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Hi! My name is Tess and I am a 3rd year English Literature student about to return from my placement year and I am running to be your Head of Welfare and Diversity.

LSTV has given me confidence, friendships, and some of my favourite memories at university - I would love the chance to help make it an even more inclusive and supportive space for everyone. Although I’ve been working a 9-5 this year, working for the university has allowed me to stay involved in LSTV - attending GMs, socials, and therefore having an up-to-date understanding of the society’s direction and aims.

My placement year has been extremely student facing. Having spoken to hundreds of students across Freshers Week, Careers Fairs, and events across the university, I feel confident talking to new people, answering questions, and helping them find the right opportunities and support.

During Freshers Week, I want to be a visible, friendly point of contact - someone new members can approach with questions, worries, or just for a chat. Beyond that, I want to re-introduce weekly coffee drop ins, acting as relaxed, informal spaces where members can get to know each other or talk to me about anything on their mind. I’ve completed AQA certified training in Basic Mental Health Awareness and Peer Mentoring, which taught me how to support students through active listening and sensitive conversations.

This year, I’ve built partnerships for LSTV, including collaborating with the Careers Service during Student Volunteering Week and gaining LSTV a feature on @leedsunicareers with over 12k followers. I want to continue this momentum by working with societies and student groups to create content around key charity and awareness days/months such as Movember, International Women’s Day, Black History Month and more. I would also love to organise fundraisers across the year, both to raise money for charity as well as fund the society and enable us to subsidise certain activities and socials.

A lot of people (myself included) can feel overwhelmed by the idea of editing a full video or using a camera for the first time. By collaborating with the Head of Tech, I want to create short video tutorials of editing/using kit to make it more accessible to learn these skills. Similarly, I want to work with the Head of Marketing to make introductory videos (eg. committee role spotlights) to familiarise prospective or new members with opportunities across different roles in LSTV.

Whether you’re in your first or final year, I want members to feel supported, listened to, and valued, and have the confidence and resources to produce the type of content they want to see in LSTV. At the end of the day I love LSTV and the people in it, and would be honoured to help continue making it an inclusive space for everyone regardless of their experience or background. Thank you, and I hope you’ll consider voting for me! :)