Emily Tabern, wellbeing officer

#Student Exec

Meet Your Wellbeing Officer

After being elected back in March, the new Exec team for 2022/23 are now in post. While they’re getting to grips with all things LUU over the summer, we chatted to them about their motivations for leading LUU, their top priorities for the year, and what they’d like to say to students this summer.

We sat down with the Wellbeing officer, Emily Tabern, to hear her thoughts. As Wellbeing officer, Emily is always thinking about your happiness, health, and wellbeing. She will make sure you have access to any help and support you might need whilst at university. As an exec officer, Emily also acts as a trustee for LUU.

View your other Exec Officers and their contact details here

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Hey! I’m Emily and I’m your new Wellbeing Officer for the 2022/23 academic year! I’m just finishing my Masters in International Communication after doing my undergrad in English Literature and Creative Writing, so I’ve been in Leeds for nearly four years now! Before uni I lived in St Helens, not far from Liverpool, but have definitely found a home in Leeds. Outside of my studies, I love to dance and have been on the committee for Modern Dance Society for the last couple of years. I had the best time dancing and competing with my friends. You might also recognise me from serving your morning coffee in Common Ground.

Why did you want to join the Exec?

I first thought about running for the Exec over a year ago, having always kept an eye on what goes on in the Union and thinking what a great experience it would be. I remember walking around in first year and seeing all the banners and posters for the election and thinking that while I’d love to do it, I’d never have the confidence to. Over the last couple of years though, because of all the fun and support that the union has provided me with, I’ve found myself getting more and more involved, whether that’s with societies, work or whatever else is going on. It’s so energising meeting people that are so genuinely passionate about improving the lives of students and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. Once I’d expressed my interest out loud and had a bit of a push from people around me, I decided to give it a go and I’m so glad I did!

 

What are your priorities for the year ahead?

I suppose my overarching goal for the year is to try and make sure that every student at Leeds feels like LUU and the University are made up of real people that have their best interests at heart and are actively doing what they can to help them. It can be easy to feel a bit like you’re shouting into the void when you’re struggling at uni and looking for help, especially if you can’t see the impact of the work being done for you. I also want to make sure that students never feel that their problems aren’t deserving of support – nothing is too small or awkward to warrant not reaching out.

What are you most looking forward to in your role?

Oh gosh there’s so much! I think the biggest thing is getting to work with all the brilliant people involved in LUU. There are some really cool societies and groups that are super enthusiastic about the things that they’re doing and I’d love to work with them on making good stuff happen – as well as the other lovely Exec ladies of course. I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t super excited to get drag night and open mic back up and running when term restarts!

Is there a message you’d like to send to our students?

If you ever have questions or ideas or just fancy a chat, you’re always more than welcome to email or message me or just say hey if you see my wandering about the building – it would be lovely to meet as many students as possible.

 

Read more about the Student Exec and how they can support you here.