18 June 2010
University student shortlisted for Unionist of the Year
A selfless Student Union Officer at the University of Sheffield, who has dedicated hours of her time to charity and student activities, has been shortlisted for the title of NUS Student Unionist of the Year.
Rachel Colley, aged 21, who is to be the new Union of Students´ Activities Officer, will now face two other shortlisted candidates in the battle for the competitive title, which received 350 nominations in total.
Currently a third year student working towards a BA in History, Rachel was elected as Activities Officer for the Union of Students in March, after winning 2,674 of the almost 4,300 votes cast for her position, in which she stood against three other candidates.
As Activities Officer, Rachel is responsible for looking after and developing student activities, such as societies, volunteering, charitable fundraising and community projects in the residences, as well as representing students of the University, locally and nationally.
However, Rachel´s passion for helping students make the most of University life began long before her election as an officer.
During her time at the University so far, Rachel has been elected as `Communities Liaison´ on the Volunteering Committee and has led a Sports Day event for nearly 200 local school children, helped create a display on local history at a Sheffield Museum and visited school pupils to teach Ancient Egyptian history.
In addition, Rachel has helped raise cash for charity as part of her chairing role in RAG. The University´s fundraising group, which is on track to raise £180,000 for charity this year, has held sponsored walks, bungee jumps, cake stalls and many other fundraising initiatives in which Rachel has played a central role.
Rachel was also elected as a joint `New Society Rep´ on the Societies Committee in 2009/10. Over the year, she has personally corresponded with 96 new society applicants, helping 53 to be established and offered advice to new starters.
The results of the NUS Student Unionist of the Year awards will be revealed on 1 July 2010. The winner will be the student who judges consider has excelled the most during their time at the University, going above and beyond normal expectations for the benefit of the union, its members and the academic and wider community.
Claire Monk, former Activities Officer at the University of Sheffield´s Union of Students, along with Rachel´s friend and society member Nabil Alizai, nominated Rachel for the award. Claire said: "Rachel is an exceptional person, directly and significantly contributing to the life of Sheffield through her extracurricular activities. She is well known within the Union for her selfless nature, and is on track to achieve a 2:1 in History. This hard work and dedication is outstanding, and she should be celebrated for being an admirably generous person. And she has done all this whilst studying for her degree."
Rachel Colley said: "It is an incredible honour to have been nominated by my working colleagues and peers for the award. To be shortlisted is fantastic and I am so excited for the awards ceremony. I have been so lucky with the opportunities available at the University to get involved, and through these opportunities I have met the most amazing and talented people.
"Activities literally get me out of bed every morning, especially as I get to work with the most innovative, passionate and dedicated students and staff, who make any task an enjoyable challenge."
Notes for Editors: To find out more about the National Union of Students (NUS), visit the links below.
For further information please contact: Shemina Davis, Media Relations Officer, on 0114 2225339 or email shemina.davis@sheffield.ac.uk
« Return to news releases
|
