Love, Will

Hello,

My name is Will King and I was at the University of Otago between the years of 2018-2020 studying a Bachelor of Commerce, with a double major in Economics & Marketing. I was part of the UniCrew team for both 2019 and 2020.

Towards the end of my first year, I saw that the Social Impact Studio (Student Volunteer Centre at the time) advertised for a role described as a Social Impact Lead – a role in which students can help to both organise and take part in volunteering work around the wider Dunedin community. I was lucky enough to get the role and started in my second year at the University. After a few months into the Social Impact Lead role (this was part of the UniCrew team), I also became familiar with Silverline and they work students do in this role around the mental health space. Around halfway through the year, I joined a team working on a project called “It’s Not Awkward Bro”, a community where students get together to fight the stigma surrounding mental health, with a particular focus on the male community on campus. In my third and final year, I was part of both the UniCrew and the Its Not Awkward Bro team.

As far as personal experiences go, my time with the Social Impact Studio helped develop the core values that I hold close to me to this day. The likes of always challenging myself, having the confidence to take on responsibility, and general qualities (selflessness, kindness, dedication etc.) are all things I can take away from my 2 years with the studio.

In regards to the professional side, I am currently working full time now in Christchurch in Sales & Marketing. During the interview process, my involvement with the studio came up. This is because the company I work for (Verkerks) is a family oriented business that had core values in their company that they look for in their employees, and these core values heavily align with the studio (e.g. community, teamwork, collaboration). 

I have many lasting memories of my time with the studio. Not only did I gain another family while being down in Dunedin for the last two years of my degree, but I also learned so much about myself during this time. For UniCrew, being a part of a team that could bring smiles to faces of people that we helped and knowing we were actually making a real and tangible positive impact is a memory I will cherish for a long time. In the Silverline space, being a part of such an important topic such as the mental health space was challenging yet so rewarding. It brings a smile to my face to see how far both groups have progressed since I left university (I still keep up with the social accounts!). 

Will