My name is Lexi Ehresmann and I am a fourth year International Politics Student from Minnesota, USA. I came to Stirling as a study abroad student for one semester in 2017, but quickly fell in love with beautiful Stirling and it’s amazing people, so I stayed! Now I want to give back to the place that gave me so much. I have 4 main target areas to shape Stirling into the university that today’s students need and deserve:
Higher Education Accessibility
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CARE: CARE is a governmental program in Scotland that helps bridge the higher education attainment gap for students who come from care backgrounds, such as foster care, to get them into university or college. I want to make sure that the support doesn’t stop there by making the resources and tools needed clear and accessible throughout their entire education.
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Beyond CARE: People from a multitude of diverse backgrounds struggle with the university process, so I want to expand our work with CARE to help other vulnerable groups access and succeed in higher education too.
Well-being
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Mental Health: I will join the growing ranks of students and staff who demand greater attention and funding for our mental health services. It doesn’t matter how wonderful our education is if our students are suffering, and we need greater professional support.
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Beyond Mental Health: Wellbeing goes beyond mental health, so I want to create an educational campaign on how exposure to nature, socialisation and community, healthy eating and exercising, quality sleep, and mental relaxation contribute to making us happy, healthy, and successful people. I also want to create convenient and affordable ways for students and staff to get involved in these activities and lifestyles.
Environment
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Laggard to Leader: Stirling ranked #97 of 154 universities in the People & Planet’s Environmental and Ethical Performance report. I know we can do better. I want to make our learning environment a place that supports the sustainable lifestyles of our staff and students, as well as focus on environmental thinking, research, discussion, and action across our university. Let’s bring a truly green revolution to Stirling.
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COP 26 Glasgow 2020: The world is coming to Scotland this November, and we should make the most of it! I want to see our campus alive with the spirit of international collaboration and action for the environment through conferences, brainstorming, journalism, and discussions.
International
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International Students: Despite current events around the world, Stirling should take a firm stance and be a beacon of international collaboration, through our students and staff, societies and sports clubs, research and ingenuity, events and conferences, and overall collective voice.
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Study Abroad: It is also important that our students experience the world, so I will support the continuation of the ERASMUS+ program and build exchange relationships with other higher education institutions around the world.
No university is without its issues, but the best universities are the ones where the students want to be involved and make each year better than the last.
Lexi Do This Together!