Post by Varsha Sivakumar

A different kind of opportunity at university🧠 I was selected to facilitate a focus group exploring student ‘sense of belonging’ at Aston 📍It was a chance to experience a side of university work we often hear about in theory, but rarely get to lead ourselves. Learning first-hand the level of professionalism behind this kind of research was something I hadn’t fully appreciated before, from preparing and hosting, to leading discussions and transcribing insights for the next stages 📝 & the conversations stuck with me. Highlighting how I could use my resources and connections to improve student life at Aston, something I wouldn’t have picked up otherwise. (Seeing that directly influence things like Campus Cup in the same academic year was a real highlight 🎉- more on that soon!) I really value being able to contribute to something wider, and to see how this kind of research can genuinely shape change. A big thank you to Dr Karishma Patel and Robert Riegler for the chance (and the vouchers 😁)