Dear All,
This has been a really tough decision to make. Unfortunately, I’ve decided to step down from my role as Vice President Student Communities, with my last day being January 15th. I know...WHAT !? WHY???
My reason for stepping down is personal, but I like to look at things in a positive light. Instead of thinking of it as leaving my position, the work I started, and my responsibilities as an elected student representative, I prefer to think of it as rejoining the student community because I am. I’ll be resuming my studies, picking up my hobbies, and even joining some of the societies I helped support as a Sabbatical Student Officer.
During my time at the Union I’ve had the privilege to work on developing safer and more compassionate communities with campaigns, delivering low-pressure community initiatives such as our new community library, student poster wall (Your Union Campaign), and cross-campus clothes swaps. I’ve worked on expanding alternative communication channels to help students connect in ways that suit them best such as through the different WhatsApp community channels I created at the start of September. I have also been involved in organising and enhancing the Student Sustainability Forums, growing its presence in Orkney and Galashiels, commencing in 2026. The Student Sustainability Forum is now also home to the Community Conservation Collective, a collective of students, connected via a WhatsApp community, that actively takes on and shares community conservation projects and sustainability initiatives. Alongside this, I trialled the first cross-institution student exchange programme focused on building opportunities for continued professional development (CPD).
My proudest achievement was the Postcard Making and Photo Printing session I organised last December. It was an opportunity for students unable to go home over the winter break to spread that Christmas cheer and it worked! By 4pm, Meeting Room 1 was completely full of students (and a couple big dogs too!) bonding, making creative postcards together, looking back at the photos and the memories they made of semester 1. We sent out photos and postcards to Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Dubai…. It was certainly a wholesome event.
What now? Well, going forward, I've created a handover for active student leaders, the Union teams, and University collaborators to ensure this important community based work continues. So, this is ME directly addressing YOU, a student, right now: The Student Sustainability Forum, Conservation Collective and Your Union Campaigning will continue on. So, if this is something you’d be interested in, please do get involved with your Union.
As I skate back into the ocean of student life…I leave knowing that the VP Communities role will always be the beating heart of the Union. Thank you for letting me be part of that heartbeat. And if you’ve ever thought, “I could do that,” trust me, you can.
Dive in. Be bold. Make waves. Peace out!
All the love,
Lilja (Lil) Piuli Alam, A.K.A., Shark Girl