As a member of a sports club or society you gain a huge range of benefits that go so much further than just taking part in a sport, hobby or activity that you love.

Being a member of a student group gives you your own community within the University of Plymouth and a supportive group of fellow students that you can call friends for the rest of your life. As a member of the Netball Club, Verity found her Uni family and went from competing to sitting on the committee and ultimately ran for VP Sports in 2019.

If you're a member of a club or society and you want to take your passion one step further and improve the representation of these incredibly important communities, why not think about running for a Sabbatical Officer role?

What’s your name, what was your role and when were you in the position?

My name is Verity Lemm, I was VP Sport in 2019 - 2020 and VP Activities 2020-2021.

Find out more about the role of VP Activities here.
 

What did you study?

I studied Biological Sciences.
 

Why did you nominate yourself/why did a friend nominate you?

I nominated myself as I really wanted to give something back to the sports clubs. Being part of sports at UoP genuinely stopped me from dropping out of University. I really connected with like-minded people, I thrived off of the environment and sports became my family! I got involved in the committee at first but then I realised I wanted to do more. I really wanted to help create positive change within the sports and societies and help others have the same great experiences that I had. 

What are you doing now?

I am currently doing a Post Graduate Diploma in Nursing at the University of Southampton.

What skills from this role helped you get to where you are now?

I would definitely not be where I am today if I hadn’t have been a Sabbatical Officer. The skills I learned from my time in the post were beyond any I could imagine. The unique opportunity to represent thousands of students in the Faculty of Health, helping them campaign for change and raise issues on their behalf to better their learning and their experience, which in turn would empower our future healthcare workers, really inspired and pushed me in the direction of healthcare. I became a Sabbatical Officer because I wanted to give something back to the Students’ Union, but now I see that I’m training to be a nurse so I can give back to even more people over many years to come. Being a Sabbatical Officer really opened my eyes beyond my fairly sheltered life. Being a Sabbatical Officer really prepared me for the big wide world, I have gained confidence in my own ability when it comes to planning, organising and leading, which have been a great help to me so far. Being a University Governor and a Trustee of the SU are unique skills that not everyone is lucky enough to have. 

What advice would you give someone who is studying at the University of Plymouth who is thinking of running?

My advice to anyone who running is just to jump in head first! Get involved! If you have loved being part of the SU or if you feel like you can lead and create change then you are already perfect for the job. Just be bold, be passionate, and fight for the positive change you believe in. 

Nominations are open until midday on Monday 6th February 2023. 

For an informal chat about any of the four roles come along to our Thinking of Running sessions on: 

January 31st, 17:00 - 18:00 in The Hive

February 2nd, 13:00 - 13:30 over Zoom

If you have any questions or want advice, please get in touch with the Student Voice team here.