A former student from Stratford-upon-Avon College has reached new heights after being elected Student Union President at a London University.
Maizie Kelly, from Solihull, studied Musical Theatre at the college from 2015-2017 before progressing to the London College of Music – part of the University of West London. She has now been elected as Student Union President with the role starting in September 2022.
Maizie has always loved performing, doing musical theatre and drama through school and in her free time. When it came to choosing a place to study, the college was recommended to her by her singing teacher.
Studying Musical Theatre at the College was a great experience for Maizie: “I loved it. It was so much fun. Musicals Rock was a particular highlight. I miss it!”
Following completion of her course, Maizie went to Drama School in Guilford to do a foundation year in Musical Theatre. After working as a dance teacher at a Summer Camp she then began as a PE teacher at a primary school.
But it wasn’t too long until Maizie was pulled back to the performing lifestyle and secured a place at the London College of Music to study Music Performance and Recording: “I want to perform. I love it so much and happy with whatever I do as long as there is a performance aspect to it!”
As well as a love for performance, Maizie also has a passion for politics. During the Pandemic, Maizie spent a lot of time with her best friend and roommate who was the current Student Union President: “Seeing what she was doing made me really interested in getting involved and creating change.”
Last year Maizie was a National Union of Students (NUS) delegate and stood for Student Union president this year. Her manifesto included things really important to her, including Learning Disabilities awareness, especially for lecturers: “I am Dispraxic and only one lecturer knew what that actually meant. If lecturers and teachers don’t know what different learning disabilities are, then they can’t help students. Especially if those students struggle to explain about their experience.”
Maizie is excited to begin the role and recognises the help her performance background has been: “The confidence I have got from being a performer has helped me so much. Also having to do public speaking a lot, I have been developing these skills throughout my performance training.”
Musical Theatre lecturer, Alex Dengate, congratulates Maizie on her success: “It is great news! Maizie was always a fantastic singer and performer but also a grafter. She worked extremely hard and was always productive and proactive. It is no surprise to see her doing great things.”
The College wishes Maizie the best for her time as President and knows she will have a fantastic impact!
