Hi, I’m Tom, your current VPSI and I was a student at Bucks studying TV and Film production for 3 years.
Moving from a rather small college up to a university, which maybe small for some but was still larger than anywhere I had been before, was really daunting. I lived in Brook Street in my first year and quickly settled in with my flat, we all came from different backgrounds and it was great to be able to throw ourselves at everything that the Students’ Union had to offer. Going as a group to Fresher’s fair and signing up to countless clubs and societies together was a real highlight of my first year. I signed up for Men’s Hockey, Bucks FC and the Climbing Society and then shortly after got to try out loads of other student groups with my flatmates in the Give it a Go Week sessions. It really helped me settle into Bucks and to find my feet.
Sometimes you’ll find that you join loads of societies and clubs at Fresher’s Fair and then settle down into the ones that you’re more passionate about. For me it was Hockey, I got involved in all the volunteering activities I could alongside my teammates, as well as heading The Venue for Wednesday nights out after our fixtures. Not only did being a part of the club give me the opportunity to socialise with friends and take a healthy break away from the academic side of university, it also boosted my confidence immensely and I even decided to run for the Social and Welfare committee roles. You don’t realise it at first but committee roles gave my leadership and communication skills such a boost.
Throughout my second year I started to venture out into the other Students’ Union offers and became heavily involved in fundraising for causes like Movember and volunteering my time in campaigns for Fairtrade Fortnight. It was like a snowball effect and by the time I was in my 3rd year I was involved in volunteering, sports, recreational activities and still an active committee member. I had taken a backseat in the Hockey team but found myself getting heavily involved in Men’s Rugby and was voted into the Rugby committee. Jumping between teams was so easy, having met the other boys in and around the Students’ Union made the switch so easy. Working through my 3rd year I would often come into the office to get a break from my dissertation, chat to the sabbs, and grab a late breakfast. Through the support of the Students’ Union activities team, I got through those long dissertation days and graduated from Bucks with a 2:1. When the nomination process opened for the Sabbatical roles, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to stay on and be a part of the team that gave so much to me throughout my time at Bucks.
- Tom Featherstone, Vice President Student Involvement 2021- 22