Behind the Representative Election: Meet the Candidates Fighting for UCL's Arts and Sports Community

Image Credit: Candidate Photos from Student Union UCL

In total, there were 7 candidates across both Arts and Sports Representative Roles. We reached out to all candidates, receiving comments from Adam Cleary, Gardiana Bandeira Melo, Ronan Venkat, and Go Kitajima. To ensure an even spread, we drew on these comments for candidates who responded, and manifesto statements for those who did not.

Vote Week has arrived at UCL, with thousands of students casting their (e-)ballots in this year’s Rep Elections. Across Faculties, Arts, Sports, and Media, a vote can actively shape the Union, putting forward those who best represent their interests across Campus. 

It’s only fair, then, that we get to know the people behind the campaigns.

We zoned in our focus on Sports and Arts Representative Candidates, who will represent the interests lying at the very heart of campus community life. Drawing on their wealth of experience, whether it be society leadership, journalism, performing arts or other, each candidate bolsters an impressive package for voters to mull over in this week’s rigorous decision-making.

Archaeology student, Gardiana Bandeira Melo, makes strides for the Art Rep Role, striving to make the arts scene “more open, lively and accessible.” It can sometimes feel “cliquey or disconnected,” they say. “I want to help people exchange, showcase their skills and celebrate each other’s achievements.” Their goal is to build a shared community that supports both practising artists and those exploring creativity for the first time. “Art is a celebration of life,” Melo adds, emphasising that they want everyone at UCL to feel they have a place within that. 

Tico Chan too aims to champion accessibility, dismantling barriers to participation. Her manifesto proposes an “Art Society Onboarding Guide” to help newcomers find their footing, more non-auditioned creative activities such as improvisational theatre, and better rehearsal and performance infrastructure. Drawing on experience in theatre, dance and visual arts, she describes herself as “professional yet approachable.” Chan is “an ‘actor’ rooted in artistic practice, not a bystander,” and will “turn plans into real action.”

Residing Societies Rep, Adam Cleary, says he aims to continue communicating with societies to keep them informed on relevant policy and to “hold those in power accountable by voting in the interest of the arts.” Admitting that “there is precious little anyone can do except vote on policy,” he nonetheless promises to advocate for the arts wherever possible. His extensive involvement across societies is evident: the Treasurer for Musical Theatre, Externals Officer for Stage Crew, Social Secretary for the Shakespeare Company, and Collaborations Officer for Taylor Swift Society. Cleary was named Societies Personality of the Year 2024/25, and brings extensive enthusiasm: “I may not be able to sing, I may not be able to act, but I can do admin to no end!” Alongside running for Arts Representative, Cleary also is campaigning for the highly sought after position of Student Trustee, creating a website showing his main ethos at www.voteadam.xyz. 

Finally, Ronan Venkat offers a production-driven view of the arts, grounded in technical experience across Live Music, Musical Theatre, Jazz, and Stage Crew. Having music-directed record-breaking shows such as Shrek (2024) and worked behind the scenes on Home (2025), Venkat wants to make UCL’s creative ecosystem more cohesive. His goals include clearer production guidelines, expanding ArtsConnect as a collaboration hub and improving access to affordable venues. “The arts community at UCL provides incomparable opportunities,” he says. “I’d like to spend my third year giving back to the community and utilising my skills to make an impact.” 

Our Sports Rep candidates echo similar themes of accessibility and community. 

Go Kitajima has built one of the most visible campaigns of the election, using daily reels under the handle @goforsportsrep to reach hundreds of TeamUCL athletes. A rugby player and journalist, Kitajima sees sport as a way to bring together a student body that can often feel disconnected. “Sports have the potential to unite a student body that can often feel atomised and disjointed,” he says. His reporting work with The Cheese Grater Magazine, however, has shown him where representation can falter. “There have been zone meetings with more journalists than delegates,” he says. “That’s unacceptable. I want to help reverse that apathy.” Drawing on his dual background in TeamUCL and the Students’ Union, he argues that he can “push effectively for the interests of sports societies.”

Running alongside Kitajima, Peter Hurst has anchored his campaign on competitiveness, fairness and accessibility. His message is direct: “Make UCL sport competitive again.” Hurst wants to get what he calls “the basics” right, which are “properly organised trials, fair selections, and real opportunities for everyone to improve.” Having competed nationally, he promises a merit-based, no-nonsense approach. “Every athlete deserves a system that rewards commitment and performance,” he mentions. “This fairness should extend to all levels of sport, not just the best.” He also calls attention to the barriers created by long commutes to training venues, which he believes stop UCL from reaching its potential. 

Meanwhile, Arkh Rishi Goyal brings a perspective shaped by both sport and student welfare. A former Hall Community Officer and Welfare Zone member, Goyal combines athletic enthusiasm with an emphasis on wellbeing and inclusion. His priorities, detailed in his manifesto, include expanding 24/7 gym access, increasing training-space flexibility and launching an injury-awareness campaign to encourage safer exercise, especially influenced by a personal back injury. “Fitness should be about community and longevity. It goes beyond numbers on a bar.” He also hopes to strengthen the sense of belonging through alumni-led sporting events connecting current and former TeamUCL members. 

Across both Sports and Arts races, candidates this year are united by a focus on fairness and community, whether through structured trials and safer training environments or through collaboration and creativity on stage.  

With Voting soon coming to a close, we deeply encourage you to cast your vote, and choose who best represents your interests in building a campus community.