The fun, crazy and life-changing world of volunteering at the University of Hertfordshire

One of my fondest memories of my time at the University of Hertfordshire is the time I spent volunteering for charity and societies. During my undergraduate degree I raised money for the charity Childreach International; wrote and was eventually TV Editor for Trident Media, the University’s student led media outlet and helped start my own society with my friends based on our shared love for cosplay (for those who don’t know the term it’s the practice of dressing up as a character from a film, book or video game). Therefore, I think it’s safe to say that I took part in a lot of the volunteering opportunities Herts had to offer!

I originally decided to volunteer to boost my CV – volunteering gives you plenty to talk about in job interviews and I still talk about my experiences now! I also wanted to meet new people and have the opportunity to try new things. In fact, I actually met my boyfriend at a charity pub crawl. Since I was organising the event he messaged me, as he wasn’t sure where the Law Court Building was which is where we were meeting. To stop a lost person with a charity bucket wandering around I met him at the de Havilland bus stop and although I had seen his photograph on Facebook I hadn’t realised how tall he was. For reference, I’m 5ft 2 (if we’re being kind) and he’s 6ft 5. My similarly small in stature friend went with me to meet him and my first memory of him is just us both craning our heads up to look at this giant!

Although, volunteering is time consuming I don’t regret a minute of my experiences. From starting the craze for Krispy Kreme bake sales to raise money for charity (I stand by that our volunteering group started the trend) to spitballing ideas for the next issue of the paper for Trident Media; I loved every second of it. Make sure you log your volunteering hours though straight after an activity, as trust me they will definitely add up! This is important as these hours can go towards your Go Herts Award, which is great for showing your commitment to future employers.

Trust me, volunteering at the University will be crazy - wearing onesies to raise money for charity in Brighton was definitely a highlight, especially as the friend I volunteered with was a 6ft 4 man wearing a child’s pink One Direction onesie; fun – University is about learning but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a social life as well and life changing – I can honestly say my life would be nothing like it is now if I hadn’t go to University.