USASA Student President

Oliver Shephard-Bayly (He/Him)

sheof001@mymail.unisa.edu.au

What are you studying?

Bachelor of Social Work

What made you want to become a student representative?

Being a student isn’t easy, often you don't have a lot of power and balancing all of the commitments of uni life while working to afford to keep studying and managing all the other complexities of student life can be challenging. However, having a strong student association can make a massive difference in making real impacts on the lives of students. Acting as the voice of students to fight for a fairer university system and supporting students in good and bad times. I’m really passionate about making sure you always supported by a strong student association and that we always have a voice in decision-making that affects us.

What do you aim to achieve for UniSA students in 2024?

I’ve been really proud of the things the 2023 USASA board and I have been able to achieve for students last year. We’ve made a big impact improving the policies effecting students but there’s still so much to achieve. I’m focused on making sure student representation is in a strong position and that students voices are heard in a New University. With a cost-of-living crisis I’m also motivated to make sure more is done on all levels to make sure students are supported and that we do as much as possible to make material differences in the lives of students. They’re big goals and I certainly can’t do it alone but I’m proud to lead a passionate and experienced board that I know will continue to make a real difference in the lives of students.

What is the best thing about your campus?

I love how chill Magill is, it’s nice to always be around nature during study and I’m also a big fan of the sushi.

What is your best advice for your fellow students?

Take every opportunity that is put in front of you. It is important to be involved in a club or other non-academic activities around Uni. You never know what it might lead to and it is also a really amazing opportunity to make good friends and connections.

Which UniSA events are you looking forward to this year?

I am excited to make sure I attend as many small events and catch up with as many clubs as I can. It is awesome to see the amazing work of so many club execs play such an important role in making sure we all have fun things to go to around campus.

What instantly puts you in a good mood

Being around nature or taking the time to relax and have a nice tea/coffee.

How do you care yourself on mindfulness?

I think taking a moment when you're stressed to just pull back and let yourself cool down and then identify how to best go about solving whatever problem you're trying to tackle is really important.

If you could have dinner with anyone - dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I'm fascinated by Ancient History and I’d love to be able to have a conversation with people from Ancient Egypt and Rome and get a sense of what life was really like.

What is your MBTI and why do you think you are this type?

I'm an INTP-A so I’m quite Open minded and I enjoy going through the process of problem-solving