SU elections explainer: Equity & Inclusion Officer

Photo courtesy of Printerval

UCL’s election of its Student Union leaders, the 6 Sabbatical Officers, has kicked off. As an international university, diversity and inclusivity are at the heart of UCL’s values. The Equity & Inclusion Officer is responsible for ensuring that UCL is a welcoming and representative space for all students. With a focus on intersectionality, the Officer works closely with student communities, like the POC Students, Disabled Student, LGBTQ+, Trans and Women networks.

But who exactly are our candidates, and what do they stand for?

Ying Huang 

As a lesbian from China, Ying has a strong passion for equity and inclusivity. She has strong DE&I leadership experience – she was the Secretary of Bristol’s LGBT+ Network during her undergrad, and has volunteered for various charities like FoodCycle. Through drawing on her experience, Ying hopes to create a welcoming UCL community, filled with vibrant welcome schemes, cultural activities and festivals. If elected, she plans to conduct regular DE&I audits, implement targeted programmes like scholarships and academic support for marginalised students, and provide school-wide training on unconscious bias and cultural competence.

Rie Raut 

Drawing on her background as a Dalit trans student from a working-class family, Rie is a passionate trans and queer leader. Notably, she has worked as a Trans Activist in India and as a DE&I consultant for schools and corporations. If elected, Rie will focus on promoting intersectionality at UCL, through connecting UCL’s diversity networks and establishing new forums for student voices. She will also push for more inclusive policies, to empower marginalised international students.

Ahmad Ismail 

Ahmad was our Equity & Inclusion Officer this year, and he is running for re-election. As a queer Palestinian, Ahmad is passionate about uplifting marginalised voices. In the past year, he has integrally supported students through the cost of living crisis, and created a more accessible campus and diverse curriculum at UCL. Ahmad aims to lobby UCL to integrate the EIO into UCL’s governing Council. He also hopes to build on his existing progress, with a renewed focus on increasing accessibility to art programmes, improving UCL’s amenities like increasing gender-neutral toilets and relaxation spaces, and ensuring that affordable accommodation, food and part-time job options remain available.

Freya Li

As an international disabled student, Freya has experienced firsthand challenges and the frustrations of navigating UCL. As such, she has developed strong empathy and understanding for her fellow students. At UCL, Freya has donated to sponsoring a girl’s three years of education, and has written papers in the studies of women. If elected, Freya will improve the academic adjustment system for ECs and SORAs and strengthen accommodation support. Furthermore, she will particularly focus on empowering disabled students, through increasing accessibility to medical treatments and collaborating with the UCL Global Disability Innovation Hub.

Crystal Wang 

Crystal is an East Asian student who was born and raised in a multiethnic region with 47 other minority groups. This experience instilled in her a strong belief in equality and inclusivity. Since studying in the UK, Crystal has been readily involved with activism - as a journalism undergrad, she has conducted interviews and shone light on diverse stories, and even produced LGBTQ+ magazine content during Pride Month. Crystal’s plans include introducing mandatory video training on DE&I for new UCL students, strengthening our system for reporting bias, discrimination and harassment, and providing greater wellbeing support for international students.

Pooja Narayan 

Pooja is an international student from India. She is a passionate student activist at UCL, and has served as her department’s Coordinator of the BAME Awarding Gap and academic rep. Through these experiences, she has gained valuable firsthand insights into the lived experiences of BAME students, and how to advocate on their behalf. If elected, Pooja plans to focus on tackling structural racism by integrating BIPOC voices into narratives of racial discrimination. Pooja also wishes to increase accessibility to the UCL East Campus, by tackling everyday student living issues, and widening social and educational participation. Lastly, she also aims to strengthen UCL’s intersectionality by improving support and redressal avenues for LGBTQAI+ students.

Eda Yildirimkaya

Fittingly, Eda is a champion of EDA: Equity, Diversity and Action for UCL. Eda previously served as her high school’s Guidance Committee President, and she also led the UK's largest student-led charity campaign for the Turkey earthquakes, which won the 2023 SU Charity and Impact Award. These experiences shaped her strong commitment to student service and fostering inclusivity. Eda plans to offer stronger mental health support targeted to marginalised groups and first-year international students. She also hopes to increase on-campus accessibility, by expanding UCL’s offering of healthy, affordable and diverse food options, improving building accessibility measures and offering British sign language classes.