Monday 10-08-2026 - 14:01

 

 

Written by Swathi Samikkannu, Academic Representative for MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management (October 2025 - September 2026). 

 

 

 

When I first arrived in the UK as an international student to begin my MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, I knew I wanted to get involved and give something back to my course community. Early in the term, I submitted an application describing who I was and what I hoped to achieve if elected as an Academic Representative. A week later, I received the email confirming I had been elected, a moment I remember as both exciting and slightly daunting, since I would be the sole representative for a cohort of 52 students from across the world. 

 

 

Managing a group that size on my own was never going to be easy. Every student came from a different background, a different country, and a different set of expectations, and my priority was making sure they felt comfortable enough to trust me with their concerns. I set up a WhatsApp group early on as our main channel of communication, using it to gather feedback, understand students' needs, and keep everyone updated on what was happening behind the scenes. Over time, this became the space where students felt able to speak up, and it gave me a clear, constant view of the issues that mattered most to them. 

One of the first challenges I helped resolve was a clash in the timetable affecting the cohort. After hearing this raised repeatedly in the group chat, I brought the issue directly to the course management team, and the timetable was adjusted accordingly- a small change on paper, but one that made a real difference to students' weekly schedules. 

In November, a planned field trip for our cohort was cancelled. For a course centred on logistics and supply chain management, a visit like this isn't just a nice extra; it's a chance to see, first-hand, how a globally recognised company manages real-world warehousing and operations. I felt strongly that our cohort shouldn't miss out, so I raised the case with management and pushed for the trip to be reinstated. Following that, we were told the trip would go ahead to Amazon's fulfilment centre in Bolton, UK, in July, and we successfully ran two batches of visits to the site on the 1st and 22nd of July. Seeing it through from an undisclosed cancellation to a fully realised, twice-run trip was one of the proudest moments of my year as a rep. 

None of this would have been possible without the people around me. I built strong working relationships with representatives from other courses, and I'm especially grateful to Nhu Quynh Do, our Programme Director, and Anas Iftikhar, our previous Programme Director, for their guidance and support throughout the year. My friends were also a huge source of encouragement, reminding me I was doing a good job even on the days when balancing coursework, assignments, events, and representative duties felt overwhelming. 

Alongside my work as a rep, I was part of a team of four representing Graduate College who entered Eco Challenge 2026, a 48-hour innovation sprint. The idea I brought to the team was Re-Cater, a platform designed to connect students who needed food with surplus food left over after events, acting as a bridge between the two. I'm proud to say the idea was mine, and our team went on to win the People's Choice Award for it. 

 

Between representing my cohort, competing in Eco Challenge, and keeping up with my own studies as an international student, this year has been an incredibly full one. It hasn't always been easy, but it's taught me a huge amount about leadership, communication, and standing up for the people I represent, especially when managing a cohort as large and diverse as mine. I was deeply honoured to be nominated for the Academic Representative Awards 2026 by my own cohort, who felt I had done right by them. That recognition, from the very students I was elected to support, means more to me than anything else this year. 

 

I'd like to say a heartfelt thank you to Jackie Clifton, Nhu Quynh Do, and the other staff members who supported and appreciated my efforts throughout this journey. Representing my course has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my time at Lancaster, and I hope it encourages other international students to put themselves forward; you have more impact than you might think.