Steph Noble told Label all about her experience within this section and why she wants your votes.
Why are you running for this position?
I am running for VP Welfare and Diversity mainly because I feel I have the passion and experience the section deserves. I have worked a lot within it since I have been at university, so that’s two and a half years where I have gone from being a volunteer- winning best volunteer last year which is fantastic, going on to the LGBT committee and also being Mental Health Coordinator, so I have got a lot of experience and I really have enjoyed the time there. I have completely thrown myself into the section and I feel that I could lead the section to improve even further.
What makes you a more suitable candidate than others?
I absolutely love the other candidate, and she has done an absolutely great job within Welfare and Diversity, but obviously I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t honestly believe I was the person for the job. I have worked directly within associations, so working for minority students as well as spending a lot of time speaking to other groups that I might not necessarily identify with. I feel I have got a brand new angle having worked in Action as well as Welfare and Diversity. I know how the section works over there and how we can integrate and get more hall involvement as well, so I feel I can bring some new ideas having worked in the section so far, to have the continuity.
Can you tell us about your campaign theme?
I am Steph ‘SNOW-BLE’ Noble, and my tagline is ‘Every good idea can snowble into something great’, and I honestly believe it although its quite cliché. I really feel that by empowering one individual we can create a chain of positivity. For example, by inspiring one individual to campaign or ensuring that everyone has the knowledge of the support services, that can make a difference to the individuals as well as to Loughborough as a whole. So I thought I would spin on that, and that every snowflake is different. It’s going to be quite exciting.
What would you say is the most important aspect of your manifesto?
It might not necessarily be the most important part of my manifesto, but I think one of my most exciting parts about it is providing volunteering activities, because all students should be able to use their passion and experiences to make a difference. I think that’s an absolutely massive thing to be gained because it can help the individual as well as the community. So whether it be the woman’s network going into schools helping to empower young girls, or with mental health, raising awareness in the wider community not just within the campus, I think it can really make a difference.
What are you most looking forward to about campaigning?
I think just having a group of us forming a team because I love working with people, and being able to spend more time with them, as well as speaking to lots of new people because I absolutely love hearing about people’s experiences and how that can change me as a person, and how it can change my plans for the future. I had no idea this is what I was going to be doing at the beginning of university, but by just getting involved and speaking to people I have found a real passion.
What are you least looking forward to about campaigning?
I don’t like public speaking so probably that. I prefer speaking to people one on one and interacting with people so I’m a little bit scared for the standing up bit.
What do you think will be the most challenging part?
Lack of sleep, I like my sleep!
What part of campaigning are you going to focus on most?
I think social media is very important because it gets the coverage straight away, but I think for me personally I’m going to be focusing more on speaking to people directly. I want to go door knocking, I want to be on campus for people to come and ask me questions. I don’t want people to think I am the right person for the job because of my presence, I want people to think they can ask me their questions and see that I am the right person for the job, so I just want to speak to as many people as I possibly can.
What have you spent your budget on?
Lots of things. I’ve got a few little, sneaky creative things that I hope people will appreciate, and then just sweets and things, as always, a good one, and I made my costume myself, so all the different bits of that.
In one sentence why should people vote for you?
I think I am extremely passionate about Welfare and Diversity and I have thrown myself into every aspect of it during my time at University, so I feel like I can further improve the amazing work done in the section already.
What new ideas will you be bringing to the section?
Well I have already mentioned volunteering, so that’s a big part of where I would like to see the section go next, and also I want to create an anonymous platform for the reporting of issues. This would be a way for people to report everyday discriminations, whether it is on a night out and they feel uncomfortable about something that has happened and they don’t want to necessarily go to someone to Confide about bullying, they just want to give the information to someone else to better inform policies. I think that can absolutely be invaluable for aiming our campaigns and our policies within the union to better target the things that might go unnoticed.
Tell us something not many people know about you?
I once opened the car door for the Queen. I was St. John’s ambulance county cadet of the year, and she came to one of the local war museums so I had to open the car door for her.
What three characteristics do you have that make you well suited to the role of VP Welfare and Diversity?
Keen, keen’s probably a really good one to start with. I just absolutely love getting involved and doing everything I can. I also think I am really, really passionate, so I have got a real belief in the ethos that Welfare and Diversity has about really making a difference in supporting all students, making everyone feel that they are happy about themselves in the environment they are in. My last one would probably be that I am quite friendly. I think, well I hope anyway, that people feel they can come and speak to me and that I am an approachable person.
What made you want to run for this position?
As I said It wasn’t something that I ever saw myself doing when I came to University, I was quite nervous, but through the amazing opportunities I have had within the Union I have just got caught up in everything that’s on offer and I have really discovered a passion of mine and I absolutely love the idea of being able to make a difference. As I say one good idea can make a difference, one person thinking I want to run a campaign about xyz, that means I could literally change someone’s life. Whether it means they know where to go when they are struggling or whether they feel more confident to come forward about an issue that they are having, or just that they want to celebrate their identity, whether it is their sexuality or their ethnicity. Just being able to feel happy about your self, that is such an amazing thing and being able to make a difference in that, I think is the best opportunity in the world.
This interview was conducted by Aimee Jepson, Label Features Editor.
To learn more about Steph, click here.
