Inverness students elected to key roles
Two students at Inverness College UHI have taken up key roles in the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association.
Luke Humberstone (32), a BA (Hons) business and management student from Dingwall, was voted as president of the organisation, while Maria Roberts (20), a HND accounting student from Farr, Inverness, was elected as its vice-president (higher education). They are joined by Lorna Stanger (46) from Thurso, a sport, fitness and health student at North Highland College UHI, who takes up the role of vice-president (further education).
Luke, Maria and Lorna are taking a year out of their studies to take up the paid positions. They started their new jobs on Monday 1 June and attended a two day induction in Inverness earlier this month. As office bearers for the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association, they will be working to represent further and higher education students around the University of the Highlands and Islands partnership.
Speaking about his aspirations for the year ahead, Luke said: “I’m very excited to get started. The new structure and resources provided by the university for HISA give me great confidence that Maria, Lorna and I will be able to work hard representing the nearly 30,000 students who will enrol in 2015/16 and that we will be able to engage with them to improve their experience of the partnership.”
Lorna said: “I am really looking forward to taking on this role, which I think will be interesting and challenging. I was very pleased to be elected and I shall try my best to act for and on behalf of the students, to listen to them, hear them and let their voice be heard and to hopefully help in enabling actions to be taken to implement necessary changes and improvements to enhance the student experience. My own student household is very pleased about this too, which is really encouraging and a good starting point.”
Dr Iain Morrison, dean of students at the university, welcomed the new officers saying: “Luke, Maria and Lorna have been elected to the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association at an exciting time. We’re keen to engage our students as much as possible in the life of the university and the Highlands and Islands Students’ Association has a key role in helping us to do so. We will look to Luke and his colleagues to help make a student’s time with us an exceptional and fulfilling experience. Students are at the heart of what we do and we want to support them to achieve as much as they can.”