From May 2022 to February 2024, third-year Psychology student Emma James volunteered more than 1,000 hours of her free time to improve the student experience of her peers at the University and to benefit communities in need. In recognition of her selflessness and desire to support others, she has now received a Diamond Volunteering Award from Keele SU.

Emma, who wishes to become a primary school teacher and will be starting a PGCE in General Primary (5-11) with QTS in September 2024, started volunteering after thinking about her future profession. She said, “When I started thinking about becoming a teacher, I knew that gaining some experience within a mainstream primary school would be invaluable and provide me with an insight into the career."

Emma has since volunteered across a range of different institutions to gain a variety of experience. During May and June 2022, she volunteered in the paediatric department of the Royal Stoke Hospital where she helped to organise craft sessions and games to help put children who were receiving treatment at ease.

In July 2023 and January 2024, Emma also volunteered at Buckton Fields Primary in Northampton where she supported Reception and Year 1 classes with end-of-year assemblies, 1-1 reading, group tasks, facilitating group discussions and games, and helping staff with general admin.

On campus, Emma also volunteers as the Chair of Keele Philharmonic Ensembles (KPE), Secretary of Keele University Music Union (KUMU), and helped to relaunch clarinet choir during her second year. She is also a Student Voice Representative (SVR) for the School of Psychology.

Emma says, “As someone who grew up playing in orchestras, I was keen to get involved in a music society committee at Keele, but being appointed as Chair for the past two years has been incredible. For my roles across the music societies, I’m involved with the running and planning of concerts, weekly rehearsals, events, and networking with departments across the University and Students’ Union. I also work collaboratively with other students to ensure they have the best experience possible when playing in Keele’s music societies.”

Emma’s commitment to ensuring all students have the best possible experience while at University also saw her apply to become a Student Voice Representative (SVR) for her School. In the role, Emma works closely with students to discover any issues they may be facing with their degrees which she can then feed back to relevant staff members. Emma says, “I thought that if I could make a small difference within the School of Psychology, it would benefit future psychology students.”

Now in the final year of her degree, Emma is juggling her volunteering and society commitments around her studies. “I find it helpful to write everything I need to do down and set a specific time aside when my committee work will be completed each week, especially now that the work for my degree has markedly increased,” Emma explains. “When it feels too much, the SU have been happy to meet with me, so it doesn’t become overwhelming. The support from my fellow committee members is also great and they help with tasks and the running of the societies.”

As with many volunteers, Emma discovered that as well as helping to support others and providing experiences which helped her to stand out from other students applying for PGCE places, volunteering also helped to develop her sense of self and increased her confidence. She says, “Volunteering has not only enhanced my CV and the application for my PGCE course, but it has also developed my personal skills and qualities. When I first started at Keele, I was very shy and quiet but now I have a lot more self-confidence and transferable skills. I have developed public speaking, networking, multi-tasking, time management, and event planning and coordination skills, which I can transfer into my teacher training and professional career. By playing regularly in the music societies, I have also developed many friendships and created fond memories of my time at Keele.”

Following her graduation in July, Emma hopes to continue volunteering at Buckton Fields Primary in Northampton as she ‘thoroughly enjoyed’ her time with the school. She says, “I would encourage any student to get involved with Keele SU. Whether in a committee position, SVR, or local volunteering, it will have a positive influence on both you as an individual and to the organisations that you offer your time to.”

The SU has seven awards that you can work towards based on the number of volunteering hours you log, which can also be added to your HEAR (Higher Education Achievement Report). For further information on volunteering, contact a member of the Keele SU Volunteering team here.