Chamber staff member becomes president of student body
A member of the Chamber 's international department has been elected president of an organisation that supports overseas and exchange opportunities for students.
Iona Murdoch (pictured), who is an international programmes support officer within the Chamber-based Innovate UK EDGE team, will serve as the Erasmus Student Network 's UK president for the next 12 months.
The organisation - part of Erasmus Student Network International - is a student-led body that advocates higher education mobility opportunities.
It also supports international and exchange students.
University of Glasgow graduate Iona first got involved with the ESN during an exchange visit to Sweden.
She then joined its Glasgow section before stepping up to the organisation 's national board.
Iona says the main aim of her presidency is to “keep encouraging students to be motivated to engage in mobility opportunities following the Covid-19 pandemic. ”
She added: “Part of this mission will include spreading awareness, not only of long-term mobility exchanges of six months or more, but also short-term mobilities lasting from a week to a couple of months.
“And, of course, there is our overall aim of promoting international sharing through the exchange of experiences and people.
“There is something special about students helping other students, and that is the essence of ESN UK.
“I was inspired to run for the presidency as ESN had given me so many opportunities throughout the past few years, from skills, to travel, to a second family.
“I also felt like I had gained a lot of knowledge around educational mobility, and felt like I could really make a difference to the quickly changing landscape of mobility in the UK. ”
ESN UK planned to host one of its biggest annual events in Coventry this October, with participation from around 200 volunteers from eight different countries across the network.
However, it has now moved online. Topics will include educational mobility, the development of skills and how to support students during the pandemic.
Iona said: “This is a great opportunity to keep engagement in ESN high after the shock of Brexit and the confusion over the old, new and future mobility programmes in the UK.
“Unfortunately, due the pandemic, it was not feasible to hold such a large event in person.
“However, ESN UK are still part of the virtual event planning committee, and hope to bring some of the planned cultural elements from the less-visited area of the Midlands to internationals. ”