Natalie is your Swansea Campus 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. Natalie is primarily based on our Swansea campus.
About Natalie
Hi, I’m Natalie (or Nat). I studied Events and International Festivals Management for my undergraduate degree, followed by a Master of Business Administration, both here at UWTSD.
After completing both of these, I did not want to leave as I love Swansea and being a part of the UWTSD community. I am now in my second year as a Campus President, meaning this will be my final academic year in post, as a sabbatical officer can only be re-elected twice in the same Students’ Union
My main priority this year will be ensuring that UWTSD students have the best possible experience while studying. Whether that be attending SU events or accessing wellbeing support – my aim is to ensure that students feel supported and never feel alone in their struggles. It is important to me that students feel safe and secure within the university, whether that be physically, financially or emotionally secure – your health, safety and happiness should always come first! In my spare time, I like drinking coffee by the beach with friends, gaming and watching sports such as F1 and NFL. Before university I ran events for over a decade, working on the stages of music events and festivals including a Tour de France spectator hub, outdoor sports event Cliffhanger and music festival Tramlines.
I’m from Sheffield originally but have been living in Swansea for 6 years now. I’d like to think I’ve lost some of my Yorkshire accent and picked up some Swansea dialect, but please don’t ask me to say coast, host or toast or some of my Yorkshire might slip out!
I was a mature student when I started here at UWTSD and as I made friends with and worked alongside students of all ages and backgrounds, I think I have built a good understanding of student needs. Although, I’m always happy to listen and build a better understanding. I’m forever still learning and being a second-year sabb doesn’t mean that I have all of the answers, but I’ll try my best to signpost to the people who might!
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.