Getting involved and getting ahead

To say Emrana's got stuck into university life is an understatement. She’s heavily involved in student societies and activities, and obviously thrives on it – she’s even setting up her own society. The skills and experience she’s gained have given her the edge when applying for internships, and she’s met some of her best friends along the way.

What have you got involved with while at Manchester?

Last year I belonged to RAG as the publicity officer – I did all the digital marketing, graphic design, social media and photography. I also got involved with fundraising activities and wore a moustache for charity in November – for the whole month! I raised the most money out of everyone in Manchester, which was great – and fun!

I’m also the marketing coordinator for Enactus and I’m making a video for them at the moment. I rebranded the society and we got the most sign-ups at the Welcome Fair.

I’m vice-president of AIESEC, which is more of an international society – we send students on volunteering internships abroad. Through that I got to meet loads of new people – people from all over the world, which is fantastic.

How did you set up your own society?

I’m also currently setting up my own society – TEDx at The University of Manchester. We want to put on conferences throughout the year based on students’ interests, so we’re really excited about that. It’s taking quite a long time to set up but hopefully we we’ll be up and running soon.

After my first year I felt like I wanted to do more than just my course at University – so I just got involved! At first I felt a bit like a small fish in a big pond, but now I feel like I’m really making a difference. It’s really nice to be helping people.

I think the highlight of being involved in so many societies is the fun you have – and the people you meet.  I’ve made some of my closest friends through societies.

Why is it important to get involved with societies?

University is more than just getting a grade. I don’t think you’ll get the most out of University if you just do your degree – you need to get involved in other things. I feel like I’ve got some of the best experience through societies, and when you apply for jobs it really helps – I got my internship because of the experience I’d got through RAG. The skills you pick up make you so much more employable.