UWA Student Guild & Colleges

My UWA Experience

The UWA Residential Students' Department (RSD) was once simply a social club disguised as a department of the student guild. My goal as 2018 President was to build a strategic plan for the RSD to grow from running a few social events a year to functioning as a representative body empowering and advocating for college students. I am exceptionally proud to now observe the RSD four years later continuing to run initiatives my team introduced and meeting long-term objectives I had established during my term in 2018.

Events & initiatives my team and I introduced:

• Inter-college community cup encouraging colleges to participate in fundraising & volunteering events throughout the year

• Inter-college welfare week including a campus-safe tour with WA police, dog-walking for mental health, self-defence classes and an indigenous campfire ceremony with the Dandjoo program

• A financial scholarship for an outstanding resident to attend the NAAUC National Conference for residential leaders

• Inter-college tutoring support run for students by students

• Collaborating with the university student life team to deliver student concerns about campus safety

• Expanding the committee to include Marketing, Wellbeing & Education officers

• Upgrading inter-college Battle of the Bands to a larger venue to better showcase student musical talent

• Joining the Student Guild Council meetings as an Office Bearer and collaborating with other student departments to include colleges in campus initiatives

During my time on the RSD, I grew immensely as a leader. I floundered to maintain team morale & motivation with big goals and high expectations. Despite my success in transforming the department, I worked myself to exhaustion maintaining my studies, casual work and social life alongside this leadership role. Here, I learnt the importance of prioritising my own wellbeing & my team’s wellbeing over maintaining standards of perfection. I am endlessly grateful for my mentors at the time for guiding me in this ‘burn-out’ period & teaching me to recognise and celebrate my successes as a leader.

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For my work as RSD President I was awarded the Prime Minister Award at the UWA Guild student choice awards in 2018.

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In the later part of my presidency I went on to take on senior leadership roles in the student welfare department and was elected 2019 Welfare Officer for the Student Guild. I was also elected as a delegate to attend the 2018 National Union of Students Conference in Ballarat Victoria representing UWA. I wrote and advocated for welfare policies to be implemented at universities across Australia, these were voted up by conference delegates and implemented by the NUS Welfare Officer in 2019.