As part of our introduction to your new Executive Officers, we sat down with Jack Juckes, your new Vice President Welfare!
Next up in our Executive Officer profiles is your new Vice President Welfare, Jack Juckes! We sat down with Jack to speak to him about his experiences here at Queen Mary, as well as his plans for the upcomg year!
Tell us a bit about your journey here at Queen Mary so far?
I started studying Medicine here in 2015, so I have been around for quite a long time now! I intercalated in BSc Global Public Health between Year 3 and 4, and am now an Executive Officer for QMSU between Year 4 and 5. I’ll have been here for 7 years by the time I qualify which I didn’t think would be the case when I started!
I’ve been involved in all sorts of activities whilst at Barts and The London and Queen Mary, from BL Music Society, to representative positions on Student Council, to working in our Students’ Union venues Drapers and The Griff Inn. I think the best experience I’ve had would be organising our annual BLSA Rites of Passage ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral for our graduating medics and dentists. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t shed a little tear when it was over!
What’s your go-to order for Drapers or The Griff?
Mark, the chef at The Griff Inn, makes the best pasta dishes. His cheese and broccoli pasta is amazing!
Favourite spot on any of our campuses?
The lawn at Charterhouse Square is always a lovely place to hang out, and I love studying in Ground too.
If you could start again, what would be the first society you’d join?
I think I’d get more involved in volunteering groups as they do some really amazing work, and would probably join more political and campaigning societies too.
What’s your favourite non-campus place in East London?
I love Victoria Park in Mile End and Olympic Park in Stratford, it’s so great to have such beautiful green spaces so close by in East London!
If you could tell the incoming students one piece of advice, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to get involved and really immerse yourself in our vibrant Queen Mary community. My time at university has been incredible and hopefully yours will be too. You’ll make life-long friends and lasting memories, and if you ever need any help or support we’re all here for you!
With the recent world events, studying at university is about to become a bit different to how we’ve previously known it, how are you planning on adapting this role to better support students who are learning virtually, etc?
Being a university student was already challenging enough so I absolutely appreciate that students might be worried about how current events will impact them. I will continue to work hard with the rest of the Students’ Union team to make sure that all students are supported and can achieve their full potential. We’re adapting our work to ensure it is digitally accessible, so students can safely access our services remotely. I plan to work closely with university staff to make sure Queen Mary’s support services are also available remotely to those who need them, and of course I am always available for any student who has any welfare concerns – whether by email, video call, old-fashioned phone call, or in person at a safe distance! :)