Instagram: myarkaur
Email: Mya.Kaur@warwick.ac.uk
(on the top left hand side, a picture of Mya against a backdrop of trees. She is smiling.)
ABOUT ME
Hi, I’m Mya. I am a 2nd year Law and Sociology student running to be your Widening Participation Officer. As a member of a family whose grandparents immigrated to England in search of a better life, I have experienced both classist and racial inequalities. I know how impactful this can be on one's life as the first generation of my family to attend higher education. This can range from financial strains at school and university, such as being unable to afford extra-curricular activities, to coming from a deprived area or attending a state school that has low academic standards. I have first-hand knowledge of the challenges students face at universities, and I hope to help bridge these gaps. Understanding the barriers we face, I am committed to being the voice for all of us so we can achieve the success we deserve.
Previous experience i have includes:
- Voluntary tutor for students from underprivileged background from ages 11-15 in my borough
- Worked closely with charities (ELHAP) supporting underpriviliged disabled children in the borough of Woodford
- Extended project researching intersections between social classes and race discrimination
WHAT IS WIDENING PARTICIPATION?
WP addresses patterns of underrepresentation in higher education and through targeting underrepresented groups of students including
- Those from areas and communities where progression to higher education is low (LPN)
- Those from low social economic backgrounds
- Those from the first generation in their famillies to enter higher education
- Be a care leaver/ estranged student
- Be a young carer
MY POLICIES
- Advanced academic support
- Accessibility and increased financial support
- Outreach
- Support Networks
MORE ABOUT MY POLICIES
Advanced academic support
- I will distribute checklist calendars on opportunities available to WP students and BAME students within each degree
- I will organise application workshops to help with the writing process and interview preparation
Accessibility and increased financial support
- I will lobby for subsidised costs for student union memberships and gym memberships on campus
- I will lobby for increased support for those in receipt of the Warwick bursary
- I will provide panels from social mobility groups
- I will raise awareness on scholarships for WP students
Outreach
- I will increase awareness of Warwick to prospective students, providing specific open days for underrepresented communities led by WP undergraduates
- I will provide insight on intersectionality as this is important to many WP students who face underrepresentation in other ways, this includes working alongside other officers to help those from ethnic minority communities & LGBTQIA+
Support Networks
- I will develop mentoring schemes for freshers where they are paired with older students to help them navigate their first year as a WP student
- I will implement reliable support groups within each specific degree
Thank you for reading my manifesto
DON'T FORGET TO VOTE
VOTING IS OPEN FROM 27TH FEBRUARY NOON - 3RD MARCH 7PM
(to the right of this a QR code is displayed which leads to the student union webpage)