As we are halfway through the student leadership campaign week, it is important to highlight the most competitive Executive Officer role currently – Loughborough’s Student Union Presidential role. With five candidates, all with a widespread set of experience, their campaign race has certainly been significant. One of those candidates is Paula Halama, a final year Sport and Exercise Psychology student. Paula is from Wiltshire and demonstrates extensive experience – from being a Student Ambassador to a hall Social Secretary, her campaign has been notable. We sent Paula some questions about her campaign, allowing us to understand the details of her manifesto and role aspirations.
What are your top priorities for your time as LSU President?
LSU should be a place where every student, whether in halls, town, sport, or societies feels valued and supported. Right now, that’s not always the case. My top priorities are faster action, better communication, and more opportunities for everyone.
I’ll introduce a fast-track system for student requests and a live LSUggestions tracker, so you always know what’s being worked on. I’ll tackle ticket reselling issues by setting up a fair, LSU-approved resale platform and push for clearer committee support, cutting delays and improving guidance, focusing on creating greater experiences. Beyond that, I want to improve LSU’s space, creating more social and study areas, improving facilities, ensuring students have a say in how it’s used. At the end of the day, LSU should be more than a building, it should be a community that works for every student. I’m here to make it more efficient, fun, and accessible for everyone.
What good work would you look to carry on from this year?
LSU has made real progress, and I want to build on what’s working and make it even better, while making sure no student feels left out. LSU has built a strong community presence in halls and AU sport, and I want to keep strengthening these connections while making them more efficient, accessible and inclusive. The Welfare Team has done amazing work with mental health initiatives, but I’d like to expand that support for final year and town-based students who can sometimes feel disconnected from LSU. The LSU has made strides in student involvement, and I want to ensure that engagement and variety keeps growing, with more student-led input into what gets organised. Good ideas shouldn’t just stay ideas. I’ll take what’s been working and push it further, so that every student, whether they’re involved in halls, AU, societies, or just want to enjoy their time at Loughborough feels the impact.
What experience have you encountered which you believe improved your ability in the role?
I’m not just someone who’s seen how LSU works, I’ve been actively involved in making things happen. As Welfare & Development Officer for LSU societies, AU Badminton Welfare officer, Social Secretary, Society Polish Chair and Mental health first aider, I’ve worked across LSU, halls, AU sport, and societies. Through these roles, I’ve not only seen the challenges students face but also found ways to solve them. More importantly, they’ve shown me how to bring people together. Everything I have done has been about making student life better, whether that’s navigating LSU’s processes, organising and managing large-scale events, working on student wellbeing initiatives, and collaborating with different groups to bring ideas to life. Now, I want to take what I’ve learned and use it to make LSU work for everyone on a much bigger scale for all students.
Where does your personal drive to take up this position come from?
My drive comes from a mix of frustration and genuine desire to make things better. LSU should work for students, but too often, things move slowly, communication is unclear, and concerns are ignored. I’ve experienced this firsthand, and I want to change that.
Transparency and urgency are key. Small improvements can make a big difference on student life, and I’m passionate about driving those changes. Students deserve quick solutions and a space where everyone feels connected. I want to create an LSU where every student feels valued, no matter their background or interests. Concerns should be addressed quickly, and if an opportunity for improvement exists, we make it happen.
LSU should work for students, not against them. Every student should leave Loughborough feeling like they were part of something special. I want to make LSU a place where all students feel heard, supported, and proud to be involved.
What should voters expect from your campaign?
Expect a campaign that is engaging, transparent, and action focused. I’ll be out talking to students, visiting halls, and answering your questions directly. My campaign is about showing exactly how we can make LSU more efficient, fun, and accessible for all students.
Throughout the campaign, I’ll hold regular Q&As and open discussions because your concerns will shape my plans. This isn’t just another election; this is about improving LSU together. I want it to be a fun, dynamic, and engaging process because making change should be exciting!
By listening to what you need, I’ll ensure LSU becomes a Union that works for every student, from halls to town, sports, societies, and beyond. Your feedback will guide my priorities so we can create real change that improves student life and makes LSU the place it should be efficient, inclusive, and student focused.
If voters would like to get in touch with further questions, are you open to this and how would they go about contacting you?
Absolutely! I don’t just want to talk; I want to listen. The best way to improve LSU is by hearing directly from students, so I want to make it as easy as possible for people to reach out with their ideas, concerns, or questions. You can reach me via Instagram DMs: paulaforpres, my campaign email: [email protected] , or just come chat with me when I’m out campaigning in halls and around campus! At the end of the day, this is your LSU, and your voice matters.
As elections gets busier, we can only wish Paula and other candidates the best with their campaign. Make sure to keep a look out on campus for campaign teams, t-shirts and mascots. Voting opens on the 3rd of March at 8am and closes on the 5th of March, at 5pm. There are a lot of incentives for voting, from sweet treats to 99p FND once 5,000 votes are reached – so make sure to vote via the LSU app next week!
