Hey , my name is Abbie Lawrence I am a first year single - honours History student. I come from the west midlands not too far from Birmingham, aswell as my passion for history i enjoy going to the gym and also love trampolining. Back home anytime i ever said I was going to do a degree in History I would always get the same responses either a sigh, or a why would you want to do that its boring?, if i become course rep i want to make it my goal to shine a new light on studying History, and to try and share the same enthusiasm that I feel towards HIstory. I have come up with a 4 point plan to try and achieve these goals by the end of my first year here at DMU - ENGAGE - Its well known that many students like myself can and do struggle to keep passion for a subject going whilst constantly studying it, i want History to be a subject that students feel happy to engage in , I believe this can be done by alternate ways of learning. For example trips, debates , group projects, and much more! By changing the way we learn now it will help you and future students to keep a love for History subject constant throughout your 3 years of study.- COMMUNICATION - If the past 5 years have shown us anything its that mental health is a more prominent issue than is spoke about, things such as anxiety is extremely common within many students, which can prevent students from asking for help from lecturers or other trusted adults. I come from a background that never pushed me academically so whenever i had issues with coursework, exams and questions i had to face it alone which is a feeling i never want anyone to feel. i want to create a half way point between students and lecturers by being able to take any problems students have and taking them up to lecturers/ module leaders, because sometimes it is just that little bit easier to talk to your peers rather than going straight to a lecturer. - FUTURE - From my own personal experience and talking to my peers I think there is a speculation that doing a degree in History doesnt give you many career options, i want to eradicate that speculation by encouraging more career fairs and potentially asking guests to come in and talk about their own experiences during their careers that stemmed from their degree. You may think that you know what you want to go into but life and circumstances change so fast, so its always comforting to have a plan B and maybe even plan C for your future. - COMMUNITY - After going to the opportunities fair i realised there was little to no representation for History and i want to change that. I beleive that if I am elected i can create a group made by students for students to help with any History related queries or even personal troubles that you feel you need to talk about. I am willing to work hard for a group like this as I believe there should always be a safe space for students that are struggling or just need time to step away from thier studies and network with people that share similar interests, i would look at organising socials for History students and even people not studying the subject that are just interested in getting involved. With this 4 point plan i really believe I with the help of the History students at DMU can really make a difference into the enthusiasm of studying History and also the future of studying History, as if i am elected i will run every year that I am at DMU to ensure these promises are carried out and stick to help future students;i look forward for the year ahead, and hope you cast your vote for me :)))