It’s one week in. Meetings, conferences and training left, right and centre.
Starting at the Students’ Union on Monday I was greeted with smiles from all the staff making it a friendly welcoming environment from the start.
All the training sessions are filled with acronyms and jargon that initially go in one ear and out the other… And it’s not until you get into the swing of day-to-day conversations and operations that you begin to pick them up.
NUS 13 Conference, in Manchester, was an excellent way to dive straight into what students’ unions are all about. Meeting officers in similar roles and building relationships with NUS staff to hopefully utilise their skills in the near future. Lily Cole was among guest speakers which was the first glimpse of celebrity claim to fame through this role.
The first ‘black tie’ event since starting my new role, and I forgot my shoes. Classic. I strolled in rocking the Nikes quite confident ,even next to our CEO, James Brooks, who was wearing a full tux. Confidence is key in this role, that’s one thing I’ve learnt so far. If you aren’t confident in yourself how can you be confident enough to represent 12,000 students?
After the mass influx of buzz words from NUS 13, it was a long train journey to Brigg, near Scunthorpe, for a dinner with the board of governors of the University of Lincoln.
Now these people are considered the ‘top dogs’ (although I heard they don’t like be called that). Men and women who have achieve so much in their life, they’ve decided to give back to society by making sure the University is shaping young minds. After all, today’s young generation will be choosing their retirement home…
It was inspiring to hear their success stories even that of social mobility, something I was very clued-up on after NUS 13. Social mobility, in this instance, is the movement of individuals in social classes (working class, middle class, upper class, etc.) and is something I’ve personally strived for myself.
End of the week and it was recovery day in the office, catching up emails and writing up notes from seminars and lectures (thought I’d finished with those after Uni…) and even taking meetings outside in the sunshine.
Next week is BUCS Conference 2013 in Edinburgh. Luckily I’ve made friends at NUS 13 in the Activities/Sport officer role at various institutions, so I won’t be completely alone as a Sabb meeting new Sabbs!
Find more about the story of NUS 13 on the SU Twitter @lincolnSU