About My Role
The Black and Minority Ethnic Officer role is to represent the interests of black students and students of minority ethnic backgrounds (BME) students and to campaign on any relevant issues.
About Me
Shwmae! I’m Ashly and I’m your BME Officer for the upcoming year!
I am from Reading, but I was born in Barcelona, where I spent most of my childhood and my heritage is Latin American as both of my parents were born in Ecuador.
I have always been passionate about sciences and healthcare, after finishing A-levels, I decided to take a gap year and work in a hospital where I discovered my interest in medical technology. Fast forward four years, I am now on the last year of my bachelors in Medical engineering and spent a year working in the pharmaceutical industry as part of my degree.
My first year at Cardiff was not the best and didn't really find a place where I could be myself, during my second year I started to get involved in student representation and well-being. I volunteered for student advice, I was a mentor and student rep for my course, joined Student Senate and worked in Student Voice!
I decided to run for this position as I wanted to do more to improve the student experience. Regardless of your skin colour, heritage or culture, Cardiff University and the Students' Union should be a safe place where you feel represented and comfortable to be yourself at all times, a community where students stand against racism and discrimination.
Feel free to reach out, I am always happy to be part of the conversation and hear about what you have to say.
My main priorities for the year include:
- Black History Month across campus and increase engagement with the campaign.
- Cultural history showcase - Focusing on educating students on different cultures and how to acknowledge them.
- BME Association - Work on outreach to our local community and focus on education.