Raigan Mathew Saji

Biography

Hello everyone,

I'm a second-year medical student here at TMA. I have always been motivated by the belief that listening to and supporting others is the foundation of being a good leader.

I previously volunteered in an NHS phlebotomy ward in the UK, where I worked alongside healthcare professionals to help patients have a seamless experience at the hospital. Even though my role involved simple tasks such as greeting patients, keeping them company, and managing appointments, it taught me how powerful empathy and communication can be.

I have also represented my college during open events, guiding visitors and ensuring the smooth running of activities. Alongside this, I continue to serve as an ambassador for the agency that supported my admission to TMA. In this role, I speak with prospective students and their families, answer questions they may have about the university, and provide campus tours when needed.

I believe these experiences have helped me develop strong interpersonal skills and a deep sense of responsibility. They have shaped me into someone who leads through empathy and initiative, which reflects the very reason I chose medicine: helping people and addressing their challenges gives me a sense of purpose.

This is the approach I hope to bring to the role of Student Representative. I am eager to grow in this position, and I hope that, with your support and cooperation, we can make our time here both meaningful and rewarding.

Thank you for your consideration.

Action Plan

These are some of the issues most commonly raised by the students and how I plan to tackle them as student rep:

Library being closed - Library is always closed near exam times or during Georgian holidays. I plan to collect feedback on this and present it to the administration advocating for solutions.

University furniture - Many students have raised concerns about a lot of broken chairs and tables. I will communicate these concerns to the university.

Improve communication - Dates for exams and holidays are often announced late. I will advocate for earlier communication.

Supporting mental health - Burnout is a lot more common than you think and many people don't know how to reach out for help. I will try to make psychologist access more visible and advocate for lighter exam schedules and better support during exam seasons.

Sports funding - Students pay out of pocket for practice sessions at courts. I will advocate for the importance of how sports help both physical and mental wellbeing.

Better Feedback - I feel like students' opinions are ignored often or not taken seriously. I'll aim to use our WhatsApp group chat to conduct feedback forms which can be used to come with monthly summaries that can be shared with the administration and the students.

Exam scheduling - A lot of the time exams are packed too closely together. I will collect student feedback on exam spacing and advocate for fairer scheduling.

Represent students more - I want students to have a better point of contact so they can raise any issues. I aim to propose to elect at least one student from each semester who can gather feedback from their classmates so we can address everyone's concerns more fairly.