Name: Julia Cieslak                                                                                                                        

Course: International Business Management (Accelerated) - Year 1

Campus: Cambridge

Volunteer Award: Rep of the Month

" I think being a Course Rep is also a great way to build your confidence and interpersonal skills, which are very valuable for most careers"

What are your main duties and how do they benefit others?

My main duty is to liaise with my course mates to get feedback on how they are finding our course, as well as the university and student life more generally. I report their queries and concerns during regular course rep catch ups and, more officially, at our SSLC meetings once every trimester. I then feed back the faculty responses and any updates back to students.

What have you enjoyed most about volunteering?

I've really enjoyed meeting like-minded people at course rep catch ups and feeling like I am actively involved in making a change.

What skills have you learnt and used during your volunteering?

I think the most valuable skill I have developed in my role is presenting in official meetings. For the SSLC meetings, I have to collate student views and present them to staff and other course reps. Whilst I was initially nervous, it was really encouraging to see that the staff really appreciated our views and participation.

What are your future career aspirations?

I would like to work in marketing. My voluntary role has helped me develop skills in researching and presenting, which could somewhat be transferable when I do market research in my future career. However, overall, I think being a Course Rep is also a great way to build your confidence and interpersonal skills, which are very valuable for most careers.

What inspires you to volunteer?

I want to play an active part in improving my course and overall student experience.

What is your favourite volunteering memory?

I think my favourite memory is organising a virtual meet up for my course. I met a like-minded student which has since become a very good friend. It shows that, despite current circumstances, there are still great opportunities to network and meet new people at university.

Why do you love volunteering?

I love being able to make a change to the student experience at ARU, not only for my course mates, but more widely for the faculty and future students.

Do you have any last thoughts or comments?

Volunteering is a really rewarding way to help your local community, whilst also gaining valuable skills for your future career.

There are so many volunteering opportunities, so you are bound to find something that fits your interests and schedule. Currently, a lot of charities, and the university, are offering ways to volunteer online.

I would recommend it to everyone.