Your Postgraduate and International Officer Gives You the Real Gist
Hello everyone!
My name is Mercy, and I am your new Postgraduate and International Officer at The Students' Union.
This is my very first blog, so I thought this would be the perfect place to introduce myself, tell you a little about who I am, what life as an Officer has been like so far, and, of course, spill a little tea.
Ready? Let's go.
The boring bits (or at least I'll pretend they're boring)
My full name is Mercy Onyemaechi Martins, and I'm from Nigeria.
I recently completed my PhD in the Department of Education here at the University of Bath. Before that, I completed my master's degree in Development and Security at the University of Bristol.
I also turned 29 this year... which apparently means I have now entered the age where I make noises every time I stand up. Who knew?
Before becoming an Officer, I somehow kept saying yes to opportunities. I was a Departmental Academic Representative, then a Faculty Academic Representative (promotion unlocked!), a Peer Mentor, a Graduate Teaching Assistant (and recently became an Associate Fellow of Advance HE, which still feels surreal), and worked as a Research Assistant on several projects.
Outside work, I am a complete fantasy nerd.
Give me dragons, magic, romance, impossible quests, morally grey characters, and I am happy. Taylor Swift also dominates my playlists, which probably tells you everything you need to know about me.
I also enjoy board games, although I should clarify that I mean Monopoly, Cluedo, Connect 4 and Scrabble. Don't invite me to one of those complicated strategy games that requires reading a 45-page rulebook. I simply don't have the capacity.
I also crochet and make beaded jewellery, which is my way of convincing myself that I have hobbies outside reading.
So... how did I end up here?
If I'm being honest, I applied for this role with a lot of uncertainty.
Would you believe me if I told you that, for the longest time, I didn't even realise I was technically working with the Students' Union?
I was a Peer Mentor.
I was an Academic Representative.
Yet somehow, I never fully connected the dots.
Maybe my glasses weren't doing enough.
Campaigning was... an experience.
There were questionable TikToks.
There were dance moves that permanently reduced my aura.
There were moments where I genuinely questioned every life decision that had brought me there.
And then...
I won.
By 21 votes.
A close enough result that, as we say in Nigeria, perhaps my village people decided to help me this one time. (If you know, you know.)
So, what's the tea?
I've now been in the role for almost two months.
The first two weeks were our induction programme, where we learnt everything there is to know about The SU, our responsibilities as Officers and Trustees, and all the important things that adults call governance.
Thankfully, the outgoing Officers made sure it wasn't all PowerPoint presentations.
We had a dress-up day, where I came as Barbie. Honestly, after everything you've learnt about me so far, was anyone expecting anything different?
There was a barbecue, an end-of-year party, and yes... there was free vegan ice cream.
That may or may not have been one of the highlights.
After induction, everything became a blur of meetings.
University meetings.
Team meetings.
Introduction meetings.
Manifesto meetings.
Planning meetings.
I think I have introduced myself so many times that saying "Hi, I'm Mercy..." has become muscle memory.
All of this happened during one of the hottest weeks of the year.
Which is funny because I'm Nigerian.
Everyone kept asking me how I was coping with the heat.
Honestly? I wasn't.
There is currently a fan on my desk doing everything in its power to keep me alive.
Perhaps this is part of internationalisation.
What have I actually been working on?
Quite a lot, actually.
One of the things I have enjoyed most is meeting different teams across both The SU and the University to start turning manifesto ideas into real projects.
Some of the work so far includes:
- Working with the Doctoral College and Doctoral Academic Representatives, which has led to the creation of a brand-new Doctoral Society focused on building community and representation for doctoral researchers.
- Supporting the final stages of the University's supervision paper alongside colleagues from the Doctoral College.
- Working with the International Team and the Doctoral College to improve pre-arrival support for international and doctoral students.
- Supporting the Postgraduate Summer Party (although, if I'm honest, the previous Officer and the team deserve most of the credit. I mostly turned up, introduced myself, and dotted a few i's.)
I've also met with colleagues from Careers, Peer Mentoring, Voice, Marketing, Social Enterprise, Academic Representation, and so many other teams.
One thing I've learnt very quickly is just how many incredible people work behind the scenes to make the student experience better.
Some thank yous
I have to give a huge thank you to Sanya for an incredible handover.
She invested so much time in making sure I felt prepared, and I'm excited to continue building on the fantastic work she started.
A massive thank you also goes to our President and Education Officer. As returning Officers, they have been incredibly generous with their time, answering endless questions and helping us settle into our roles.
And to the rest of our Officer team, especially Activities, Community, and Sport, thank you for making these first few weeks so enjoyable. We've all been figuring things out together, and it's made a huge difference.
Random things I didn't know before becoming an Officer
Since this blog is called Let's Spill the Tea, here are a few random discoveries.
Did you know I am the very first Postgraduate and International Officer? I think that's incredibly exciting because it shows the Students' Union's commitment to representing postgraduate and international students.
Did you know there are so many different teams within The SU? Honestly, I thought it was just Officers and a handful of staff. I was very, very wrong.
Did you know Officers have line managers...
...but we're also technically our line manager's boss because we're elected trustees?
Don't ask me to explain it.
Ask Helen.
She understands all the governance and policy bits.
Finally...
Did you know that being an Officer does not get you free drinks at The Plug?
I was disappointed too.
Until next time...
I'm hoping to make this a regular blog, so if there is anything you would like me to write about, let me know.
Before I go, I also want to give a special shout-out to all our Doctoral Academic Representatives and Postgraduate Network Representatives. Thank you for everything you do to represent your fellow students.
And finally...
If you ever see me around campus, please come and say hello.
I promise I'm friendly.
My face just occasionally forgets to tell people that.
(I'm blaming the PhD.)
See you next time.
Mercy