Hi I’m Emily and I am a new SGO officer for 2019/2020. Currently I am studying MA creative writing and I recently graduated BSc advertising and marketing here at Christ Church. Over my time at uni I have been and continue to be a member of the Women’s volleyball team.

As someone who transferred to Christ Church in my second year having known no-one, this was a key way for me to make friends. If I hadn’t joined when I did, uni would have been very different for me and I don’t know if I could’ve coped with the transition without the support of my team. I therefore hope to encourage others to push themselves and meet new people as part of my mission on the SGO team. As a returning student, I decided to continue my studies further at Christ Church University as it has helped me grow and become more independent. The university has been my home now for the past two years and I am glad that I decided to take the plunge when I did to transfer here in my second year.

My main interest for becoming an SGO officer was to raise awareness of sustainability in our community as well as ensuring the wellbeing of both wildlife and students are at the focus. Mental health and wellbeing is an important aspect of this for me and I aim to raise awareness and bring forward my ideas on how the university can be more involved too. To me sustainability means ensuring that things are protected for the future whether it be with the environment, our minds or with our wallets and sometimes it can feel a little distant and detached when it comes to us students. Therefore I would like to find new ways of campaigning that are more focused to our needs yet still have a positive impact on the community and world. As someone with a deep spiritual understanding I feel I will be able to bring a different and new approach to these issues in a way that may help address people who would otherwise be disconnected. Personally, I use crystals in order to feel cleansed and distressed, which I am happy to share and discuss with others but I know what works for me might not necessarily work for others. That’s why I think it’s important to really address these issues and provide the tools to get people talking and thinking about their mental health. I also find exercise really helpful too to make me feel relaxed. I recently wrote a blog where I suggest other things to do which you can check out here. In a few weeks time I am also hosting a wellbeing event which I am looking forward to.

Additionally, as I am a pescatarian who really enjoys food, animal welfare and the environment is of great importance to me. I make a variety of vegan and vegetarian dishes everyday using fresh ingredients within a student budget. As an SGO I would love to share some of my recipes as part of a wellbeing and healthy eating guide with other students. Majority of my dishes are actually very cheap to make once the store cupboard staples have been bought and only require basic veg so they are student friendly yet really tasty.  

If you have any ideas you want to share or want some help getting out there and finding new ways  to make friends please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the SGO.

Best, 

Emily