JCR President's Welcome

Megan Titterington, St Mary's College JCR President 2021-22

Although a cliché, I knew I wanted to be JCR President from my first year at St Mary ’ s College. The JCR President in my first year was Ellie Ng, who was an inspiring President. Observing the role as a fresher, and later as a JCR executive member, doesn ’t show the various intricacies of the job. I have had such an amazing year, and it has been a privilege to hold the position.

The job is so diverse, and no two days have been the same – I have learned so much along the way. The first few months definitely involved finding my feet, but it also meant that I got to meet and connect with so many staff members who were there to help. One of my favourite memories from the early days of being JCR President was working closely with Helen Davies, our Operations Manager, as we figured out a way to make the bowling alley trip to Newcastle amazing for the freshers. The amount of time Helen put into making Fresher ’ s Week the best it could be given the Covid restrictions just highlights the level of care that the St Mary ’ s College staff give to the students.

One of the many great things about leading the JCR is seeing other students getting involved in College. Mary ’ s has a reputation of being the friendly college, with a close-knit community. I love seeing people getting involved in the JCR to make the most of their College experience. I remember hearing in my first term as President that a fresher wanted to run for a JCR executive role and I was so happy about it because it was great to see someone so new value the JCR. Feedback from Fresher ’ s Week showed that the first years loved the events put on by College. It makes me so proud that the Freps (student volunteers who look after the freshers in the first week and welcome them to College) were able to provide that experience.

My time at Mary ’ s has been so special. Anyone who knows me knows that I love this college so much. One of the reasons that I applied to be a Frep, Post Offer Visit Day Representative, and eventually JCR President was because I wanted to ensure that every other student that arrives at Mary ’ s could have as good an experience. My favourite event of the year was President’ s Guest Night. It was so emotional in first year to hear Ellie Ng speak about the people who made Mary ’ s the welcoming and fantastic community that I was in. As I write this article, I have my own President’ s Guest Night coming up and I have never been more excited to be celebrating the people that make Mary ’ s a great place.