Hi! I’m Zoë, and I study psychology. If you’ve ever spoken to me about my future career goals, you will know that I have found my passion in helping others to improve their health to reach their fullest potential. I care about it so much that I’ve dedicated my career to it!
I spend most of my time volunteering - I’m a Publicity Officer and Co-social Secretary for the university’s Marine Conservation Society, meaning that I have a lot of practice not only making eye-catching publicity but also ensuring that any social events within the society are accessible for all. I’ve spent time supporting the Reclaim Stirling group, which work to fight sexual and gender-based violence in Stirling. Alongside these, I’m currently working with a team to bring a sensory room onto campus for those who can become overstimulated by the university’s busy atmosphere. I also spend time volunteering with two charities, AIM, where I work as a befriender and help to improve the mental health of vulnerable citizens in the Stirling area, and Oxfam, where you’ll see me struggling to carry large amounts of books every week.
As your Health & Wellbeing Officer, I want to make health-promoting activities more enjoyable for students of all levels of physical health. Especially as a result of the pandemic, health has declined in students. I have many ideas to combat this, all of which I am willing to modify in the future if needed.
Therefore I have three main priorities to confront; making health upkeep interactive, inclusive, and innovative.
Exercise other than team sports can be isolating, so I wish to implement a weekly walking group. This group will exclusively be based on simple, scenic walks and will allow for students to meet and get to know other students while also getting in some exercise weekly.
Alongside being isolating, exercise can also be overwhelming. To combat this, I wish to bring in a ‘quiet hour’ at the University’s gym. During this quiet hour, music would be kept either off or to a very low volume, and the maximum number of gym users allowed in would be decreased to ensure that anyone with a gym membership feels comfortable.
Finally, I hope to employ less common methods to help students improve their mental health, such as art workshops and cooking lessons. I feel that there are many general ideas to help mental health, but there are not enough specialised opportunities.
To conclude, health is incredibly important to me. I feel that our bodies do so much for us, and they deserve to be taken care of in return. I also understand how difficult this can be, and so as your Health & Wellbeing Officer I will help bridge the gap to achieving a healthy body and mind. Thank you for reading, and I hope you’ll consider voting for me to be your Health & Wellbeing Officer!