and now… the current jcr president, luke wagner i’m luke wagner, jcr president 2017/18. i studied english as an undergraduate at st mary’s college, and graduated in july 2017. over my time at mary’s, i was involved in a varie- ty of different aspects of the jcr. i was a post-offer visit day rep, a freshers’ rep, held a number of positions on the executive committees of different clubs and societies, worked on the bar, and organised a number of college events as midsummer ball chair and social chair. the en- joyment i experienced and the skills i developed over my time as a student inspired me to stand for the position of jcr president. the process of running for jcr president is unlike applying for another job. i had to have an interview with catherine paine, then-acting principal, to discuss my plans and suitabil- ity for the role, and then prepare a ‘bog sheet’ (manifesto) and a ‘hust’ which was given at a jcr meeting. the members of the jcr then voted based on whether they would like to see me take on the position, and luckily i won. i began my tenure as president on 1st august 2017, around a month after graduation, and i will finish on 31st july 2018. i am required to live in college, and, as it is a full-time job, i stay up during the university holidays when there are very few students around. it can be quite weird to stay over the holidays, when the usually vi- brant and active college community becomes very quiet! as previously mentioned, i held a number of positions on the executive committees for various clubs and soci- eties. this provides a brief insight into the structure of the jcr and how many activities there are to get in- volved with. we have sports clubs ranging from the more traditional sports of rugby, football, hockey, and net- ball, to more unusual sports including ultimate frisbee, volleyball, and futsal (indoor five-a-side football). our wide range of societies include arts, the social committee, ball committees, and even our very own beekeep- ing society. each of these clubs and societies are governed by their own executive committees, which provides ample opportunity for students to take up leadership positions and throw themselves into college life outside of their academic studies. as i come to the end of my time as jcr president, it provides an opportunity to reflect on the past year. it cer- tainly is not without its challenges. one of the most difficult parts of the job has been the prevalence of social media in maintaining contact with students. it has often felt like students think i am available 24/7, and i will receive messages at all times of day and night, which can be overwhelming. this year has been a crash course in managing people, and without the challenges i would not have learnt as much as i have about myself. i can truly say i have grown as a person by being jcr president, and despite the struggles, it has been a very reward- ing year. luke wagner, st mary’s college jcr president, 2017-2018 (cid:1007)(cid:1013)