Scarlett Proudfoot.

Candidate for VP Education

I am Scarlett Proudfoot, a third year Politics and International Relations student running for the position of VP Education 2023-24. I have been involved in representing student interests throughout my school life, being on the School Council, a House Captain, Deputy Head Girl, Model UN (LIMUN) Head Delegate, PIRSoc President, and in a PIRP Student Experience Taskforce.

One thing I aim to achieve in the year I am elected is to strengthen Royal Holloway’s relationship with alumni. This is important for students to be able to see the different paths that people on their course have gone on to do, whether it be in their area of study or not. Finishing your degree is daunting but speaking to people who have experienced it and making connections with people in relevant fields would help students’ anxieties and career prospects upon graduation.

As well as this, as a student currently on a Student Experience Taskforce, I have seen how much can be achieved in terms of creating a departmental community from student representatives input alongside academic staff. I wish to create these taskforces for every academic department. This is a voluntary taskforce in which our goal is to better the student experience and make the department welcoming and communal to all students who wish to be part of it. No membership is required, and we have so far achieved so much for the PIRP department. A massive part of university both in and outside of education is feeling like part of a community, and facilitating students’ needs departmentally and university wide are two things I will facilitate as VP Education through these taskforces.

Another goal of mine is to promote CeDAS to students as much as possible. CeDAS is a free service for students to receive help on any academic piece of work, with the chance to receive help on either a specific assignment, or a specific area a student may be struggling with. From my personal experience, CeDAS has been amazing in structuring my essays and helping me boost my grades. The staff in CeDAS are friendly and have helped my confidence with my academic writing. I wish to facilitate the use of this service to as many students as possible to demonstrate just how fantastic it is.

Overall, I will listen to student ideas and concerns and ensure I do everything I can to respond and facilitate student needs.