Nsf Appendixa

Appendix A NSF member biogs

Graham Bates

Yee Xian Choi

I live in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. I completed my A-Levels in 2005 at Plantsbrook School. I had two years out of education working within the customer service sector of local government. I applied for University in 2007 as I felt I would like to go down the career path of being a primary school teacher. I was accepted at Newman University College to study BSc Geography and ICT. I joined the National Student Forum in June 2008. During my time on the Forum I have met some very interesting people and have made some great friends. I enjoy discussing issues with the Forum and creating recommendations.

I am a medical student from Malaysia currently studying at Newcastle University. Coming to the UK to further my studies three years ago was definitely a life-changing experience for me. Besides gaining knowledge from lecturers to clinical bedside teachings, I have now learned to become a learner, which is essential for my future career as a doctor. I am having a good time making friends and getting to know British culture. I hope the diversity created between different cultures can contribute towards a better outcome, especially in helping to improve the HE sector in the UK through the work of the NSF.

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Joel Braunold I am a third year undergrad at the University of Bristol reading Philosophy. I am actively involved in student life having served as a Trustee of my Students Union and having been president of the Jewish Society in Bristol. I am a player in the largest university intramural 11 a side football league. I’m also a national officer in the National Union of Students and work on the faith and inclusion portfolio as well as being active in issues of housing and international justice. I head up the NUS anti-racism anti-Fascism campaign. Before attending Bristol, I spent two years in theological college in Jerusalem.

Lisa Carson I have been a student with the Open University since 2002 and am working towards a BSc Open Degree studying a range of courses, predominantly in the Computing and Technology area. I have been involved with the Open University Students Association for most of my OU career becoming President in June 2007. This is a voluntary role which I manage alongside my employment as a Software Engineer and being a student.

I am an undergraduate student at Durham University, pursuing Law. I was born in Hong Kong and I am an international student here in the UK. It will be my third year studying abroad and I continue to enjoy my time here. At the beginning, I experienced a bit of a cultural shock but have now successfully gotten over it. For this reason, I would like to be able to voice the thoughts and needs of an international student through the platform that this Forum offers. I am also now the President of the Durham University Hong Kong Society which is working with the aim to promote the Chinese and Hong Kong culture to the university and aid new students from Hong Kong in making as smooth a transition as possible. I am looking forward to the progress of the forum this year and hope that I can contribute in anyy way possible.

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Tshering Lama

Aaron Porter

I was brought up in a very remote part of Nepal (Sermathang) and became involved in the health sector at the age of 13 as a volunteer health worker. I graduated from Northumbria University with a BSc Health Development Studies and with a Masters of Public Health. Since I arrived in the UK, I’ve been volunteering with several student projects within our university and with local Communities in Newcastle. I have been awarded with the first even Lord Glenamara International Scholarship in recognition of my efforts in improving public health and the environment through volunteering. I have also been named the North East’s International Student of the Year 2006. I was further honoured by our university by establishing 20 scholarships for Nepalese students under my name Tshering Lama Northumbria University Scholarships. It was the greatest honour for me from Northumbria University. Currently I am a PhD Research student and looking at the possibilities and limitations of telemedicine (telehealth) being applied in rural Nepal. I believe “do what you love doing and you will change the world while you’re doing it”.

I was re-elected with a landslide majority as the Vice-President (Higher Education) for the National Union of Students to serve a second term which is due to end in June 2010. In this post, I am responsible for leading representation and campaigns for students in UK higher education. Alongside this role, I am also a Non-Executive Board Director for the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), a Board member for the European Students’ Union (ESU) and an observer to the Board for the United Kingdom Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). I am also on the Academic Council of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), the National Student Survey Steering Group, the Burgess Implementation Steering Group and the HEFCE Online Learning Task Force.

Ismail Malik I have been involved in higher education since the early 90s, studied distance, on campus, undergraduate and graduate courses. I have also been active in the Student Movement, as Union President of two different institutions, UK Ambassador for SOCRATES, National Postgraduate Forum, University of London Union Exec, NUS, Council for International Students London Coordinator, Student with Disability Officer, Mature Students Union. My passion is cricket which I actively lobby to be an Olympic Sport. I believe in a more OpenCourseWare-led higher education system with great flexibility in examinations alongside more emphasis on Public Lectures and Learning. Current research proposal: Widening Participation through a multi modal OpenCourseWare and Public Lectures, University of London.

Prior to this, I graduated with a BA English from the University of Leicester in 2006, and then spent 2 years as a sabbatical officer and trustee of the Students’ Union. During this time I was the Deputy Chair (Communication) and a Board Member for NUS Services Ltd, the commercial arm of NUS. I also founded and was elected as the first Chair of Unions94 (the Student Unions of the 1994 Group of Universities) and chaired the Student Loans Company Student Consultative Group. As a student, I was editor of ‘The Ripple’ the student newspaper for the University of Leicester.

Rosemary Rimmer-Clay As a student with a newly acquired label of ‘disability,’ my years as a student have been challenging, it has been disappointing to discover that higher education still has a long way to go to accommodate the right to educational equality for ‘non standard’ students. Without effective support students with disabilities continue to struggle with inflexible bureaucracies unwilling to adapt. But as a Quaker committed to promoting human rights and social justice I have found the National Student Forum a very worthwhile, lively and accessible Forum. I believe that higher education still offers the most potent solution to an unequal society: disabled social workers are also essential. Taking my didgeridoo, marimba and poetry, I went forth and stood on the Fourth Plinth to make the same point!

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Samina Sabir

Armineh Soorenian

My name is Samina Sabir and I am 21 years of age. I recently completed a degree in Education with Early Childhood Studies at Roehampton University and I am enrolled to undertake a PGCE this year at Anglia Ruskin University. Over my three years at Roehampton, I took an active role in working in the student union working on many campaigns as Welfare Officer, and Cultural and Diversity Officer. I was also a teacher of Roehampton Opportunity Accreditation Development whereby I taught key skills to other students, I was trained by NUS to do this. Furthermore, I was a student representative for Early Childhood Studies and a Sport and Wellbeing Ambassador. Due to my commitment and participation at Roehampton I was awarded the principal award which is given to one student every year. From these opportunities I have learnt many new things and gained valuable experiences.

I am a disabled, postgraduate, mature international student, and have been in UK Higher Education for the last eight years. In this period, I have been interested in and campaigned for various issues relating to disabled, postgraduate and international students. My involvement in organizations such as the National Postgraduate Committee and the British Council has strengthened these efforts. The PhD research that I am conducting at present, investigates disabled international students’ experiences. Through this research, I hope to identify barriers faced by disabled international students, and recommend ways to address these difficulties, in order to strive towards an inclusive Higher Education system for ‘all’.

Christopher Sadler I am a third year student at Birmingham City University studying Visual Communications (Photography) with the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design. My interests and hobbies include a range of outdoor activities; walking, kayaking and climbing. I am also an active member of the scouting movement.

Maeve Sherlock I am currently at Durham University doing research for my doctorate on the subject of the interface between Faith and the State in modern Britain. Until October 2006, I was Chief Executive of the Refugee Council and previous to this, spent three years as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Treasury on issues including child poverty, labour markets and the Third Sector. During the 2007 Spending Review, I chaired an Advisory Panel advising ministers on the future role of the Third Sector in economic and social regeneration. Before moving to the Treasury, I was Chief Executive of the charity One Parent Families, director of UKCOSA (Council of International Education) and President of the National Union of Students.

By participating in the National Students Forum, I endeavour to contribute towards and promote this inclusive educational structure further.

Wes Streeting I am President of the National Union of Students, an elected position responsible for representing the interests of more than seven million students in Further and Higher Education across the UK. Before taking up my current position in July 2007, I was NUS’ Vice-President for Education. Prior to joining the NUS, I served as President of Cambridge University Students’ Union, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in History from Selwyn College. I was a member of the Burgess Steering Group on Measuring and Recording Student Achievement and I am a member of the Delivery Partnership Steering Group on admissions. I am a non-executive director of the Higher Education Academy, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and Endsleigh Insurance Services. I have previously served as a non-executive director of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education and was a member of the government’s Youth Citizenship Commission, which published its report to the Prime Minister in June 2009.

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Beth Timney

Serena Trowbridge

For the past few years I have been at the University of Nottingham studying Archaeology, as both an undergraduate and a postgraduate student specialising Osteology and the Iron Age in Britain. Following this, I spent a year as a Sabbatical Officer at Nottingham’s Students’ Union where I was responsible for representing the needs and interests of a diverse and growing PG community. For the next two years I will, once again, be a student as I am starting a MSc in Occupational Therapy at Teesside University.

I am a PhD student at Birmingham City University, having obtained a Masters from the University of Birmingham and a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Language from King’s College London. My thesis is entitled “Christina Rossetti’s Fractured Gothic” and considers the effect on the work of Rossetti of Gothic literature. I am also the editor of the Review of the Pre-Raphaelite Society, and I am currently undertaking some teaching at Birmingham City University. I am a school governor and take a strong interest in secondary and higher education. I have been involved with the NSF since its inception and am particularly interested in aspects of learning and teaching, and postgraduate issues.

Steven Thomson I am currently at Sheffield Hallam University studying towards a degree in Biomedical Science. I am 25 years old and have been a student at Sheffield Hallam University since 2001, having previously studied a BSc (hons) Sports Development with Coaching and BSc (hons) Computing Degree Routes. During my time at university I have taken an active role in university life. I was president of an extremely popular Students’ Union society (2001 – 2003); I have also been deputy chair of the Student Union’s governing council (URC); and faculty representative, representing students at the highest level within the university. As well as my active involvement at university I am also a football association referee, officiating semiprofessional football. I enjoy keeping fit, socialising, going to the cinema and other leisure activities.

Kate Wicklow I have been the Academic Affairs officer Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union from Sept 07-09. While a student at Anglia Ruskin I studied drama with music on the Cambridge campus and was the president of the Anglia Theatre Society (ATS) in 2005-06. My love of theatre and music has meant that I have worked with lots of local theatre groups both in Cambridgeshire and in my home town of Luton and have performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. As well as representing the views of my own students, I am also heavily involved in the campaigning work of NUS including the higher education funding campaign and helping to strengthen student representation. I am delighted to have been the Vice-Chair of the National Student Forum and have enjoyed working with such a diverse group of students. I am proud of our achievements to date.

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