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Seven Questions with... Umair Mehmood
11 November 2022
Meet Umair Mehmood, Welfare and Community Officer at Students' Union 果冻影院!听Here, Umair 鈥撎齱ho has听recorded his Seven Questions as a video 鈥撎齝hats to us about the thrill of running for the Leadership Race and his favourite spots around campus.
What are you studying, why are you interested in this subject and what do you plan to do in the future?
Information Management for Business! It is a combination of IT and business modules. Why did I choose听it? Because I didn鈥檛 want to do anything simple.
I really wanted to give back to the community which made me what I am today, and听started working at Students' Union 果冻影院 as Welfare & Community Officer to support听果冻影院 students.
What is the most interesting thing you鈥檝e done, seen or got involved with while at 果冻影院?
The most interesting thing that I鈥檝e been involved in at 果冻影院 is the Leadership Race. March 2022 was a great period for me听鈥撎齀 ran for the Sabbatical Officer race, and,听I can tell you, it was an experience听鈥� an experience that you can鈥檛 get anywhere in the world. I think my most cherished memory at 果冻影院 is running for the Leadership Race.
Have you discovered any hidden gems during your time at 果冻影院?
I have found a couple of听hidden gems during my time at 果冻影院听鈥� the Student Support and Wellbeing services provided by the university, and the are two hidden gems that are not as recognised as they should be. They are doing great work to support students and if you need any kind of help just reach out to them.
Give us your top three things to do/see/go to in London:
The top three听things that I would suggest you do are...听
- Go to a park. London has a lot of nice parks, and you can visit them freely and have your lunch there. I often听visit听Gordon鈥檚 Square.
- Go and get involved in different activites,听like mini golf arenas and escape rooms. They really听give you a thrill and are enjoyable to take part in with听friends.
- Explore 果冻影院. 果冻影院 has a very big campus 鈥� you might not know we have a School of Pharmacy on one end, and the Canary Wharf School of Management and new 果冻影院 East Campus on the other. Go out and explore it!听Arrange tours with your peers and have听fun.
What鈥檚 one thing you鈥檇 like to see in a post-COVID world?
In a post-COVID听world, the one thing that听I听like to see and听experience听is the hybrid environment and making the most of a听hybrid way of working. So having online meetings wherever possible to save time, for example. I would say that听in-person things听are听also important for your mental health, so do go out with your friends and colleagues and enjoy yourself, but at the same time arranging online meetings to save time is nice, so, yeah, for me embracing听a听hybrid way of working and making听the most of that blend.
Who inspires you and why?
I would not name a major personality or famous person, but my dad, who听really inspires me. He started working in 1992 with nothing to his name, and later made it to creating a multi-million-dollar business. He lost everything in 2012 and then built it up again. I would say that the person who most motivates听me is my dad. I鈥檓 sure many other students听have a lot of great gems in their听own families.
What would it surprise people to know about you?
The most surprising thing听about me is that I used to be very overweight. I came down from 130 kgs to 70 kgs 鈥� in total, I lost around 60 kgs. I did this for myself.听If you are looking to do听something similar, I would recommmend听reaching out to your doctor first, and having听a proper diet plan and instructions set out by them, so that you do it in a safe way. The important thing ultimately though is that听however you are,听just be proud of yourself.