Accessible Education Officer – Suyi Yang
My name is Suyi Yang, currently Equality and Diversity Officer; my course is Psychology with Professional Placement, and I’m running for Accessible Education Officer.
“I’m committed to keep fighting for equity in education if elected as your Accessible Education Officer. I’ ll make sure all students, especially those from non-traditional backgrounds, have the support and opportunities they need to succeed. Vote for equal access to education for every student!“
How do you aim to help students in the midst of financial hardship?
I’m an international student myself; I know the financial barrier is bad for students, whether international, home, disadvantaged. I aim to negotiate lobby the university for more scholarships and funding for students, like financial aid programmes. It doesn’t have to be the entire year, but even temporary programmes of emergency money that they can apply for. I’ve been working in this area the past year and hope to continue that work as Accessible Education Officer.
What do you think isn’t been done enough by the SU in terms of accessibility, and what are your additional plans for improvement?
For accessibility, I would consider neurodiversity as well, which I did as Equality and Diversity Officer. I hope to continue work with AutismNI, and national autistic societies, alongside the university and Union; to become the first university in Northern Ireland to achieve the Autism Friendly Award. I’m hoping to gather the training for this at the SU, particularly training for autism awareness.
What experience – in SU and general student involvement – can you bring to this role?
I’m currently the Equality and Diversity Officer, engaging with many students of a lot of different backgrounds, whether it be disadvantaged or underrepresented. I hope to bring my personal experience and networks, and students I’ve worked with in focus groups, to further better accessibility.
What do you do in your spare time?
TikTok every day I think! My favourite go-to snack would be Haribo – I cannot get enough of Haribo.
In 5 words or less, what is your campaign about?
Neurodiversity, careers, underrepresented & international students.
You can read Suyi’s manifesto here.
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