Q1: Cast your mind back to June/July 2024, what were your thoughts coming into the role, and how have your thoughts about this role changed one year later?

I was very nervous about starting this role. It's a great honour to have been voted in by the students of the college I studied at to represent them through the Students' Union. Over the past year, I have grown in confidence and certainly in my good intentions to support CCW and CCI students. As I settled into my role, the nervousness turned into excitement to make a difference.

Q2: Overall, How do you feel about your year as CCW & CCI Officer?

Overall, I am happy with my past year as CCW and CCI officer. There was more I wanted to achieve, but I'm grateful to have been re-elected and get to continue working on what I started this year. I have no regrets, only opportunities to learn, improve, and even set a foundation for the officer who will follow me in 2026.

Q3: With the expansion of the Creative Computing Institute, how have you found being a representative for 4 separate and unique campuses?

It's been a learning experience for sure! Unlike the other College Officers, the students I represent study in buildings all across London, each with their unique challenges. My ultimate goal was to increase the sense of community on each campus while also unifying the campuses. That meant ensuring that each part of CCW and CCI had their own version of stalls and winter parties, and that all the school reps felt they could approach me with questions and suggestions for the union to work on. 

Q4: What memorable moments do you have this year? (This can be anything from a funny moment in the sabb team, to a campaign win, anything that you’ll look back on)

I have so many memorable moments. Most of those have been "behind the scenes" with my current sabb team. Meaning in the Board and Committee meetings we have attended.

We have had many moments where we have worked together to have difficult conversations with UAL, and I can only look back and think "that was bad-a**!" It's been such a privilege to have such a supportive team.

From working with Kat on Black History Month in October, to the Wellbeing Event Series, Yvonne Sayali and then co-chairing the Education Enhancement Committee with Chihiro, and finally being day support for Zainab's Cost of Living and Cost of Study pop-ups, it's all been part of my highlight reel!

Q5: Was there anything you wanted to do, but ran out of time?

I wanted to work more with Students across CCW and CCI, empowering them to take up more space on campus by starting more clubs, societies and events. Luckily, I have been re-elected, so I am eager to work directly with more student groups this upcoming academic year. Maybe starting with reviving Annexe evenings at Chelsea on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Q6: What are your perspectives (thoughts, feelings, vibes) about entering your second year?

I'm less nervous going into my second year. I am excited to make the changes I didn't get to do last year, but this time with lived experience and a better understanding of my role. I'm looking forward to graduation season again, Welcome Fair, Black History Month, and so much more. I'm looking forward to celebrating the hard work of our students and also contributing to more community-building events throughout the year

Q7: What is your advice to people who want to become a Sabbatical Officer?

My advice to people who want to become a Sabbatical Officer is, don't be afraid to put yourself out there. You will learn a great deal about yourself, the world of employment, and arts education in this role. There's no job quite like it.

Also, when you become a Sabb, ask questions, and dream big with your vision to support students. There is always so much to do and learn, and when you start to make those changes and represent the students in board meetings and spaces where not everyone is invited, you'll realise how important your role is. Even if you feel shy and are afraid of campaigning, try; it's all a learning experience, and it's all worth it, for your future self's self-confidence and shaping UAL into what students need it to be.

Q1: Kat, when you first entered the role in 2023, you said you were ‘quite nervous and excited, wanted to understand more about how the role worked, and ambitious’. As you come to the end of your final year as a Sabbatical Officer, how have your thoughts on the role changed?

Definitely, first, I thought that implementing change would come a bit quicker than I thought, but then as you go into the role, you realise how complex specific challenges are, at first, I thought that enacting change would come a bit quicker than I thought, but then as you go into the role, you realise how complex certain challenges are which are long-term.

A lot of work is quite more long term, but you can achieve quick wins through the academic year which also count to the work you do as a Sabb.

Q2: Overall, how do you feel about your second year as LCF Officer?

 This year was quite busy, with many unexpected challenges arising, such as race riots in August last year the recruitment of the new Vice Chancellor for the Trans and Non-Binary to Trans and Non-Binary Policy review.  I have grown so much this year compared to last year, learning how to campaign and develop my leadership skills.

Q3: What memorable moments do you have this year? (This can be anything from a funny moment in the sabb team, to a campaign win, anything that you’ll look back on)

A memorable moment was delivering last year’s Black History Month 2024 private View, which subsequently led us to win the ACUII Joseph H. Benedict Jr. Social Change Award for Racial Justice. It was so great to celebrate and enjoy the exhibition with the student artists, Arts SU colleagues and the Sab Team!

Being able to go to the ACUII Student Conference in Boston was also highly memorable; meeting other students and experiencing how student movement is done globally inspired me to show how we can also inspire students. In addition, sharing my story of how my journey to being Sabb was a enlightening experience.

Another memorable moment was launching the Gender Affirming Fund in March to support trans, non-binary and intersex students! We have supported 14 students this academic year! We are hoping to continue the fund for next year as we wait for funding confirmation.

Securing the UAL Arts Shop to open at LCF at the start of next academic year 25/26 was also a key highlight. We will be planning a celebration day, so stay tuned!

Q4: Was there anything you wanted to do, but ran out of time?

Yes, there were a few more community-oriented events that I had wanted to do, for example, I would have loved to have a Pride Second Chance Prom for Pride month – to celebrate our LGBTQIA+ students who couldn’t attend their first prom. 

With the decolonising the attainment gap toolkit due to be released, it would have been great to have a tour with the toolkit and have a session with students about how to use it.

Q5: In your time here as an Officer, and staff member of Arts SU, what have you learned?

Speak up! At times, you’re the only student representative within spaces, and they value listening to what you have to say as it impacts their decisions. The team here at Arts SU are here to ensure you can be supported in that.

Take care of yourself, at times the job can be stressful, and so it is essential to make e tools you need to do your best.

Things take time, especially how things go in an academic year.

Q6: What is your advice to people who want to become a Sabbatical Officer?

Be prepared to advocate for others but know that things take time – burnout is frequent within this role.

Q1: Cast your mind back to June/July 2024, what were your thoughts coming into the role, and how have your thoughts about this role changed one year later?

Looking back, my understanding of the Student Communities Officer role and its responsibilities hasn’t changed drastically. However, as an international student who had only been at UAL for eight months when I started, I was initially concerned about my lack of familiarity with the diverse experiences and backgrounds of students here. I wanted to learn more about their circumstances and how to best support them. Over time, I’ve come to appreciate how this role can positively impact students in meaningful ways. Interacting with so many different people has helped me understand the depth of their individual environments and how various factors affect each person uniquely.

Q2: Overall, How do you feel about your year as Student Communities Officer

I feel, this year has been full of surprises, ups and downs, and above all enlightenment. The Student Communities Officer role is unique because it covers such a wide scope, and the student community is deeply important to everyone at Arts SU. I’ve loved meeting so many students, from Welcome Week until now, and every interaction has helped me learn more about their needs so I can better support them or signpost them in the right direction. Representing such a diverse community is a huge responsibility and pride and I’ve always tried my best to do it justice.

Q3: What memorable moments do you have this year?

There are so many, but a few stand out.

One moment I’m proud of was during Welcome Week when I visited different colleges to give talks. A student asked about opportunities to play basketball outside of clubs because their postgraduate schedule clashed with official sports sessions. I told them about the Intercollege Championship and Give-It-A-Go sessions, and later, in May, they actually participated in the Championship! They reintroduced themselves and shared how much the event had positively impacted them and others.

Another highlight was Meet the Sabb at Wimbledon, the first event organized by Sabbatical Officers just for students to connect with us overboard games and casual chats. We didn’t have many sign-ups initially, but the CCW & CCI Officer and I walked around campus inviting students in person. Over 30 people showed up! We had great conversations, enjoyed refreshments, and played games. Even now, when we have stalls or walk around campus, students still mention that event. It’s really rewarding to see how small efforts can grow into meaningful connections.

Lastly, launching the first-ever Communities Podcast was something I truly enjoyed. Collaborating with multiple teams, I wanted to share student stories, and after months of planning and overcoming setbacks, we finally made it happen. Seeing it go online recently was incredibly fulfilling and I’m so proud of what we’ve created together.

Q4: Was there anything you wanted to do, but ran out of time?

Absolutely. One thing I really wanted to focus on was improving equitable access to opportunities and support for students with financial constraints, especially those on scholarships or funding. Systemic barriers can be overwhelming even with tuition fee waivers students still face multiple challenges beyond just finances. I hosted a workshop on this, but I wish I’d gotten more engagement so I could have turned that feedback into tangible support.

Q5: In your time here as an officer, and staff member of Arts SU, what have you learned?

I’ve learned so much from my fellow officers and SU staff. For starters, I’ve developed my collaboration and stakeholder management skills significantly. Working closely with the other Sabbatical Officers on various projects and events taught me how to navigate ongoing matters effectively and resolve conflicts constructively. I also learned the importance of prioritization, with so many matters to address, we had to focus on what would create the broadest positive impact for students.

Most importantly, I learned the value of mutual respect. Even though we’re student officers, the senior staff and managers always treated us as equals, which made a huge difference in how we worked together.

Q6: What is your advice to people who want to become a Sabbatical Officer?

Just go for it! I had no prior SU experience, no knowledge of its structures, and no idea what the role fully entailed, I just knew I cared about students around me and their experiences at UAL. Whatever your motivation is, if you’re passionate about making a difference, this role is worth it. The initial training equips you with everything you need, and you’ll learn how to navigate and even influence the UAL/SU’s work along the way.

Q1: Cast your mind back to June/July 2024, what were your thoughts coming into the role, and how have your thoughts about this role changed one year later?

Looking back, my understanding of the Student Communities Officer role and its responsibilities hasn’t changed drastically. However, as an international student who had only been at UAL for eight months when I started, I was initially concerned about my lack of familiarity with the diverse experiences and backgrounds of students here. I wanted to learn more about their circumstances and how to best support them. Over time, I’ve come to appreciate how this role can positively impact students in meaningful ways. Interacting with so many different people has helped me understand the depth of their individual environments and how various factors affect each person uniquely.

Q2: Overall, How do you feel about your year as Student Communities Officer

I feel, this year has been full of surprises, ups and downs, and above all enlightenment. The Student Communities Officer role is unique because it covers such a wide scope, and the student community is deeply important to everyone at Arts SU. I’ve loved meeting so many students, from Welcome Week until now, and every interaction has helped me learn more about their needs so I can better support them or signpost them in the right direction. Representing such a diverse community is a huge responsibility and pride and I’ve always tried my best to do it justice.

Q3: What memorable moments do you have this year?

There are so many, but a few stand out.

One moment I’m proud of was during Welcome Week when I visited different colleges to give talks. A student asked about opportunities to play basketball outside of clubs because their postgraduate schedule clashed with official sports sessions. I told them about the Intercollege Championship and Give-It-A-Go sessions, and later, in May, they actually participated in the Championship! They reintroduced themselves and shared how much the event had positively impacted them and others.

Another highlight was Meet the Sabb at Wimbledon, the first event organized by Sabbatical Officers just for students to connect with us overboard games and casual chats. We didn’t have many sign-ups initially, but the CCW & CCI Officer and I walked around campus inviting students in person. Over 30 people showed up! We had great conversations, enjoyed refreshments, and played games. Even now, when we have stalls or walk around campus, students still mention that event. It’s really rewarding to see how small efforts can grow into meaningful connections.

Lastly, launching the first-ever Communities Podcast was something I truly enjoyed. Collaborating with multiple teams, I wanted to share student stories, and after months of planning and overcoming setbacks, we finally made it happen. Seeing it go online recently was incredibly fulfilling and I’m so proud of what we’ve created together.

Q4: Was there anything you wanted to do, but ran out of time?

Absolutely. One thing I really wanted to focus on was improving equitable access to opportunities and support for students with financial constraints, especially those on scholarships or funding. Systemic barriers can be overwhelming even with tuition fee waivers students still face multiple challenges beyond just finances. I hosted a workshop on this, but I wish I’d gotten more engagement so I could have turned that feedback into tangible support.

Q5: In your time here as an officer, and staff member of Arts SU, what have you learned?

I’ve learned so much from my fellow officers and SU staff. For starters, I’ve developed my collaboration and stakeholder management skills significantly. Working closely with the other Sabbatical Officers on various projects and events taught me how to navigate ongoing matters effectively and resolve conflicts constructively. I also learned the importance of prioritization, with so many matters to address, we had to focus on what would create the broadest positive impact for students.

Most importantly, I learned the value of mutual respect. Even though we’re student officers, the senior staff and managers always treated us as equals, which made a huge difference in how we worked together.

Q6: What is your advice to people who want to become a Sabbatical Officer?

Just go for it! I had no prior SU experience, no knowledge of its structures, and no idea what the role fully entailed, I just knew I cared about students around me and their experiences at UAL. Whatever your motivation is, if you’re passionate about making a difference, this role is worth it. The initial training equips you with everything you need, and you’ll learn how to navigate and even influence the UAL/SU’s work along the way.

Q1: Cast your mind back to June/July 2024, what were your thoughts coming into the role, and how have your thoughts about this role changed one year later?

Before I started the role, I thought it would be quite structured — with specific tasks and guidelines to follow. But I quickly realised that the role is actually highly self-directed. We’re able to set our own objectives for the year, and it’s much more about what you want to achieve in improving the student experience, rather than simply fulfilling predefined duties. There’s a lot of freedom, but it also comes with responsibility.

Over time, I’ve come to see just how broad the scope of this role really is. It goes far beyond what I initially expected — not just representing students, but also shaping conversations at different aspects of the university, influencing decisions, and helping to create meaningful change. It’s been more impactful than I imagined when I first stepped into it, especially in making sure that students’ voices are truly heard.

Q2: Overall, how do you feel about your year as LCC Officer?

It’s been challenging but also rewarding. As an international student, sometimes it was difficult for me to understand everything at first. The SU and our Sabb team were very supportive — always explained things patiently and helped me feel more confident. At the same time, I could relate to students who share a similar cultural background to mine, that’s where I started and learned a lot about others.

Q3: What memorable moments do you have this year? (This can be anything from a funny moment in the sabb team, to a campaign win, anything that you’ll look back on)

We hosted a Lantern Festival celebration during Chinese New Year at LCC for Chinese students who couldn’t go home for the holiday, and to welcome anyone interested in the culture. The event included activities like lantern making, a spring couplets workshop, and a Chinese knots workshop. Many of these traditions have faded in my hometown due to the pace of modern life, which made celebrating them in London feel even more special.

Q4: Was there anything you wanted to do, but ran out of time?

Career support and employability has been one of my ongoing objectives throughout the year, and it was something I really wanted to explore more deeply. We had some early conversations with the university about rethinking the employability project, but we haven’t yet moved it to the next stage. For example, it would be great to see more opportunities specifically for international students at career fairs, as well as more practical and transferable skills focused on career development within the course.

Q5: In your time here as an officer, and staff member of Arts SU, what have you learned?

Communication. In this role, there are many student-facing events. Sometimes, we need to be on stage to chair or co-lead them. There’s also collaboration, whether it’s working with different student groups, university staff, or external partners. These experiences have helped me grow in confidence, improve my communication skills, and better understand how to engage with diverse audiences.

Q6: What is your advice to people who want to become a Sabbatical Officer?

Go for it, you never know until you try, it will be a good journey.

Q1: Cast your mind back to June/July 2024, what were your thoughts coming into the role, and how have your thoughts about this role changed one year later?

For me, even though I felt I had a general idea of what the role would involve (since I had met with the previous officer and was a rep before), it turned out to be so much more than I ever expected. I didn’t anticipate having such a high level of autonomy—being able to choose which projects to work on and making decisions that directly impact students. Even now, if you asked me to summarise what a sabbatical officer is in one sentence despite having done the role for a year I would still struggle.

Looking back over the year, there are clear responsibilities built into the role, like hosting liberation activities, sitting on student panels, attending committees, meeting with key stakeholders, and engaging with students and reps through meetings, stalls, welcome talks, and union events. These tasks make up most of your capacity in the role, but every officer brings something unique to lobby for in these spaces. That’s why, on the surface, the tasks might look the same, but when carried out by different people, they have very different impacts.

Q2: Overall, How do you feel about your year as CSM Officer?

This has been one of the busiest, most insane yet surprisingly fun jobs I will probably ever have. I don’t know if I will ever have another job where, in the afternoon, I present a cost of study report at a college academic meeting, and by the evening, I am presenting an award for excellence in teaching. Or when I got to interview candidates for the exciting new Basic Needs role for the SU in the morning and then speak to reps at the Union’s first Event Rep Conference in the afternoon.

There were definitely days when I was exhausted, but never did the work feel like something I didn’t want to do mainly because so much of what officers do is student-led. We get to see the impact of our work from start to finish.

The role has had an impact on me too it’s almost rebranded me from an introvert to an extrovert (lol).

Q3: What memorable moments do you have this year? (This can be anything from a funny moment in the sabb team, to a campaign win, anything that you’ll look back on)

It’s not a specific memory, but more of a realisation that hit me after the first term ended that a lot of the senior leaders at the university, while they do make big decisions, are just people at the end of the day.

Right after induction training, I had already interviewed UAL’s Vice-Chancellor and had my first introductory meeting with the leaders of CSM like the Head of College, Dean of Academic Strategy, and Director of College Administration. In both cases, I was absolutely terrified. The whole time, all I could think was, I better have something smart to say.

But over time, as I kept meeting with them regularly, I started seeing them as people not just the roles they hold. Which looking at it now should be obvious but that the time just wasn’t, so it is kind of funny.

Q4: Was there anything you wanted to do, but ran out of time?

I wish I had more time to work on strategic liberation campaigns. Overall, I was really pleased with the South Asian Heritage Celebration I hosted (which I had been planning for what felt like forever since the first meeting about it was on 14th August 2024 with the Arts Programme Manager, and the event finally took place on 15th May 2025).

As an event, it was great, and the students who came were really appreciative of the opportunity to display their work and connect with other students. Once it was over, I realised that if I had more time, I could have launched a proper campaign on including events like this in the university’s calendar, even if they fall outside of term time.

Q5: In your time here as an officer, and staff member of Arts SU, what have you learned?

Before starting this role, I could just about stumble through a presentation about my work in a lecture room with maybe 20 students and now I feel comfortable speaking to a whole lecture theatre full of people, which I never thought was possible.

Now that I am fully comfortable in the role, looking back, I have no idea how I even managed to host the events I did. The first proper event I organised was the Art Material Giveaway at CSM, and I thought it sounded simple: “The art materials are at High Holborn, all I need to do is take them to CSM and give them out at a 4-hour event” how difficult could it be if I could describe it in one sentence, right? I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Tasks like emailing comms teams, chasing up volunteers, organising logistics none of that ever got done in just one email. It often took multiple back and forth and a lot of problem-solving.

The skills I gained communication, diplomacy, problem-solving, event management, community building have been invaluable. This was my first full-time job, and it’s completely transformed my confidence, my skills, and even my career ambitions.

Q6: What is your advice to people who want to become a Sabbatical Officer?

Just do it. Put yourself forward in the election, you never know what might happen (I was fully convinced I wouldn’t get elected). You might not even realise from the outside what the job fully entails, but it’s an absolutely amazing experience. When I had just finished induction training for the role, one of the tasks was to schedule to send an email to your future self for when your term ends. Part of what I wrote in mine was: “I have a clear idea abt the su, how csm and ual works I just need to tell myself I can do it even if I don't believe in it.”

And honestly, that sums up most of the projects I took on, because I hadn’t done anything like this before (no one really has, being a Sabb is truly unique). But I figured it out as I went along.

So really, the only way to go about it is just to do it.