Radhika Thiagarajan
Tell us a bit about yourself, your Queen Mary journey and your role?
Post-grad law at Queen Mary is highly ranked in the league tables, that’s why I applied to Queen Mary! I started at Queen Mary in the lockdown, so have not had a chance to do many societies. However, I was actively involved in the Alternative Dispute Resolution Society in Law and really enjoyed participating in Negotiation Competitions. Highlight of my Lockdown! I was a course rep before I started as the Vice President Communities and I felt like I was making a positive impact and changing lives. I wanted to continue that, and this motivated me to run for the Vice President position and have been enjoying the role since I started. Being a brown, foreign kid myself, I felt that there was no adequate support for students belonging to different communities and this encouraged me to run for this position, to create a better environment for students from different communities.
How would you describe the Students' Union in one sentence?
Feeling stressed, depressed, happy, sad or even bored? Come find us!
What’s a piece of advice you would give to students?
Try to get involved in as many societies as you can. Education is not about just going to the library and back! It is also about trying new sports, trying chess or trying musical instruments and meeting people from around the world. You only live once, so live your best life!
Favourite spot on any of our campuses?
Graduate Centre Library. (Library with a view!)
What’s your ideal day out in London?
I would start with a morning run at West Hampstead Park followed by a big breakfast at The Garden Breakfast Cafe on Finchley Road with a hot, strong cappuccino to go. Then, I would head to Broadway Market in East London for some much-needed shopping. I would try on a lot of clothes, but sadly, tied by my purse strings, I will only buy a few! After a few hours of shopping, I'd be hungry and ready to eat again. Ideally, I’d head to Spitalfields Market for some mains (all the mains are awesome, but I am eating my way through the market!) and definitely a Belgian waffle. At this point, I would probably be very tired, with a full stomach, so it'd be time to head home for a late afternoon nap. I have never had this day, but this day would be perfect!
What’s your favourite thing to order from Drapers, The Griff Inn or Ground?
An oat milk cappuccino from Ground.
If you were a superhero, what power would you have and why?
Bringing people back from the dead because I think it will be great to have some people from the past in the present.
What’s one thing at uni that students have to try before they graduate?
Try meeting people from courses/backgrounds/halls/experiences completely different to you. It really opens your eyes and mind to so many new possibilities that you did not even know existed.
What animal best represents you and why?
I am a Leo in its true form, and I have pointy canine teeth! So, I will say a Lion!
What are you looking forward to most this year?
I am really looking forward to working with the newly elected part-time officers and representatives and meeting the new students that are starting at QM!
View my manifesto