1. Who are you?

I’m Molly Dot (yes, that’s my middle name!), and I’m the incumbent Vice President Services and Engagement in the SU. I am a BA Sociology graduate, and you may recognise me throughout my time as a student as a supervisor in our campus coffee shop, The Kitchen (you’ll probably see my face in pictures on the walls in there, haha); as the 2018/2019 Women’s Officer; and through my exec leadership and involvement in several societies, including Show Choir, Theatre Arts and Politics! I absolutely loved my time at Essex and I really threw myself into the opportunities that were offered.

I love music and the arts, and I'm an experienced horse rider. I’ve been involved in student politics for some time: I have a passion for making change happen and feel strongly about representing students and the respective community groups.

If you see me around campaigning, please feel free to ask me as many questions as you like about why I’m the best candidate for SU President!

1. What or who inspired you to run for this position?

I’m very attracted to leadership roles - running in the Leadership Race last year felt immediately right for me for the next step after I graduated. I really love the different ways that you can get involved in the SU, and being able to give back from a full time point of view so that current and future SU members have the opportunities I’ve had is really important to me.  I’m lucky enough to have so many inspirational people around me, not just professionally and academically, but also in my personal life that consistently helps me reach my potential. My family and close friends are my biggest cheerleaders and push me to flourish, and being elected as SU President would be the ultimate goal for not only my personal development but also for the future of the SU.

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1. Why should our students vote for you?

Throughout my time as an SU member, I’ve fully utilised the opportunities the SU has given me. This has really given me an insight into not how the SU works internally, but also as a student voice: I believe getting that balance right is super important.

In terms of my personal attributes and experience, I am very comfortable in leadership and supervisory roles. In my third year I was President of Show Choir Society, which required delegation and organisation as a highly intense and active society, for which I had the pleasure of personally receiving an Exceptional Services to Societies award, and the society being shortlisted for several awards. At the same time, I was also a supervisor in The Kitchen (the BEST coffee on campus, by the way… highly recommend the mochas) which meant supervising our small but mighty team in there and assisting the day to day function of the outlet. The Kitchen consistently achieves one of the highest NPS (net promoter scores) in the SU which is something we really pride ourselves on, on delivering that great customer service and coffee. I think this shows me to have the personality and drive to communicate and create change, and manage things in a diligent and effective way.

Regarding community groups, I’m very invested in representing them all equally. As Vice President this year, I have experience in representing the whole student body in the commercial services areas, but through this and as my role as Women’s Officer last year, I have a good grasp on the individual community needs. Especially through the Big Plan this year, for example, I have invested in ensuring community groups are represented through the diversity of food which has made great strides by working collaboratively with the community officers. Listening to community feedback is just as important as the role which creates action, which is something I would take forward as President.

Through these experiences, I have created some valuable relationships with people, such as through senior management, the current sabbatical and community officer team and most importantly, students. I’d love to take this experience even further in leading the executive team as SU President next year.

1. How do you plan to represent our students?

Being able to work on the Big Plan this year has really given me a good idea of what the wider student body wants from the SU. Having your own ideals, experiences and motivations is all well and good, but to have a good grasp of how to be student-centred as a whole is super vital.

As I alluded to earlier, I would utilise my experiences here into not only representing all students but also the different communities around campus. Essex is such a diverse body, made up of people from all backgrounds and identities and being able to establish and recognise the community needs makes for a better student-focused team.

My involvement as a student and also a current officer has made me into a well-rounded individual. I think to be a good student representative, people need to relate to you but you also need have the personal skills to input into the strategic direction of the SU so it remains well-rounded, which I have really been able to develop over my time at Essex. Listening to student needs and executing this in a professional yet engaging way is something I think I could do well in terms of representing Essex students, as I really relate to  the overall wants and needs but also desire to take the time to understand the further intricacies of these, in order to be the best representative.

1. What skills do you believe you have that will help ensure the success of the big plan next year? 

As SU President, I believe the oversight of the Big Plan is really important for its overall success.

Being able to work on the intricate nature of the Big Plan this academic year has shown me that it’s a strong combination of passion, personal attributes and planning which ensures its success, and ultimately my experiences this year would show how great this combination can be when done right. We’ve made some really great progress in my two Big Plan topics this year, which are Transport and Food, where I have been able to use my negotiation, leadership and organisational skills to achieve this, not only within our own SU but also with the wider university and community groups.

I would like to think of myself as natural leader so being able to work collaboratively with the rest of the sabbatical team next year when ensuring the Big Plan’s success is really important to me. Strong leadership as the SU President is so important, not only for the student population but also for the rest of the officer team. Being an open, friendly and understanding face of the SU is vital for the rest of the team’s success and so being able to work together supportively will make the best Big Plan in terms of its continuing progress.

Remember...

Molly Dot... hits the spot... ROUND TWO!