Denis Lelin has been elected as your new Activities Officer for 2020/21. Denis was declared the winner after one round of voting with 1116 votes. Impact caught up with Denis to ask him a few questions.
What are you most looking forward to in your role?
I am excited to be able to represent our students full-time now. Obviously, I have been an officer for a year, but I had to balance it with my studies and other commitments. And now I am able to focus on it 100%, which is so so exciting.
What was the highlight of your campaign?
I think the highlight was when the campaign just finished at 3pm on Monday. That exact second, before knowing the results, I received over 100 messages of people saying that they are proud of me and that they wish me luck. At that point the campaign was over, the results were unknown, and the fact that so many people cared meant how genuine and unconditional their support was, even the people I barely know, and it made me really emotional.
I have had a massive zoom party already
Were there any aspects of campaigning you found challenging?
Obviously the fact that I was sat in my bedroom in Nottingham (and the fact that I had to finish my diss during that week) was very unusual. Normally, you can gauge people’s reactions, but it felt a bit more one-sided online. So I tried to go live as much as I could so I could have real time communication with people, which was fantastic.
How will you be celebrating?
I have had a massive zoom party already, but the big celebration is pending in Ocean- as soon as we are able to go back to our normal lives.
What’s the first thing you’re going to do in your role?
As a first thing, I want to get in touch with every student group we have to introduce myself and ask them what they expect of me throughout this year to make sure I can fulfil those expectations. So I guess establishing that personal relationship is crucial!
Congratulations again, is there anything you’d like to say to the people who voted for you?
To everyone who voted, I want to say how extremely honoured I am that you have put your faith in me! I promise to use your voice and your support to improve our student experience and make SU activities as accessible and engaging as possible! I can’t wait to Spice Up Your Life!
Emily Casey
Featured image courtesy of Nina Sasha.
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