My name is Fran and I’m a first year American Studies student. After taking two years off after finishing school, I’m excited to get back into education and also to start spreading the message of sustainability to campus and beyond.

As part of the Student Green Office, my area of focus will be to create events that will be promoting us #actingtogether. I believe that the best way to invoke change is for the many to make small changes. Therefore, my main objective during my time in the Student Green Office, is to encourage as many people as I can to make some modifications to their daily lives to make themselves more sustainable. I’m hoping to do this through my events and through conversations around the university. Another thing that I am keen to see is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) being more readily understood and on their way to being achieved, at least in some capacity. The SDGs are a great framework for people who would like to make some changes as you can focus on one goal and start making that change.

My two years off were partly spent doing some solo travelling, which is definitely one of my favourite things to do. I spent three months, some of that time exploring of South East Asia. Following that, I then headed down to the Southern Hemisphere to visit Australia and New Zealand. The trip was incredibly culturally enriching, as well as taught me a lot about myself. I cannot recommend travelling enough, it gives you a renewed perspective on life. Earlier this year, I also went inter-railing through Europe with a friend and I will my next destination is Vietnam next summer. One of my biggest challenges is staying sustainable whilst travelling, so things like using shampoo bars and having a refillable water bottle with me are great ways of doing that.

My previous work experience includes working in retail and also working for an events company which I helped run events for nationwide. I enjoy engaging with people, my job in events was centred around participant engagement. My intention is to use those skills to improve each event that I run, based on the experience of those who attend. I love working in and with the community. That has meant I do a lot of volunteering, both in the UK and abroad and am looking forward to using those skills to help me conduct my role in the Student Green Office.

I’m excited to see what this year will bring, and hopefully put on some events that get more people engaged in sustainability. The best place to start on this if you’re at all interested in sustainability is to follow some of our social media pages.