What is your job and what does your job involve?

I’m the Community Manager for The Students’ Union at UWE. I support and lead an enthusiastic team of staff who organise events and activities for students to get involved with, from charitable fundraising and settling into Halls of Residence, to engaging in volunteering and campaigns. As the lead for sustainability in the organisation, I am passionate about inspiring cultural change and building partnerships to create meaningful impact.

I am lucky that most of my days are made up of meetings with inspirational leaders at all levels of UWE Bristol, supporting my staff team to succeed, creating and developing partnerships with local organisations and internal departments to enable further work, and the occasional budget spreadsheet or payroll time sheet.

The best part of my job is being inspired by the fantastic work of our students and staff to make UWE Bristol an inclusive and exciting place to be. The elements of the job that are less exciting usually revolve around finance paperwork but these are important as they enable the fun elements!

How did you end up doing what you are doing?

During my studies at The University of Sheffield (History BA), I got involved in my Halls of Residences committee, encouraging others to take part in volunteering. Through this, I met new people and joining the Students’ Union’s Volunteering Committee and RAG (Raising & Giving) Committee. I loved being so involved and getting others to engage in their University experience. I ran in the Students’ Union Officer elections and spent a very happy year as Activities Officer.

My passion for community development led me to work at De Montfort University on the ‘Square Mile’ project, using the knowledge and resources of the University to support a local area of Leicester to develop activities and healthy communities, before moving to UWE Bristol as an Experience Enrichment Officer, working on volunteering, intercultural and faith projects.

I never knew that all this was possible when I was sat in a small careers room at school surrounded by hundreds of University prospectuses. I thought I was going to be a doctor until I did my A Levels, when I realised I loved working with and serving people, rather than learning science.

Personality traits, and how they fit into the work environment

After doing the ‘icould’ personality quiz I found out that I am a Dolphin.

I love knowing that I am contributing and making a difference in a small way, which is why I enjoy the charity sector and University settings. I get to be enthusiastic and passionate about the projects I support, and work with other energetic individuals.