This week is your last chance to nominate yourself to run in the SU Elections 2023! If you’re thinking about nominating yourself but want to know more about what being a sabbatical officer really involves, we sat down with current VP Education Shrijeet Shrey, to give you an insight into a typical day.
This week is your last chance to nominate yourself to run in the SU Elections 2023! If you’re thinking about nominating yourself but want to know more about what being a sabbatical officer really involves, we sat down with current VP Education Shrijeet Shrey, to give you an insight into a typical day.
How does your morning start?
After waking up, I like to start my day with a big glass of water and meditation. If I have enough time, I’ll go for a run, walk, or bike ride as I think moving your body first thing in the morning is really important.
What’s the first thing you do when you get to the SU office?
When I first arrive in the office, I go to the kitchen to make my green juice. Then, I head to my desk and look through my emails, checking for any priority emails that need an immediate response.
Run us through a typical day
Once I’ve attended to any urgent emails, I will turn my attention to making sure I’m up to speed with any immediate issues facing students. I do this by checking my social media accounts and replying to students’ messages directly. I will also talk to the other officers, and SU staff especially the Student Voice team about issues concerning academic representation. As VP Education, it is really important that I’m up to date on everything that’s going on because it informs the conversations I have with senior managers in the College at the College Council.
As a sabbatical officer, no two days are the same. There’s always lots going on in the SU and I love showing up to different SU events as it’s a great opportunity to try out something new and chat to lots of students. You can also often find me filming content for my social media channels – this week I worked with the Marketing team to create some informative content around the UCU industrial action. Oh, and my days always involve drinking lots of matcha!
Who do you work with on a day-to-day basis?
As VP Education, my time is spent working with anyone who is involved in academic representation, this includes the Principal, the Senior Vice-Principals, and academic reps. More generally, however, I make it a priority to just try to talk as many people as possible daily. You can often find me at the library or outside the Students’ Union having conversations with people. I want to make as many students as possible feel that they can reach out and talk to me about any issues they’re facing.
What sort of meetings do you attend?
I attend lots of different meetings both in the SU (internal) and with the College (external). On Mondays, I go to Officer Group with the other sabbatical officers and some of the SU's managers. Throughout the month, I will also attend College Council, Academic Board, and Joint Executive Committee. These meetings with the College are mainly attended by the VP Education because in this role I have the most frequent and direct contact with academic reps.
Whilst this may seem like a lot of meetings, it means that I get to meet and converse with a lot of people that normally you wouldn’t get to as a student. I can disrupt these very managerial spaces with student voices.
What’s your favourite aspect of being an officer?
The best thing about being a sabbatical officer is connecting with lots of different students. I also love how much the Students’ Union is willing to listen, adapt and change after hearing our feedback which is based on our conversations with current students.
On a more personal level, this role has allowed me to feel that I am making a real impact and benefiting students by leading campaigns, bringing change, and working towards improving student life at Royal Holloway. Truthfully, I’ve learned more in this past year as VP Education than I have in the past 5-6 years of my life.
What’s the hardest part of being an officer?
The hardest part of being VP Education is being in spaces filled with important senior College staff and having to speak up and be an equal contributor in these spaces. You’re working with people who have years of experience, so you must work hard to contribute your own voice and ideas. There’s an intrinsic pressure to represent students in the best possible way because you have been entrusted with their voice.
What do you do at the end of the day to unwind?
I spend most of my time outside of work going to the gym, playing lots of sports, reading, and going outside. Spending time in nature really helps me to be creative. And of course, I socialise with my friends and housemates, I still go to the Union Venue on a Friday night!
And finally, do you have any advice for someone thinking about nominating themselves?
Just do it!
If I’m honest, I didn’t feel ready to stand, however, my friends encouraged me and I’m so grateful that they did. Running in the elections was one of the greatest experiences I’ve had at Royal Holloway. Every aspect of the experience – campaigning, public speaking, talking to students – helps you and your confidence grow so much.
If I had to give one piece of advice to someone starting to work on their campaign, it would be to listen to students and their problems; these are the issues you should use in your manifesto.
Nominate yourself!