Meet the Exec!
Hi, I’m Rose, a first-year English and Hispanic Studies student and I am really excited to be the Najoom Blog editor and one of the new Conversation club coordinators for this year.
I have been volunteering with STAR throughout this academic year and I really love the the atmosphere here. I feel that it is a very welcoming, supportive and inclusive society and I love that everyone who is a part of STAR shares the same passion for supporting refugees and asylum seekers. I think that the impact we make through the consistency of our conversation and youth clubs and the strength of our campaigns and fundraising is really powerful.
This year, I aim to continue STAR’s great work in the conversation clubs by increasing our reach through opening a Saturday conversation club in Leamington and by working with Mariyum and Doris to add to the curriculum and develop more activities and ways of teaching effectively. I also hope to encourage as many people as possible to write for Najoom in order to give a platform to a wide range of voices and opinions and to increase awareness for important global issues and especially those affecting refugees.
As editor, I thought I’d ask the new exec team to introduce themselves and tell you a little bit about what STAR means to them to give you an idea of what STAR is all about.
I hope you enjoy this article and if you would like to write for Najoom, please feel free to get in touch via email (rose.andrews@warwick.ac.uk). I would love to hear from you!
I’m Eloïse, a second-year student in Politics and International Studies and I will be your co-president this year! I’ve been a volunteer since the age of 13 and it was during my first ever week in the UK that I met people from Warwick STAR at a volunteering fair. I was extremely relieved to get to know people who share my values on campus and I have now met all my closest friends thanks to STAR!
I started out as a volunteer, then freshers’ rep and then as co-president, and I really love giving time to a community which accomplishes so much. During the course of the past two terms we have mobilised around twenty students every week for our three volunteering projects: do you realise how powerful our STAR is?!
What I really love about migration is that it interrogates those who receive more than those who arrive. How we welcome individuals seeking sanctuary reflects our views on solidarity, community, resilience, openness and our conception of citizenship and human rights…
For me it is easy, all human beings deserve the right to have rights and asylum (the right to retrieve the rights that have been taken away) is a fundamental human right. It is beautiful to volunteer with students who dedicate a couple of hours of their week to have a conversation with an unknown person and get insight into a new culture, new language, and new difficulties, whilst helping them to learn English.
During the next academic year, I wish to take a lot of time to thank our volunteers by organising memorable events and say thank you in the name of solidarity!
My name is Sam Pordale, I am a first-year Politics and International student and I am one of Warwick’s Sanctuary Scholars. I came to the UK as an asylum seeker and I now have refugee status. Ever since joining the university, my main focus has been to advocate and create easy pathways for refugees and asylum seekers who are trying to access higher education through the use of my own experience.
Throughout the following year, as your co-president, I hope to connect with other organisations so we can continue to support refugees and asylum seekers to integrate into society and gain access to higher education.
My name is Elena, I’m a second-year Politics and International Studies Student, and the new Welfare Officer for STAR.
My course is all about finding the best ways to ‘manage’ global problems. I joined STAR because my study of political science can often overlook the individual experiences of global ‘problems’. STAR doesn’t treat people like a problem to solve. We aim to make a positive impact on every individual, and my role as Welfare Officer will undoubtedly allow us to do this better!
I volunteer with STAR because all human beings deserve the opportunity to thrive in a place they feel safe. All of us were born in a different place, with different life chances and opportunities. It is by chance and a privilege that I grew up safely and with access to good healthcare and education. I never felt comfortable that people had to risk their lives trying to gain rights which should be available to everyone. I volunteer with STAR to advocate for the rights of all human beings and to get to know those I advocate for on a 1–1 basis.
My ambitions for the following year as welfare officer are to promote the safety and well-being of both volunteers and participants in a range of different ways. Developing a compulsory safeguarding session pre-volunteering is essential to acknowledge that this work undeniably will affect mental health and that it is essential to know who and where those involved can go to receive support. I can’t wait to work with the rest of the team to make sure this is as effective as possible and make STAR better than ever.
Hi, my name’s Thirushiha, but you can call me Rushi. I’m a second year Politics, Philosophy and Law student and I am the new Youth Club Coordinator.
I come from a refugee background and so I have always known the struggles of leaving your home to build a new life. I find my time volunteering with STAR really rewarding, especially when you can see the impact you have on young people at the Youth Club. I hope we can recruit many more new faces next year and find new and exciting activities to do at Youth Club.
Hello! My name is Mariyum, and I’m a second-year history and politics student. I’m thrilled to be one of the Conversation Coordinators this year. I enjoy city pop, tea, watching football and F1, and playing basketball and I’m really looking forward to seeing you all at the volunteering sessions!
I’ve been part of STAR since my freshers week and really love the community here, especially since it’s so welcoming and full of interesting people. Last year, I served as the Social Secretary, and it was delightful to meet some of the volunteering societies on campus, collaborate with them, and run some fun events.
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Sometimes, I feel that there are massive issues in the world, within our governments and institutions, that seem unfixable and can be overwhelming. This is why I value working with my local community. I’ve done quite a bit of charity work back home and wanted to continue the same in Coventry. When I heard that those with refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds were living right next to me at university, I was eager to help. It may seem inconsequential, but doing what you can in your small corner of the world is wonderful! STAR is known for its conversation clubs, and I aim to be a welcoming face to encourage volunteers to join us. I understand how important this is and want to carry on that legacy.
I am also keen to improve the experience for volunteers and participants by creating a more engaging curriculum and effectively using our sessions, as well as further building that sense of community among us volunteers as that is a big part of why I felt so comfortable and eager to join.
Hi! I’m Doris, a first-year Econ student, and one of the Conversation Club Coordinators of STAR. I love STAR for its passion, its great atmosphere among all the members, and its acts that help refugees and asylum seekers. During the conversation club sessions, I have spoken with participants about their stories and backgrounds and have realized that even my small contributions can significantly impact their lives. Next year, I will participate more actively in not only conversation clubs but also youth clubs and other activities organized by STAR, using my force to create a larger impact.
I’m Annalise, a 3rd year, studying History currently on my year abroad in Madrid and the new Secretary, Fundraising and Outreach officer.
My favourite thing about the work STAR does is creating an inclusive community where people from all backgrounds can feel welcomed and make a real impact on their progress in education or work.
I volunteer with STAR to raise awareness and improve the opportunities available for refugees and asylum seekers, especially within access to higher education!
This year I want to raise as much as we can through organising fundraisers that everyone can get involved in!
Hi, my name is Alyssa, I’m a first year law student and STAR’s new publicity officer. I love how STAR has such an important impact on people’s lives and as a result, my goal for the following year is to spread STAR’s message and reach to involve as many people as possible in its work.
Hi, I am Zoe! I’m a first-year GSD student passionate about refugee rights, environmental and social justice. I am the new Campaigns coordinator for 2024–2025!
My favourite thing about what STAR does is that we provide students with the tools to do what they can to help refugees in our local community through helping them with English communication. Another thing that I think is very valuable about STAR’s work is that it shows students that they can make a difference if they can carve out an hour or two a week to prioritise something really important.
I volunteer with star as it’s a hands-on way for me to spend my time doing somewhere worthwhile and to increase my understanding of the issues facing refugees so we tackle them as best we can, as part of STAR.
I’m very excited to work with the kind members of the STAR exec to raise awareness on campus about the experience of refugees and ensure that, through our campaigns, we can make Warwick a better place, for everyone, but especially for refugees.
My name is Zeina, I’m a second year PAIS student and I’m the new social sec for STAR.
My favourite thing about star is its community: the volunteering sessions are always light-hearted and fun, and the people really make the society what it is. Being able to make connections with others is so important, especially when they are leading such tough lives. STAR does an amazing job at making both the volunteers and the participants feel comfortable.
I volunteer with STAR as I feel that it is vital for asylum seekers to not only gain access to more rights within the country, but to also express themselves on a one-on-one basis with people who accept and understand them.
My ambitions as social sec are to create fun socials for participants and volunteers, as STAR’s mission is quite activism-based and I want to create events that will give people an outlet to get to know each other whilst having fun and creating new friendships.
My name is Arshia and I am a second year PAIS student, about to go into my intercalated year abroad. I’ve been in STAR since my first year at Warwick and this upcoming year will mark my second year on the executive committee! My family entered the UK as refugees when I was young; it was the hand of strangers which helped me and my family stay nourished and warm. Now, as an adult, I feel very privileged to be part of such a great university and I want to give back and help others as migrants today have it harder than ever.
Whilst we’re a small society, we do big things and our campaigns are much larger than what you’d expect from our student group. As Treasurer, my job is to make sure that we always push above our weight and are not constricted by ‘money stuff’ when we want to make an impact on our community.
It’s because of this that my favourite part of STAR has been our campaigns over the past year. From pushing our SU to join Lift The Ban to raising hundreds of kilos of food to be given to refugees and asylum seekers, I love the impact that our campaigns have on our campus and the Coventry-Warwickshire region.
Our two presidents have big ambitions for the year ahead and for this reason, I want to make it my job to work with businesses and charities to fundraise more money that can be put into bigger and better things!
Being in STAR has been the best decision I’ve made at Warwick, and whether you’re just entering our campus, or you’ve just simply never heard of our society, I urge you to get active with a cause where you’ll see the people you help, empathise with people you’re told to hate, and work to create a future where every person can have dignity and live in peace.
