Friday 19-05-2017 - 11:35

Lauren Ramage,Student President, is finishing her term here at the Students' Association next week and so to celebrate we wanting to know a little about her year in her role.

My experience:

Without a doubt, being Student President and representing 17,000 students has been the best experience of my life. I have encountered many opportunities that I would never have dreamed of doing 5 years into a graduate job. The job is so unique as it’s different every day - one day you could be helping out with your local community by picking up rubbish, and the next you could be sitting on one of the university’s highest decision-making committees. Although challenging at times, the job is full of fun and extremely rewarding.

My achievements:

One of my main achievements would have to be running the biggest campaign the SA has ran in over 10 years. It was an exhausting 2 weeks but it was extremely rewarding engaging with so many students on an issue which was of high importance to them.

Another main achievement would be creating the first ever Sports Strategy for our sports clubs. This is something which provides our clubs with a clear vision, direction and purpose, and something for them to strive towards over the coming years.

Top moments:

My top moment without a doubt was the 21^st Sports Ball 2017. Speaking in front 350 of Caley’s finest sports members was an absolute honour. The whole night really demonstrated the importance of having sport at university and highlighted the pride and passion of our tight-knit GCU Sporting community.

Another top moment was getting to visit one of the university’s educational partners, the African Leadership College in Mauritius. This was an extremely inspirational trip where I got to experience first-hand the unique culture, and learning and teaching methods adopted by the college. The attitude of both the students and staff in Mauritius was so uplifting and positive, and really indicated to me the importance of not taking education for granted.

Oh, and meeting Sir Alex Ferguson and Muhammad Yunus were also added bonuses!

Worse moments:

Swinging from monkey bars during Exec training in Aviemore and falling head first into the freezing cold manky water… not a pretty site!

Most embarrassing moments:

Posing for a photo for the ‘100 Santa Sack Challenge’ wearing a ridiculously looking Christmas tree hat and ending up in multiple newspapers which were published all over the internet… mortifying!!

How I think my experience will help in my future career?

From the very first day to the very last day in my role I have certainly developed many personal, professional and employability skills which will greatly benefit my future career. A main one of course being leadership skills where I have learnt to lead a team, make decisions under pressure, Chair several meetings, delegate tasks, communicate effectively, and support my fellow colleagues. Another beneficial skill which I developed was my confidence. Coming in to the role I was extremely anxious about delivering speeches and speaking out in meetings, however, as time goes on and the more experience you gain it all becomes second nature.