Chair – Joshua Kingston
My name is Joshua Kingston and I am the new Chairman of the PG Board; I can frequently be seen around campus, either somewhere with coffee associated with it or with PG in the name. This will be my fifth year in Lancaster!
The official job description gives me the duties of organising and coordinating the Board, representing the interests of the College, the intentions of the Board, and the needs/wants of every PG student at Lancaster at various meetings on various levels. Additionally, I am also named as the “figurehead of the PG Board” and charged with ensuring all decisions benefit the College and its members as a whole!
On a more personal note, I ran on a campaign of reform – I intend to collaborate with all appropriate bodies to ensure the survival of the PG Board, reforming it to be more streamlined and purpose focused. With this in mind I have proposed and will soon implement a series of purpose-specific Panels to guide and develop ideas and proposals for events and projects within Grad, as such these will be ad hoc and open to all PG students with a focus on minimal commitment and opening up the Board to scrutiny from the College at large. We will also be reviewing the structure of the Board and looking at how we can reform the Board to suit the needs of Grad and to work exclusively to meet those needs.
I intend as Chair to ensure that every officer receives the support they need, either from myself, the Board or a specialist Panel, to guarantee they remain enthused and creative for their time in office; I further have pledged to ensure that every officer can make good on their original promises during their campaigns and the elections.
If anyone should wish to get involved, propose ideas or just to get in touch please hit me up on Facebook or send me an email at j.kingston@lancaster.ac.uk
Welfare Officer – Priya Maria Thomas
I’m Priya and I study MSc Social Psychology at Lancaster University. I’m the Welfare Officer for the PG Board. I’m extremely passionate about the subject Psychology and basically love being there for people. I’m fairly approachable, so if you see me hopping around campus, don’t hesitate to stop by and say hello! I’d be more than willing to help. J
Some of my hobbies include watching movies (a truck load of them) and you can always find me singing because of my love for music. I also enjoy dancing, making friends, exploring different cultures and spreading smiles.
Some of my objectives for this year are:
• To increase the access to sanitation facilities around campus
• To improve the international buddy programme
• Hopefully, coordinate with the psychiatry society and conduct more campaigns to create an awareness on mental health
• Ensuring that the voices of the PG students are heard and addressed
I intend on providing all the support I can in terms of health, safety or anything that I can truly help with! I hope to make your year at Lancaster University a memorable one. Please do feel free to contact me for any more details on priyathomas366@gmail.com or you could just find me on Facebook. Here’s hoping we all have a great year ahead!
Academic Officer – Anuja Pradhan
I’m Anuja, the PG Board Academic Officer & a second year Marketing Ph.D. Researcher. I’m responsible for fostering Grad’s academic community. My main aims are
– to advance inclusive and multidisciplinary research culture
– encourage and organise soft skills development
– help International Students converse confidently in English
– nurture open and informal interaction between students and academic staff
– generally make Brand Academia seem less boring (more of a life goal, really)!
You’ll usually find me at Costa or at Grad so please come and say hello (even better if you sing it). I’m always open to suggestions and feedback so if you have any ideas on how to improve our Grad academic experience, please get in touch over email (a.pradhan@lancaster.ac.uk) or via Twitter (@anujap).
Events Officer – Yanisa Thanomrod
Hi, everyone! My name is Yanisa Thanomrod. I am studying MA Diplomacy and Foreign Policy.
As Events Officer, I will be in charge of organizing events for postgraduate students to make their time at Lancaster more memorable. For this year, my core policies are integration, international experience, and innovation. Firstly, I would like to organize events that would help tighten the relations within the postgraduate community. Secondly, I am also aiming to take make the most out of the international student community and organize events that would allow students to share and learn more about different cultures. Lastly, I am hoping to organize more innovative events to cater to the preferences and needs of postgraduate students. I am looking forward to working with the PG Board team, Graduate College, LUSU, and the postgraduate community to bring about memorable events for the postgraduate students of Lancaster University.
You can contact me via email: y.thanomrod@lancaster.ac.uk
Sports Officer – Mike Pelz
My name is Mike Pelz and I am 27 years old. I am participating in the Master Programme Information Technology, Management, and Organisational Change (ITMOC). It is a pleasure for me to be your sports officer this year. Holding this role, I am in charge of ensuring Grad to maintain its ability to compete in the many sports events taking place this year as well as organising events – e.g. Carter Shield, which is a monthly competition among all colleges. I want to engage in college sports sponsorship, but one of my utmost concerns is it to encourage everyone to get involved in sport this year.
Looking forward to a triumphant year full of fun and of course, a lot of Grad victories.
If you want to get in contact:
m.pelz@lancaster.ac.uk
Best wishes,
Mike Pelz
Media and Communications Officer – Lee Francis
I’m Lee, I’m studying for a Masters in Marketing. I’m genuinely passionate about what this University offers and after 2 weeks I am happy to call this place home. I have a professional background in film and TV, along with online media experience in writing and video content making. I have worked on things like Harry Potter, and I’ve worked in New York creating video content and posts. I’m also more on the ‘mature’/old side and have seen a bit of the world.
My aims will be to maintain and increase awareness and engagement of all the awesome things Graduate College gets up to, from the brilliant day trips to on-campus events, so Graduates never miss out. I am also looking to develop strong internal communication channels with other student-run media outlets such as SCAN and fully embrace our wonderful international communities we have here.
If you have any ideas for things you’d like more awareness of or random ideas, drop me a line at l.francis3@lancaster.ac.uk
I also represent AmeriCamp, any questions about the USA feel free to also get in touch.
Board Member Without Portfolio (International Integration Officer) – Muhammad Mehroz Ashraf
I am Mehroz and I am studying MSc International Innovation. I completed my undergraduate studies in Entrepreneurship from Lancaster University and hence have been part of the Lancaster community since last 5 years. I have observed the life of Lancaster Students very closely and have a passion for bringing positive changes for making it a better experience for everyone. I will be assisting the PG Board this year in various activities, representing the voice and interests of Graduate College Students. Having experienced Lancaster Life for so many years, I know the problems faced by students and can help immensely in overcoming them.
I aim to:
Work together with societies to enable a productive cultural & social exchange between local and international students
Focus on improving the student experience in Lancaster by giving advice and listening to suggestions
Try to represent not only the masses but also consider individual cases. Their interests and provide solutions for their issues, resolving them for the benefit of ALL.
I am at present Student Ambassador for both Management School and International Office at Lancaster and a UCAS speaker. I would love to help you guys in any way possible. I am more than happy to grab a coffee with you and discuss anything you like to talk about. Feel free to say hi if you spot me on campus or get in touch personally: m.m.ashraf@lancaster.ac.uk
more than happy to grab a coffee with you and discuss anything you like to talk about. Feel free to say hi if you spot me on campus or get in touch personally: m.m.ashraf@lancaster.ac.uk
Board Member Without Portfolio (International Officer) – Helena Katharina
Hello, I’m Helena and I’m here in Lancaster for my MSc in E-Business & Innovation management. I just turned 25 years and I’m from Germany and I’m looking forward to being part of your PG board for the upcoming year.
I’m looking forwards to contribute something to our everyday life here at Lancaster University like organizing some nice events for all of us or supporting your voices within academic related topics and thus trying the make our studies at Lancaster University to one of the best times of our life. I’ll be supporting the PG board wherever some creativity, hands-on support, and zest for action is needed. If you have any concerns or ideas, you want to share with us feel free to get in contact with me and my colleagues – we’re more than happy to meet you! (e-Mail: h.weith@lancaster.ac.uk)
