“It’s just like being in a café and asking for a recommendation!” Ambassador Will on the friendliness of the Maynooth CampusConnect community
Will is a Maynooth University student and CampusConnect Community Ambassador who thrives off connecting with others, whether it’s through yoga, campaigning, or helping students online. He also has some sound advice on looking for accommodation for incoming students!
Name: Will
From: Ireland
University: Maynooth University
Course: MA Anthropology
Fun fact: Will is currently taking Spanish classes with a Venezuelan teacher!
Ask Will about: Cycling and running routes near to Maynooth
Anthropology: it’s all about the human connection
“I first studied at drama school in Glasgow doing contemporary performance. I learned that I was interested in working with people, but less so in seeing myself on stage. My interest in anthropology was sparked further by a module that I did at university in Norway on arts-based ethnography. I also realised that I wanted to enhance my research skills, so decided that anthropology was the way forward. It’s all about thinking about people and their environment.
Ethnography is the most well-known aspect, which includes talking to people, interviewing them and getting the full picture of their lives. I’m doing some work around climate at the moment, covering people’s relationship with the climate crisis. It involves doing interviews with climate activists, and I’m looking forward to these taking place in person again. I just love being able to meet people and learn all about them.”
Campaigning, connecting and… Chinese cabbage?
“I’m currently working on trying to create a citizen-led second chamber in Scotland. The aim of this would be to push forward recommendations that people have put together, to complement the ad-hoc citizens assemblies on different issues. My work involves convincing political parties and communities that the second chamber is a good idea. I usually do videos, workshops and talks with the public. I’ve even held a banner in the rain! It’s really rewarding though, especially the human connection.
I also teach yoga for the university yoga society. I qualified 1 year ago, but I’ve been practising yoga for about 10 years. There’s a real range of students from complete beginners to experienced. It’s nice to see a new first-timer in almost every class, which also challenges me to think about different people’s needs. It brings me joy and I enjoy creating new flows.
Aside from this, I love to cook vegetarian recipes. My favourite cookbook is called the Green Roasting Tin, which has loads of veggie recipes that can be done in a roasting tin. There’s a great one where you put rice in the bottom with water, and then add ingredients like Chinese cabbage, aubergine, honey, soy sauce etc. You just put tin foil on it and it cooks in 50 minutes!”
Making the most of CampusConnect
“I’ve just got started as an Ambassador because CampusConnect helped me a lot last year when I had questions about travel, hobbies and housing. As an example, I was almost buying a bike, but people on CampusConnect informed me that the cycle routes between my accommodation and the university weren’t too good – so that saved me some trouble! I’m hoping to pass this on to others and just chat to people in general.
The most common topic students ask about is housing, that’s what people get worried about. My advice would be: don’t be afraid to look at places in Dublin if you’re at Maynooth. Lots of people live there, especially postgrads. I was nervous, so looked closer to the uni, but in hindsight I should have prioritised transport links over proximity to the university, as transport in Dublin is really good.
For me, student community is all about having challenging, interesting conversations in a place where you’re all learning. It’s being able to bounce off others and opening your mind to new ideas. A top tip from me is to not be afraid to ask questions. It can feel very public, but it’s actually just like being in a café and asking somebody for a recommendation. Although it’s daunting to make your first post, I’d say just do it!”
Will’s sights are set on further study after finishing his MA, and he’d also like to continue his work as a campaigner to support climate action in the community. For now, we’re looking forward to having Will’s wise words within the Maynooth CampusConnect community.