Daisy talks to us about her previous role in the Students' Union where she advocated at a high level for students on issues such as accommodation and sustainability. We also discussed what it's like managing studies while living with chronic illness and how a support plan can help.
Working for the Students' Union
I was the Community Officer for the Student's Union for a year, which means I advocated for students at a high level in university meetings on issues such as housing, accommodation and sustainability. It's a full-time (paid) role and I had to be elected to it by the students. It's an amazing opportunity, I'm put in rooms with very senior people in a way that doesn't happen very often in graduate-level roles.
The first time I walked into a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor of the university was terrifying, I felt imposter syndrome. However, they made a real effort to make it easy for me and actively encouraged me to participate in the meetings, making sure that my input was heard.
Daisy
I'm also a trustee of the Students' Union, which means I'm legally responsible for the charity that turns over multiple millions of pounds a year, so it's a massive amount of responsibility. Again, it's a level of responsibility that most other graduate-level jobs can't offer. Through this role, I've gained great communication skills as I'm working with so many different people across the university.
I've learnt how to put my point across and use my platform to influence people who may have very different values to my own. I've been exposed to a variety of scenarios and had to navigate some tricky situations which has increased not only my communication skills, but also my confidence. When I come to applying for jobs, I'll have so much experience to offer future employers.
Navigating student life with a chronic illness
I experience chronic migraines but didn't realise that this was a chronic illness until my third year, I just thought it was normal and something everyone had to deal with. I was losing about 25% of my time to recovery in any given week which had a massive impact on my energy levels and ability to function. Luckily for me, this was during Covid-19, so a lot of my lectures were online, and recorded, which made it more accessible for me. But the socialising side was less flexible. There was one occasion when I had organised for my society to sing on a Channel 5 documentary. But on that day, I came down with a migraine. I didn't want to miss it, so pushed on through but made myself so ill by doing so. It's sad that my memories of events like this, which should be happy, are tainted by having to endure them rather than enjoy them.
What helped was reaching out for support and acknowledging the impact that chronic illness was having on me. That empowered me and helped me talk about it more. And the more I spoke about it, the better my friends understood my situation.
Daisy
My own experiences opened up conversations with friends who also experienced health issues, and it was astounding that we'd known each other for a couple of years but never discussed these topics. It made me wonder if this was replicated across the university. I reached out to the then Campaigns Coordinator and we developed a plan to investigate it further through a survey of students and staff.
The response was overwhelming - there were so many people sharing similar experiences, especially women. The result was a massive data set with recommendations that was presented to the university's Wellbeing Advisory Board and EDI Advisory Board. It was even covered in Wonkhe.
Sometimes it feels that chronic illness isn't taken as seriously by society as other disabilities and is often misunderstood.
Daisy
When I started university, I assumed that university support plans were only for people who have dyslexia or a physical disability. It didn't click that I could ask for help. In the end, it was easy to get a support plan put into place, I didn't need to ask my doctor for anything as I already had plenty of prescriptions and paperwork to show Disability Support Services. I was given a two-week extension on all my deadlines (even group projects), so I didn't have to worry about asking on each occasion, I just filled out a form. It was really helpful, especially when I had multiple deadlines in one week.
Career chat
I'd like my future career to align with my values, possibly in a charity. The work I did around the gender health gap really energised me, so I'd love to continue to be able to have a positive impact through the work I do. The Liberal Arts course content was so varied, and assessed via different methods so I was able to try lots of new things. For example; I worked out quite quickly I didn't want to be an academic, then I wrote and recorded some monologues and although it was fun, I realised I didn't want to work in drama or video. But when we created leaflets debunking misconceptions about refugees living in Nottingham it sparked something in me, I loved it.
My advice to new students living with chronic illness
I'd definitely recommend that anyone living with chronic illness and starting at UoN in September, get a support plan straightaway. There's a feeling of imposter syndrome around chronic illness and not feeling ill enough to ask for support. But you really should ask, you deserve help!
