Lamar, 1st year

• History
• Politics
• Media studies

Interested in political justice and education reform. Loves to write poetry & stories, absolutely loves to eat (recently gotten into Indian food), and I'm currently crying about Manchester United’s poor start to the season
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Can you share some of your experiences of working with student support at LIS?

Growing up in Northwest London made me feel extremely limited in my understanding of the city I grew up in. East London was only spoken about when speaking about Eastenders, Top Boy and the rivalry between the two bagel shops on Brick Lane. The continuous shift in environments became so draining, but thanks to Alisha, the Head of Student Support, I was able to find my feet, overcoming my fears of leaving home, to better my confidence and independence, and to move out to halls next to LIS.

This had a direct impact on my academic attainment. The jump from A-levels to the BASc was one that I felt happened very suddenly. Not having a Quantitive background made me even more concerned about how much learning I could do, feeling that I may get left behind everyone else. Academic validation is one thing, but academic insecurity is a whole other that does not feel like it is going to go away. However, conversations I've had with Alisha gave me that extra boost of confidence to know that I am in a good position, having plans in place to enable me to reach my potential.

Coaching groups at LIS have also created an easier transition into the LIS community, as it made me prepare and become aware of the people that I can surround myself with. In coaching groups we all have a general love for a particular thing that we do.

Coming from a Caribbean household, mental health was a taboo, it was something we were aware of but made forbidden to speak about. Having someone to speak to was something that I always wanted to do but was not confident enough to find a way to speak up about.

I never thought I’d have the opportunity to have a counsellor from the same background as me but LIS really do understand mental health. These sessions have genuinely helped me a lot in finding myself, but also having someone to relate to, being a minority of a minority in the university. If counselling was not provided by the student support team I may not be as confident with myself and my ability to speak about the importance of mental health to others.

Like so many students at LIS, we can all agree that student support has enabled us to excel more than we could ever imagine. A consensus within the institution would provide a 100% response rate to how much we love Alisha; she is our mother whilst we are away from home and our fairy godmother whenever we are in doubt. Big up Alisha and the student support team for working wonders, to make LIS a supportive learning environment.

Like so many students at LIS, we can all agree that student support has enabled us to excel more than we could ever imagine. A consensus within the institution would provide a 100% response rate to how much we love Alisha; she is our mother whilst we are away from home and our fairy godmother whenever we are in doubt. Big up Alisha and the student support team for working wonders, to make LIS a supportive learning environment.
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What would you say to someone who is skeptical about the LIS course?

The proof is in the pudding. All of the students at LIS have the ability to do something that others can’t, so the fact we believe in it must say a lot.