Group President

Portrait photograph on a sunny day, the person is in focus and the tree in the background are blurry

Maria Dinu

Group President

Maria is your Group President for 2024-25. All our Presidents are student-elected, lead our work (from projects and campaigns to activities and events), and represent students to the University. Maria is primarily based on our London campus.

About Maria

Helo bawb! My name is Maria, I’m 21 years old and I'm currently based in London; I’m the youngest sabbatical officer (aka "baby sabb") at University of Wales Trinity Saint David Students' Union and something that I'm very passionate about is advocacy and driving positive change for students.

When I was a student, I used to be a course representative and I've decided to take my commitment to ensuring that student voices are heard to the next level and campaign to be your Group President for academic year 2024/2025, which you have elected me for!

My promise to you is that, during my time in office, I am committed to working together with you all to make our university a better place for everyone; an inclusive and supportive community that we are all proud to be a part of!

I haven't graduated just yet, but my passion for student representation led me to take an interruption of studies and focus on supporting my peers. In my free time, I enjoy writing poetry and drawing; both allow me to express my thoughts creatively and reflect on the experiences that shape us. Diolch!

About The Role

Your Students' Union has four Presidents, these are full-time and paid. The roles are for a Group President (one over-arching role covering all campuses), and a Campus President position for Swansea, Lampeter and Carmarthen.

Together, the team of Presidents leads the Students’ Union on a daily basis, providing direction to the Union’s staff team and making sure that the work of the organisation is relevant to the experience of our students. Sabbatical Officers are considered to be the primary student representatives by the University and provide student ideas, issues and opinions on a variety of topics by participating in projects, partnerships and committee work within the University.

Sabbatical Officers set the agenda in terms of new ideas and activities for the Students’ Union to try, and work hard to make sure that all students know what their Union is for, and how they can get in touch. Sabbatical Officers automatically serve as trustees of the Students’ Union, and any candidates should read the Student Trustees section to make sure they are eligible.

There are many different responsibilities that come with the role of President; here are a few examples:

  • To effectively represent the views of students to the University and other stakeholders in order to advance the experience of students at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
  • To champion core SU policies, including a commitment to equal opportunities; zero tolerance to harassment; sustainability; and bilingualism and the Welsh language.
  • To represent students on the London, Birmingham and Cardiff campuses and develop a system of representation on those campuses that works for the needs of those students.
  • To maintain contact with representatives in UWTSD partner colleges and, where there are no representatives, work with student liaison officers to ensure students on UWTSD courses are effectively represented.