Tell us about the circumstances of you running – had you finished uni, or was it a sabbatical or placement year? What other responsibilities did you have at the time?
Jess: I was in my final year and really wanted to put myself forward. I had just finished my exams, had lots of coursework plus my final year project to do, so I had a lot going on! I was also Team Leader for Leeds Uni Boob Team society, which was hard to keep up well during my campaign!
Jody: I was also in my final year of university, so I had lots of other coursework deadlines and my dissertation. I was also volunteering at a local community cafe and involved with a few societies.
What was it that made you want to run?
Jess: I felt like the role of Wellbeing Officer fit so well with my personality and my ambitions. I got very involved with societies during my degree and was on multiple committees, and also worked in LUU’s shops, so I felt I had a good understanding of how LUU works and what change students might want to see! I also didn’t want to leave Leeds after doing the majority of my degree during the pandemic, and saw it as a great paid opportunity to do something I was passionate about, whilst staying in Leeds and engaging with the student community!
Jody: I wanted to run because the pandemic made a lot of students’ experiences very underwhelming, so I wanted to help ensure that after the pandemic they got to experience student life properly. The pandemic also highlighted questions around where our money was being spent and the quality of our education, so it was also important to stand up for students.
How did you find the experience as a whole?
Jess: It was a great experience. I really pushed myself to put myself out there and it was such an exciting process. It was definitely very time-consuming and stressful at times. A lot of my manifesto was focused on improving sexual health services, so it was empowering to shout about that from the rooftop and break taboos.
Jody: On the whole, the experience was stressful but good. I learnt a lot about what I could do with a limited amount of time, and it was also nice to have something else to take my mind off of university deadlines, especially when we were unable to see friends as much.
Proudest moment?
Jess: I’d say it was both getting society endorsements and students personally messaging me supporting my campaign. It feels pretty nice when societies choose to encourage their members to vote for you! I also would get direct messages from students I had never interacted with before telling me how much they loved my campaign and thought my manifesto focused on really important topics to them. People really believed in me and put their trust in me, it was lovely.
Jody: Similar to Jess, it was also really lovely to hear students personally message you to support your campaign and manifesto – knowing that I was making a difference to others really spurred me on. My other proud moments were probably the creativity I took with my video content. They gained lots of positive responses from students and were fun to make in the process.
Biggest lesson learnt during the process?
Jess: Organise your time in advance if you can! Have social media posts prepared and ready to post in advance. It’s so incredibly time consuming and can stop you from doing other tasks that could boost your outreach.
Jody: The biggest lesson that I learnt was probably not to stress too much. At the time it was very stressful and exhausting but looking back, just try to enjoy it because everything happens for a reason!
What are you doing now, and how did the LeadLUU experience help you get there?
Jess: I work for LUU! I’m a Communication Engagement Assistant helping manage our social media channels and grabbing content whenever I can! The LeadLUU experience definitely helped me as I gained social media skills, confidence and even more familiarity with LUU.
Jody: I’m working as a Data and Insight Coordinator. LeadLUU helped me with general confidence, creativity and resilience-building, which are all useful skills to have in any workplace.
What support did you access during your time as a candidate?
Jess: I got an extension on my Final Year Project, which was great as it meant I could put all my energy into my campaign. I also had 1 on 1 support sessions with my LUU mentor, which was great for my mental health. All the candidate training and the constant support from the Political Engagement Team was fab too.
Jody: Mike [LUU’s Democratic Engagement Manager, who runs LeadLUU each year] held regular calls with candidates to answer any questions and we also spoke to the Exec team in post at the time. There was also training to help us with our campaigns and candidate statements.
What advice would you give this year’s candidates and those thinking of running?
Jess: I would say just go for it because you get so many skills out of it and the support you get is exceptional. If you do run, just be yourself and good luck!
Jody: If you’re thinking about it, just do it! You never know what will happen and even if you don’t win, it’s another part of your university experience to look back on.
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It’s clear that being a LeadLUU candidate is a really positive experience, helping students to ignite passions, network on campus, and build essential confidence and skills for their future career. If you’re worried about balancing your different responsibilities or running a campaign for the first time, there’s loads of support and guidance available during your time as a candidate. That includes everything from briefing sessions to mentors, and even LUU’s usual Help & Support service – you can find all the details in our Candidate Resources hub. You can also email the team at luu.pet@leeds.ac.uk if you have any questions.
We’re getting towards the end of the nomination period, which closes on Friday 4 February, and we’d love for as many students as possible to put their name forward. If Jody and Jess’ accounts have helped you make your mind up, register your interest today.
