Lucy alumna, Elleni Eshete, shares her experience as a Sabbatical Officer at the Cambridge Student Union.
“My name is Elleni Eshete, I am a recent MPhil graduate in the Sociology of Marginality and Exclusion, matriculated at the one and only Lucy Cavendish! During my time at Lucy, I was in the 24'/25' MCR (postgrad student union at Lucy) as the BME officer. My enjoyable time on the MCR, combined with my research skills as a sociologist and interest in social policy, inspired me to run to be a Sabbatical Officer at the University's Student's Union.
After a successful campaign, I was elected as the 24'/25' Student Union Welfare and Community Officer and now get to do what I love: use my sociology skills to lobby for policy change at various decision making tables! From myriad university committee meetings to city council and even (very, very, occasionally) parliament, my job is to platform the interests of our student body. Alongside this, I also support many student-led initiatives and host feedback-based collaborative events such as the 'Well-fair' during the week 5 blues.
Another exciting aspect of my job is to run campaigns based on my manifesto. This includes centralising all university-wide events to the SU What's On Calendar, making food more affordable within colleges for non-member students, and supporting our vast alumni community with career and networking opportunities.
Finally, I am also a trustee of the SU and a member of the finance sub-committee, which has given me an invaluable insight into what it's like to run a charity organisation from both a legal and economic perspective.
Overall, through this role, I have met more kinds of wonderful and fascinating people than I could have ever imagined. Being a sabbatical officer has given me the important work experience I need to know that this is the kind of career that I could enjoy doing in the future.”
We are so proud of Elleni's achievements and her dedication to improving student life. This is a fantastic example of how Lucy Cavendish alumnae are making a real difference in the world. We wish Elleni all the best in her future endeavours.