What committee are you part of and what roles have you held?
Over the past two years I've held several different roles on several different committees: I have been tap coach and secretary for Showdance, Vice President, Events Secretary and President of Curtain Call and secretary of Dancesport for two years.
What made you want to run for a committee role?
In my first year I was incredibly lucky to join clubs and societies which were so welcoming to me, and tried their best to run events and activities despite the fact everything was so limited because of lockdown. Being part of these really helped me through first year and made me feel part of something and I wanted to make sure that other freshers could share this experience when they came to uni.
What has been the most enjoyable part of being on committee?
The main thing that I have loved is feeling part of an incredible community of like-minded people who all work so hard to give our members the best experience! It’s really lovely to be part of something so positive which you spend so much time on in a week. I’ve also just really enjoyed being able to spend so much time planning and doing dance and theatre, and have been really lucky to make the things that I love such a big part of my uni experience! One of the other things I enjoy most is watching members grow throughout their time in uni - it’s so lovely to see them compete and perform at the end of the year and celebrate how far they’ve come, and that’s something I’m really going to miss!
Can you tell us about a time where your role was challenging?
I found many of my roles challenging in the beginning in terms of confidence; I worried that I wouldn’t do enough job and I’d let people down who were relying on me, but I think over the year I came to realise that we’re all volunteering so no one don't expected me to be great at it straight away, and they’d be there to support me and give me feedback as I found my feet and improved!
Being on committee can also be challenging was when it gets to deadline season or a busy time of year. That’s when I really felt the pressure of being on committee for three societies, however I learnt to deal with this by thinking about what needs to be done now and what can wait, and what can I realistically get done now and what can I ask other people to do! Asking for help and support from your committee members is fine and is why you’re in that team, so you can all help and support and get through the year together!
Do you feel that being on a committee has been beneficial in terms of preparing you for the future?
Definitely! Being on committee has challenged me in so many ways and pushed me to do things that I’d never thought possible, such as teaching a class or organising an event, and I found that I actually really loved doing the things I’d been too scared to try! Being a committee member gives you the opportunity to push yourself out of your comfort zone and develop skills with the support of your peers around you. I feel that since being on committee I’m now a much more outgoing and resilient person, much better at communicating and much less likely to get overwhelmed by a situation because I have much more confidence in myself to cope with things!
This opportunity has also allowed dancing and performing to become a bigger part of my life and made me realise how important these things are to me and are potential things I’d like to pursue in the future.
What piece of advice would you give to an incoming committee member?
If you’re considering running for committee my advice would be to just go for it! It’s a really unique and valuable opportunity to help facilitate your favorite activities for uni students with your friends, you’ll have a great time and it’ll push you to achieve things you never imagined you could do! Don’t worry about feeling underqualified for any role, everyone is inexperienced at the start but you work things out together as a committee as you go along - as long as you try your best and aim to make sure the members enjoy themselves you’ll do great and it’ll really add to your uni experience! And remember just enjoy it! The year will fly by and before you know it you'll be preparing for next year's committee elections, so enjoy it while it lasts!