The Event: A Visit to the House of Lords

Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to visit the House of Lords for the International Student Celebration event hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) to recognize the impact of international students on the UK community. It was an unbelievable experience, and I’m excited to share all about it and how I ended up there through this blog.

The event was held in the Atlee and Reid Room of the House of Lords—a venue I had only seen in pictures. As someone who had never been to Parliament, this was a surreal opportunity in itself. Upon arrival, I was greeted with airport-level security, which added to the seriousness of the occasion. Once inside, I met other students in the waiting room. As we chatted, I was struck by their extraordinary accomplishments during their relatively short time in the UK.

The event was inspirational. We heard from parliamentarians who emphasized the significance of international students in the UK, as well as two students whose stories touched me.

My Journey: From Volunteering to Leadership

If you are wondering how I ended up in this room, let me take you back to my first year at the University of Warwick.

My volunteering journey began with Nature Conservation Volunteers (NCV), a project under Warwick Volunteers where I helped preserve local environments. Around the same time, I worked with Education Saves Lives, translating interactive health education materials into Bangla, my mother tongue, to make them accessible to communities across the globe.

In my second year, I became a project leader for NCV. Working with an incredible team, we doubled student participation to 230 members and expanded partnerships to include organizations across Warwickshire. I also volunteered at Bagot’s Castle heritage site and Canley Community Centre, contributing to preserving history and fostering community well-being.

Among my other voluntary activities, I also became a peer mentor to first-year economics students. Helping new, especially international, students settle into university was the highlight of this role.

Now, in my third year, I am honoured to be appointed as the President of Warwick Volunteers. leading a community of 1,000 students collaborating with 135 organizations. This year, I was thrilled that Warwick Volunteers received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, recognizing the collective impact of both home and international students on the community.

Over the last 6 months, I have also been working as an International Student Ambassador to empower international students to be key partners and co-creators at Warwick and develop an inclusive global community on campus. I have contributed to implementing new and exciting International Student Experience enhancement projects, provided peer-to-peer support to new international students during Welcome Week, amplified the voice of international students by sharing my lived experience with staff, and facilitated International Student Roundtable events to obtain feedback from international students to drive positive changes in the University.

Reflections

Due to my extensive work in the community, I was selected to represent Warwick and the international community here, at this high-profile APPG event. And, I am eternally grateful to have had this experience!

My parting message is this: I’ve witnessed the profound impact we can make on local communities and the impact that can have on us, in return. It can lead to opportunities you never dreamt of, like going to the House of Lords for instance. Hence, I would like to encourage everyone to engage with the community in any way possible. At the very least, it will enrich your experience in the UK!