Cancer Society to improve the lives of young people with cancer.
Transferable Skills
I learned a huge amount in each of my roles, and gained some excellent real-world experience while also learning about myself, and my own style of task management, leadership and communication.
Organisation: Learning to manage and prioritise tasks, delegation, and meeting deadlines in a complex and pressured environment was essential.
Policy development: I learned a great deal about the process of developing policy from my membership of several committees, steering groups and working groups in TU Dublin and nationally. It’s lead me to become more interested in the area, and I’m now studying a Masters in Public Policy!
Working with people: I was always part of a team working together while also having competing interests, as well as leading the entire Students’ Union as President. It is a privilege to meet so many exceptional people and be in rooms where decisions affecting students for decades are being made. I learned how to navigate different personalities, manage conflict, and maintain clarity in my own role in the Union.
My favourite memory
My favourite ever moment was running a silent protest with students outside the Governing Body of the college (the highest decision making body in the college) over cuts to the opening hours of the libraries right around exam season. Immediate action was taken, and librarians were hired to ensure the opening hours remained consistent! It was an experience that cemented for me the importance of the Union and the student voice.
My advice for students running for election
The only experience you need to run for the Students’ Union is to be a student. That’s it!! I really had no idea what I was doing when I first ran for election – it might look like we know what we’re doing, but we don’t. Talk, talk, talk to students, the Students’ Union officers and read on what you can on the issues affecting students, so you have some idea of what role would suit you best and what you’d like to do in your term. Also remember; it’s one year, with an ever shorter academic year; make the absolute most of it, work smart, have the best craic and always remember that students should be at the core of every action you take. I wish you the absolute best of luck!! 🙂
