Every month, we will be highlighting the great work of some of our volunteers. This month, we talked to Joanne White about her experience as a student volunteer at LMSU!

Hi, I’m Joanne White, I am a Fine Art BA (Hons) student (PT) attending Art Architecture and Design (AAD), Fine Art Annex at the Algate Campus and I’m a person with Disabilities. A Student Rep and now elected Disabled Students Officer, Hooray!!

In the distant past, I was a muralist, carer, youth worker, disability development officer and a single parent.

I helped a previous AAD full-time officer as a volunteer, curating exhibitions including putting together the Student Union Women’s Day Quilt 2018 for the Women’s Forum, also a local exhibition at the KA Gallery near the Holloway campus.

I had been president of the Life Drawing Society for 3 years and helped in the formation of the Student Union disability Forum, tried to get a Disability Society going and I’ve also joined many other societies over the years.

You can get a lot out of being a Student Rep. Talking to your class students, they can tell you about problems or changes they would like to see and by attending lecturer and Student Rep committee meetings and Student Council meetings this can sometimes lead to changes. In the past, this has led to students in the Fine Art Annex getting better access to computers in studios. They seem to have disappeared this year though. It’s also helped me as a part-time student.  Joining societies and other union groups and working with other Student Reps is a good way to build long-standing friendships.