{"id":5644,"date":"2026-06-02T13:51:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T12:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/?p=5644"},"modified":"2026-06-17T12:51:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T11:51:37","slug":"your-semester-wrapped-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/2026\/06\/02\/your-semester-wrapped-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Semester Wrapped: 2026\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As another&nbsp;academic year&nbsp;draws to a close,&nbsp;let\u2019s&nbsp;look back at the highlights!&nbsp;<br><br>From new clubs and societies to award-winning student entrepreneurs, volunteering initiatives, wellbeing support, and student-led change, 2026 was packed with achievements across the Students\u2019 Union community.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Clubs &amp; Societies <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover is-light\" style=\"min-height:370px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-5727 size-large\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/Pic-14-3-2-1024x683.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/Pic-14-3-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/Pic-14-3-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/Pic-14-3-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/Pic-14-3-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/Pic-14-3-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-30 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#a8a6a7\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Student community,&nbsp;creativity&nbsp;and ambition continued to thrive in 2026, with&nbsp;21 brand new Clubs and Societies introduced across campus.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/clubssocieties\/padel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Padel<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/clubssocieties\/symphonyorchestra\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Symphony Orchestra<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/clubssocieties\/tea\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tea Society<\/a>&nbsp;were just a handful of those bringing students together.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>That brings the total number to an impressive 248 groups, including 58 Clubs and 190 Societies.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>This year\u2019s largest Societies were:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/clubssocieties\/qiss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">International Students\u2019 Society<\/a>&nbsp;(556 members)&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/clubssocieties\/consulting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Consulting and Entrepreneurship Society<\/a>&nbsp;(456 members)&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/clubssocieties\/walkietalkiegirlies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Walkie Talkie Girlies<\/a>&nbsp;(351 members)&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the biggest Clubs on campus were:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/clubssocieties\/tennis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tennis Club<\/a>&nbsp;(306 members)&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/clubssocieties\/surf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Surf Club<\/a>&nbsp;(255 members)&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/clubssocieties\/12995\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hiking Club<\/a>&nbsp;(227 members)&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The overall funds raised by Clubs and Socs this year? A massive \u00a31.1 million! And every penny goes back into creating new experiences and opportunities for the 16,500+ members. Amazing work to all those involved.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>And of course, we&nbsp;couldn\u2019t&nbsp;<em>not&nbsp;<\/em>celebrate all those amazing achievements. The 2026 SU Awards&nbsp;showcased&nbsp;the jaw-dropping talent of our students, with winners including&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/clubssocieties\/dance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dance Club<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/clubssocieties\/dragonslayers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dragon Slayers<\/a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/clubssocieties\/indonesian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Indonesian Society<\/a>, plus a bunch of exceptional individual awards. Relive the night&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/2026\/05\/01\/su-awards-2026-the-winners\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Volunteering<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\" style=\"min-height:371px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-5729 size-large\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/JBE02661-6-1024x684.jpg\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/JBE02661-6-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/JBE02661-6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/JBE02661-6-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/JBE02661-6-1536x1026.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/JBE02661-6-2048x1368.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-40 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#616564\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Making an impact, feeling empowered and building skills in the process \u2013&nbsp;that&#8217;s&nbsp;what our student volunteers did this&nbsp;year, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.q-su.org\/VolunteerSU\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">you can too!<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>5,915&nbsp;students dipped their toes into the world of volunteering through taster sessions, fairs and more.<br>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Not sure you can make a long-term commitment but still want to volunteer? 937 students were in the same boat this&nbsp;year, and&nbsp;took part in one-off volunteering activities from community gardening to litter picking. Find out more about Handy Helpers&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.qubsu.org\/VolunteerSU\/Opportunities\/HandyHelpers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>175 student volunteers dedicated their time to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.q-su.org\/VolunteerSU\/Opportunities\/HomeworkClubs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">supporting children and young people<\/a>&nbsp;living in areas affected by educational underachievement.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As well as giving back, volunteering is&nbsp;a great way&nbsp;to boost your skills and let your CV shine! 121&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.qubsu.org\/VolunteerSU\/GetRewarded\/VolunteerSU\/GetRewarded\/PrestigeAwards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Prestige Volunteer<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.qubsu.org\/VolunteerSU\/GetRewarded\/future-ready-award\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Future Ready Awards<\/a>&nbsp;were presented this year, officially recognising the time, commitment and skills&nbsp;demonstrated&nbsp;through&nbsp;their volunteering&nbsp;efforts.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Enterprise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\" style=\"min-height:375px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-5734 size-large\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/Pix-74-7-1024x683.jpg\" style=\"object-position:47% 45%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"47% 45%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/Pix-74-7-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/Pix-74-7-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/Pix-74-7-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/Pix-74-7-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/Pix-74-7-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#737088\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Student innovation continued to flourish in 2026, with aspiring entrepreneurs turning ideas into reality through&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.q-su.org\/EnterpriseSU\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">competitions, funding, and development<\/a>&nbsp;programmes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>160 students were supported with SU Enterprise business one-to-ones. Book your appointment\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.q-su.org\/EnterpriseSU\/Businessone-to-ones\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a3500k of external funding was secured by students\u00a0and recent graduates\u00a0to scale or develop their idea further. Book your appointment\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.q-su.org\/EnterpriseSU\/Businessone-to-ones\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From bouncy castles to mobile saunas, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.qubsu.org\/EnterpriseSU\/Opportunities\/MakeitHappenFund\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Make It Happen Fund<\/a>\u00a0helps students do exactly that &#8211; make it happen! This year 40 student-led projects were awarded a total of \u00a353k in funding to make ideas a reality. <br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>13 businesses stepped into the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.qubsu.org\/EnterpriseSU\/Opportunities\/DragonsDen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">QUB Dragons\u2019 Den<\/a>&nbsp;this year for a share of the \u00a332k prize pot. Congratulations once again to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/2026\/04\/22\/qub-dragons-den-awards-2026-the-winners\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oliver Woodward<\/a>, who claimed 1<sup>st<\/sup>&nbsp;place with&nbsp;SwingSight, an AI-powered golf coaching app that analyses swing videos from a smartphone and delivers instant feedback alongside personalised drills.&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Meanwhile, former QUB Dragons\u2019 Den winner Peter Gilleece received \u00a350,000 after being named overall winner at the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk\/events\/business-awards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Belfast Telegraph Business Awards<\/a>. An example of student talent making an impact far beyond campus.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a37k was distributed among students seeking funding to develop innovative ideas in the annual \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.qubsu.org\/EnterpriseSU\/Opportunities\/WhatsTheBigIdea\/\">What\u2019s the Big Idea?<\/a>\u2019 competition, with \u2018Best Overall\u2019 awarded to MBA student Yogiraj Jakkal with his idea, FluoroApt.\u202f<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Wellbeing &amp; Advice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover\" style=\"min-height:372px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-5736 size-large\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/IMG_0846-1-7-1024x768.jpg\" style=\"object-position:53% 57%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"53% 57%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/IMG_0846-1-7-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/IMG_0846-1-7-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/IMG_0846-1-7-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/IMG_0846-1-7-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/IMG_0846-1-7-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#8b786c\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">University can be stressful, so supporting your mental health and wellbeing is always going to be a top priority for the SU.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This year, we introduced free weekly activity hours and welcomed over 700 of you for &#8216;bad art&#8217; workshops, photo journaling and so much more. You\u2019re always welcome \u2013 check out the SU Activity Hours on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/whatson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What\u2019s On<\/a>\u00a0page.\u00a0\u00a0<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To help with cost-of-living pressures, we distributed 10k free meals throughout the academic year.\u00a0<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.q-su.org\/costofliving\/ThePantryFreeRefillStation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pantry<\/a>&nbsp;continued to play&nbsp;an important role&nbsp;in supporting students, recording more than 20,000 visits.&nbsp;Weekly specials throughout the term included essentials and household staples ranging from eggs to fresh fruit and veg.&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Student intern, Beatrice, grew and harvested herbs for The Pantry from our hydroponic tower, a sustainable method of growing plants without soil.\u00a0\u00a0<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alongside this,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.q-su.org\/AdviceSU\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SU Advice<\/a>&nbsp;provided support to 2,100 students on almost 4,000 issues, resulting in \u00a342k in financial outcomes. The team offers impartial and confidential advice \u2013 find their drop-in hours&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.qubsu.org\/AdviceSU\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our free sexual health clinic had visits from over 1,250 students. Check out our What\u2019s On page for clinic drop-in hours in the coming weeks (these change over the summer months).&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Student Voice &amp; Representation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover is-light\" style=\"min-height:375px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-5740 size-large\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/2025_09_17_QUBSU_Freshers_Fair_Day2_LowRes-152-1024x683.jpg\" style=\"object-position:51% 30%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"51% 30%\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/2025_09_17_QUBSU_Freshers_Fair_Day2_LowRes-152-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/2025_09_17_QUBSU_Freshers_Fair_Day2_LowRes-152-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/2025_09_17_QUBSU_Freshers_Fair_Day2_LowRes-152-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/2025_09_17_QUBSU_Freshers_Fair_Day2_LowRes-152-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/2025_09_17_QUBSU_Freshers_Fair_Day2_LowRes-152-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#8c8586\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Student voices rang louder than ever in 2026, driving meaningful change across campus and beyond.&nbsp;<br><br>This year:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>45 students ran for full-time&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.q-su.org\/YourUnion\/MeettheTeam\/StudentOfficers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Student Officer<\/a>&nbsp;roles.&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/voice\/democracy\/suelections\/theresults\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">6 Student Officers<\/a>&nbsp;were&nbsp;elected&nbsp;to lead for the 2026\/27 academic year \u2013 you will see them around campus from July!&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Students came out to the polls&nbsp;en&nbsp;masse for the highest ever QSU recorded<a href=\"https:\/\/home.q-su.org\/voice\/democracy\/allstudentvote\/\"> referendum result<\/a>.&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our current&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.q-su.org\/YourUnion\/MeettheTeam\/StudentOfficers\/UnionPresident\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SU President<\/a>, Amy, was elected President of NUS-USI, and&nbsp;will go on to&nbsp;represent&nbsp;students in Higher &amp; Further Education across Northern Ireland.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Engagement in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.q-su.org\/studentvoice\/SUElections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SU Elections<\/a>&nbsp;reached a huge milestone, with 57,526 votes cast by students throughout the year \u2013 and this is <strong>SO IMPORTANT&nbsp;<\/strong>because&nbsp;the people you vote for have the power to create change. This year your elected officers made progress on:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Getting the green light from the University on a Housing Co-Op on campus&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Training and awareness events aimed at Ending Violence Against Women and Girls&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Student safety initiatives, including night buses&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reusable period product initiatives&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drug &amp; Alcohol Harm Reduction accreditation (the first in Ireland to do so)&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Developing a virtual campus map &#8211; which we hope will go live in September and should make getting around campus a little easier&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Responding to consultations on the Postgraduate Tuition Free Loan and NI Executive&nbsp;Three Year&nbsp;Budget&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lobbying on the HE&nbsp;Funding&nbsp;Review and student financial support&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Looking Ahead<\/strong><br><br>This year&nbsp;really&nbsp;showcased&nbsp;the power of students coming together to create change, support one another, and make campus life better for everyone.&nbsp;<br><br>Thank you to every student, volunteer, society member, club committee, officer, and staff member who made 2026 such a memorable year. You helped make us the UK\u2019s No.1 SU for a second year in a row!&nbsp;<br><br>We&nbsp;can\u2019t&nbsp;wait to see what you do next &#8211;&nbsp;here\u2019s&nbsp;to an even bigger 2027&#8230;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As another&nbsp;academic year&nbsp;draws to a close,&nbsp;let\u2019s&nbsp;look back at the highlights!&nbsp; From new clubs and societies to award-winning student entrepreneurs, volunteering initiatives, wellbeing support, and student-led change, 2026 was packed with achievements across the Students\u2019 Union community.&nbsp; Clubs &amp; Societies Student community,&nbsp;creativity&nbsp;and ambition continued to thrive in 2026, with&nbsp;21 brand new Clubs and Societies introduced across [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[96,15,353,354],"class_list":["post-5644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-student-life","tag-studentlife","tag-students","tag-wrapped","tag-wrapped-2026","czr-hentry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2026\/06\/Image-15-6.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6B2ST-1t2","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5644"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5777,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5644\/revisions\/5777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/studentsunion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}