President Exeter

Introduction

Hey everyone! I’m Izzy (she/her), your President Exeter for 2025/26! I’m a recent Conservation Biology and Ecology graduate, originally from rural Suffolk in the South East.

As part of my undergrad degree, I undertook a placement year working in conservation social science research - combining my love for conservation and communities! During my 4 years of study down here in Cornwall, I’ve grown to appreciate just how transformative placement and internship opportunities are; but also how difficult they can be financially as unpaid or unsupported positions, which are typically targeted towards students. As such, I am keen to help make placement and internship opportunities more accessible to all during my time as a Sabb this year. I strongly believe in creating connections between people (and nature!) and growing as a person through new experiences, both on a personal and professional level. This belief leads me to see every opportunity as a learning one, and constantly strive for creating a space for growth that is fair, inclusive, sustainable, and where everyone has a voice for change.

When I’m not hanging around at the SU, I love exploring new coffee shops in town and paths along the coast, as well as going for a sea swim/snorkel, or curling up with a tea and a movie! Being able to study here in Cornwall is such a unique opportunity, and I’m super excited to represent our diverse student community here to involve your voices in high-level university discussions. I am always down for a wander around campus, or a catch-up over coffee, so please don’t hesitate to come find me if you have any issues, or just pop along for a chat!

News & updates

Roles & responsibilities

• To be the recognised academic representative for members for the University of Exeter, attending high-level meetings.
• Represent student views to the University of Exeter, FX Plus, local and national bodies.
• To consult with the student members, both formally and informally, and represent their interests appropriately.
• To be a Sabbatical Trustee of the Students’ Union ensuring the organisation is fulfilling its charitable purpose.
• To support the development of the University of Exeter Student Rep system.
• Work closely with the other Sabbatical Officers on joint priority campaigns to improve the student experience.
• Work closely with the VP President roles, jointly working on projects and delegating as appropriate.

Manifesto priorities

“Increasing placement and internship opportunities available for all students, whilst ensuring they are financially accessible and supporting student employability for future careers.”  

On top of my main responsibilities as President Exeter, my focus this year is on creating greater on-campus part-time employment opportunities, financial support for students undertaking unpaid placements and internships, and helping students to feel more confident in their skills and abilities to all boost employability post-graduation. 

Building student confidence in their skills and experiences 

Working with the University of Exeter, Career Zone, and the team at the SU, I want to help all students feel confident in their own skills and abilities to secure positions both alongside studies or more importantly, after graduating. This year, I aim to: 

• Run a combination of workshops to for students to specifically identify transferrable skills gained in other, non-paid areas (e.g. volunteering, running a club or society, organising one-off events). 

• Work on integrating placements into taught courses, for students to gain real-world, hands-on experience as part of their learning. 

• Increase student networking opportunities as a product of increased placement and internship experiences available. 

Making unpaid experiences more accessible 

Internship and placement opportunities are invaluable to students in understanding their aspirations, building skills and confidence, and growing both personally and professionally. However, full-time unpaid internships and placements (short or long-term) are generally not financially feasible for many students. Therefore, this year I am advocating for: 

• Increased financial support for students undertaking unpaid internships and placements 

• A bursary scheme aiming to support placement or internship-associated transportation, equipment or other hidden costs 

• Discouraging promotion of unpaid, “pay-to-play” placement opportunities, since these are generally inaccessible to students from disadvantaged backgrounds 

Creating greater on-campus paid employment opportunities 

More and more students are working whilst studying which is vital for the extra bit of cash, but these opportunities also broaden existing skillsets and experience in different roles. By working with the University of Exeter, FXPlus and within the SU, this year I will strive to: 

• Create more paid short-term internship opportunities on campus for students, with a particular focus on research. 

• Centralise campus-based part-time job advertisements on Handshake, so all opportunities across Penryn, Falmouth and Truro campuses are available are in one place. 

• Encourage the creation of new/more fulfilling part-time paid jobs on our Cornwall campuses within campus services. 

• Generate one-off paid opportunities to create and deliver a one-off project with university stakeholders and partners. 

If you have any ideas or suggestions, or any questions at all about my priorities this year, please do get in touch! I would love to hear from you – let’s work together on this! 😊