About My Role
Orla champions societies and student-led activity within the Union, University and community and is responsible for allocating budgets and tiers, as well as supporting and promoting Student Led Services and Campaign Associations.
About Me
Shwmae pawb! I’m Orla, your Vice President Societies and Volunteering 2019/20! I’ve been studying at Cardiff since 2014, but have definitely spent more of my time at Uni in the Students’ Union building, taking part in a huge range of activities!
I grew up in a small town in Berkshire, and went to a small all-girls school called The Marist in a tiny little village, which barely had a Post Office. Coming to University was a HUGE culture shock for me - in Sixth Form, my largest class (Maths) had three other students in, and suddenly I was sat in a lecture theatre of 200! I came to Cardiff through clearing and honestly now couldn’t imagine being anywhere else!
I can safely say that I have made the most of all the amazing opportunities available to me at Uni; I've been a member of so many different Societies from A Cappella to Real Ale and Cider and volunteered thousands of hours with Student Led Services and Cardiff Volunteering. I have had experiences I couldn’t possibly have imagined getting at University, and these activities have truly made me feel like part of a bigger community at Cardiff.
Societies and Volunteering have truly made my university experience the best time of my life, and this is why I decided to run to be your VP! (I still haven’t forgotten those garish orange shorts and I’m sure I will be being referred to as Orla the Explorer for many years to come). I’m so excited to work this year with student groups to facilitate the creation of communities to support all students, similar to those that have harnessed my journey at Cardiff!
If you have any questions, issues, or just fancy a cup of tea and a chat about all things societies and volunteering, please get in touch or pop in and see me!
My priorities for the year include:
- Further development of the refreshers’ period, to give Societies and Volunteering projects more chances to showcase their fabulous activities
- Launching regular forums to ensure that Societies can provide feedback on how they can be better supported by the Students’ Union
- Working with the VP Welfare and Campaigns to trial low-cost transport options, to improve the accessibility of extracurricular activities