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Hello! I'm Ollie Whirl and I would love to be your president next year! Here's a bit about me, why I'm running for president and why I think I would be a great fit for the role:

I'm currently coming to the end of my placement year, working within the university's Sustainability Service, and will be returning for my 4th and final year studying Environmental Science in September!

Since arriving in Leeds, I have been a dedicated member of LUUMS, and have performed with all but 3 of our ensembles as a euphonium/trombone player, singer and percussionist. In addition, I have been on LUUMS' committee since my first year, most recently as Treasurer, and have been Concert Band Co-Conductor and SWOnductor over the past two years.

If you can't tell from the above, I am super duper passionate about LUUMS! Being part of this society has easily been my favourite part of university, and I would love to use the experience I've gained over the past three years to continue making LUUMS such an amazing space to make music, connections and more, regardless of what you study, as it has been for me.

Here are some things I would like to do & why I think I would be a good fit for the role !!:

Good understanding of how LUUMS works - Since joining our committee in my first year, I have seen three variations of our annual calendar of concerts, events, socials and more, what has been super successful, and what hasn't gone exactly as planned. I believe that this experience will allow me to constructively guide and support next years' committee and ensemble teams, and help them to make the most of their roles and have fun, as previous presidents have done for me, whilst also bringing some new and epic ideas to the table.

Make our society more connected - With LUUMS being such a massive society with so many things on offer, I know that for those who may only be part of one ensemble, or don't come to every social, it can be easy to feel disconnected from the wider society. I would like to promote greater connections throughout LUUMS, whether that be through encouraging members to try out new ensembles or enabling more ensemble collaborations, so that every member feels valued, regardless of how much they do.

Well organised - This year, I have had a full time job, alongside 2/3 rehearsals a week, whilst still keeping up with both my responsibilities as treasurer and SWOnductor (& of course general life stuff). I think that my organisational skills would be invaluable to the role of president and making sure that everything within LUUMS runs smoothly.

Listening & yapping - Anyone who knows me (especially SWO 3) knows that I love a yap, particularly about LUUMS. However, I also really enjoy listening to people, and helping them where I can, whether it's talking to potential new members at the fresher's fair, advising new members of committee or listening to the needs of ensemble teams.

Thank you so much for reading this far, and I hope you vote for me!! :)