Voice of the union

Established in 1970, The Union has spent the last 51 years representing the views of students at Manchester Met. Since opening, there have been many pivotal moments where our role has been to voice the opinions and views of our students to ensure they are heard and listened to.

Over these years, our students have come up against – and overcome – some crucial challenges, but never more so than in the last 18 months. Online teaching, lack of social interactions and uncertainty of what will happen next all contributed to a tumultuous student experience. Since March 2020, around 3,500 students have contacted our Advice Centre with concerns about their course, housing and money.

 However, we can see a very bright future this year. Students are back on campus with face-to-face teaching and able to take advantage of the smaller aspects of university life which make the biggest difference. With a booming interest in joining societies and taking on volunteering roles, we are sure that our students are going to be making the most of every opportunity we provide and cementing themselves into the student community at Manchester Met.

One of my key priorities for this year is to strengthen this student community and bring us all closer together. Supporting each student with whatever they need will empower them to get the best university experience possible – which is exactly why The Union exists.

By trying to create inclusive and comfortable spaces on campus for our diverse student body, including student parents and our commuter students, I hope to build on the community feel and make every student feel at home.

As well as creating a stronger student community, engaging with the needs of international students is really important to us and we would like to raise the quality of their experience at Manchester Met. I will be focusing on ways to do this during my presidency, whether it’s by putting myself forward to be an Alumni Ambassador to the United States or working on increasing study abroad opportunities for our home students.

This priority is particularly close to my heart. I studied abroad here in 2010 as an undergraduate Political Science student, which was life-changing for me. I completely fell in love with the University and the city. So much so, that I came back in 2014 for my first masters course in Creative Writing. The diversity at Manchester Met and the city at large are amazing and so welcoming that I want every international student to experience that. I also want our home students to take that spirit of hospitality with them as they go abroad for their studies.

We will continue to support all our students, in any way we can. I personally want to bring all of our students together and support them on their journeys while here at Manchester Met. Every student matters and The Union is here to make sure they know that.