DSU has been busy making student life unforgettable – even on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
De Montfort Students’ Union (DSU) has been busy making student life unforgettable – even on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Dan Winney, President of DSU, has spoken about his joy at seeing hundreds of students on De Montfort University (DMU)’s biggest-ever #DMUglobal visit to New York take part in a number of additional activities organised by their students’ union.
He said: “It was fantastic to travel to America as a part of the #DMUglobal trip, with so many students saying that this was their first time abroad.
“Our evening activities were organised to give students an extra chance to socialise with others from DMU and meet new people, as well as give them the chance to experience more of such a magnificent city in a safe environment.”
While the 1,000-strong party of DMU students and staff were broken down into academic groups during the daytime, Dan explained that the evening activities were designed to allow students from across various courses to socialise and experience the Big Apple together.
More than 400 DMU students enjoyed the DSU-organised Staten Island Ferry trip despite the sub-zero temperatures.
“With over 400 people attending, the Staten Island Ferry trip was a particular highlight for me,” he continued. “It demonstrated a strong show of togetherness, with one local resident saying he had never seen anything like it before.”
As well as the ferry trip past the Statue of Liberty and the chance to see the Manhattan skyline at night, other evening activities included ice skating outside the New York Public Library, a journey to the top of the Rockefeller Centre and a visit to the city’s famed linear park, the High Line.
And with #DMUglobal planning to inspire 1,500 students with another huge overseas visit to Berlin this summer, Dan hopes to build on the work done in New York.
“It is great that the university has shown such an interest in the student experience,” he explained. “I welcome the proposed trip to Berlin as it will allow more of our students to enhance their international outlook and sample a different culture which will stand them in good stead as they finish their degrees.”
Dan and his fellow officers Augustus Mbanasor, Mike Mayes and Ahtesham Mahmood coordinated the various events, which saw hundreds of students add to their academic experiences on the other side of the Pond.
VP Student Activities, Ahtesham Mahmood, and DP Education, Augustus Mbanasor, were also on hand to support the trip.
Louise Cunliffe, a third-year Psychology student and Disabled Students’ Representative at DSU, also went on the trip – which has inspired her to go back once she graduates this summer.
She said: “As a student I wanted to go on all of the SU-organised activities. The whole city is so surreal; seeing everything that you have seen over the years [in films] is something that I loved.
“I’ve taken nearly 1,000 photographs and I keep scrolling through them because I just cannot believe I was there.”
Louise, too, threw her support behind the #DMUglobal scheme which aims to give as many students as possible an international experience while studying at DMU.
“If you get a chance, just do it. Not only do you gain so much from it academically, but you also have the time to explore the city yourself.
“It teaches you how to be independent and I would do it again in a heartbeat…even if it meant doing all the work again!”
You can find out more about the university’s planned trip to Berlin here. Details of DSU’s extra-curricular activities in the German capital will be released in due course.
#DMUglobal is now in the planning stages of its next biggest-ever trip to Berlin in May or June this year.
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