Grok Magazine sits down with Dylan Botica, a fourth-year student who’s currently doing a degree in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management, as we begin to learn more about his role as the Student Guild President, followed by the many responsibilities his position involves.
For starters, we ask Dylan if he’s had any prior experience with working in council positions before attending Curtin University and joining the Student Guild. “No, not at all. I wasn’t really a part of those groups back in high school.” He answers. “I think there’s a big difference between those who choose to go into university student leadership and those who choose to go into high school student leadership – but that’s just what I’ve observed.”
Having affirmed this, Dylan explains that after becoming a student at Curtin University, he would later gain some committee-role experience by becoming the President of the Psychology Student Association, while also joining a variety of other club committees.
“I was picked-up by the Guild because I had experience in other clubs – especially being a club president. I was pretty active in that sort of extra-curricular lifestyle. So, when someone asked me if I’d be interested in joining the Guild, I did.”
At the beginning of 2022, Dylan originally became the Student Guild Secretary, but ended up swapping roles with Theodora Rohl. As both roles are known to be extremely different from each other, we question Dylan about how he personally found this transition. “It was not an easy transition, as both roles are very different. The President is quite forward-facing, and has a lot of meetings outside of the Guild with a lot of external state-holders.” He affirms.
“For the Secretary, it’s quite the opposite, as there’s a lot of internal work involved. Although it was a big shift for Theodora and I, it still worked out well for the both of us, and I’m very thankful to have been offered the opportunity to become Guild President.”
As we’re keen to know more about the responsibilities of a Student Guild President, we inquire Dylan about what sort of tasks he’s expected to take on. “The Guild has the responsibility of being the recognised means of communication between all enrolled students and the university. My role as the Guild President is to relay issues from students to people who work for the university, and this is usually done through meetings or running campaigns to get the students’ messages across.”
Since proposing changes to the university on behalf of its students isn’t a quick and easy job, Dylan describes that doing so takes a combined effort from Student Guild representatives, and that his work involves a lot of consultations from students to create a convincing case. “I usually deal with a lot of meetings and emails on a daily basis, but at the end of the day, it’s all about putting together a cohesive message that the Guild can give and deliver in order to make as much change as we can.”
Due to the presidential role being quite demanding, we inquire Dylan on how he manages to balance his workload with his studies and other responsibilities outside of Curtin University. “While being the President or Vice-President, the Guild allows you to go on a special leave of absence – where you do remain a student, but still work within the role since it’s a full-time job.” He clarifies.
“I’m currently enrolled in one unit, and work as a nurse outside of Curtin University. Each of my obligations require a lot of time management and energy, but since the Guild President role only lasts for a short period of time, it’s something that I’ve just got to deal with – even though I don’t sleep as much.”
Moving forward, we ask Dylan about what he believes the most fulfilling aspects of his involvement with the Student Guild are. “Getting to work with a group of very passionate people, as well as people who genuinely care about helping others is very fulfilling, as they encourage you to work harder. Other rewarding benefits are being able to have a say in making decisions to create a more positive, visible change.”
Although the position of a Student Guild President is enjoyable most of the time, we question Dylan about whether there’s anything he’d personally change about his role. “If I had to change one thing, I wish there was a smoother transition and someone to actually supervise you while going into the role, as it would be very helpful to have someone guide you through the process.” He admits. “There’s always that fear of not wanting to do anything wrong, and it’s very easy to second-guess yourself. But you eventually learn to get used to making hard decisions – and on the off chance that you do make mistakes, you learn from them pretty quickly.”
Nearing the conclusion of our interview, we inquire Dylan about how he’s personally grown due to his involvement in student politics. “I’ve definitely become a lot more mature compared to how I used to be. Though, I have become a little more sceptical of others – which can be a good thing and a bad thing.” Confessing that he’s learned to not place all his eggs in one basket when it comes down to relying on other people, Dylan proceeds to underline more positive traits that he’s gained during his time as the Guild President.
“I’ve become a lot more empathetic and compassionate to things that students and other Guild representatives may be going through. In addition, I feel more confident with speaking on behalf of others and making hard decisions, while also becoming more aware of current social issues.”
As we reach the end of our discussion, Grok Magazine asks Dylan if he has any advice for those who may be interested in getting involved in student politics or potentially taking up his role in the near future. “If you’re going to do it, be prepared. You’ll need to consider what you want to achieve and what you’d like to get out of the role. If it’s only for personal gain, then student politics probably isn’t a good place to find that.” He advises.
“If anyone is planning on becoming the Guild President, I’d say go for it, but keep in mind that having prior presidential or committee experience will help a lot with the transition. Overall, find what issue is driving you, and then find the position that’s going to let you achieve what you want to achieve.”
Featured Image Credit: Jimmy Loh
