The Guild’s Postgraduate Officer is responsible for supporting and representing the University of Birmingham’s postgraduate students.

The candidates running for the position this year are listed alphabetically by their surname on this page. Voting for Guild Elections opens at 10 AM on Monday 25th February and closes at 4 PM on Friday 1st March, with the results announced on Saturday 2nd March. Vote HERE.

Tobiloba Adeyemi

International Relations & Diplomacy student Tobiloba Adeyemi is running for Postgraduate Officer with the key aim of making students’ voices heard ‘for real.’ Speaking to Redbrick in advance of campaign week, she added: ‘when I say for real, I mean for real.’

Having previously worked for a non-governmental organisation that focussed on youth empowerment and now a member of the Postgraduate and Mature Students Association (PGMSA), Adeyemi told us that she has experienced a ‘feeling of being left behind’ as a postgraduate at UoB. However, she believes that she possesses the skills to change this environment, stating: ‘I don’t intend for postgraduate students to blend in, I want them to stand out.’

Adeyemi’s first manifesto policy expands on this vision, with a commitment not only to listen to what postgraduate students want, but to ensure that plans are executed and needs are met. If elected, she stated that all of her campaign policies would be realised.

Her time with the PGMSA has also taught her about the current challenges facing the organisation of events tailored for postgraduates at UoB. Citing a complex process that often faces delays, Adeyemi plans to make resources more readily available in order to boost the ‘spirit of togetherness’ between postgraduates with additional events.

Introducing a skills acquisition programme is also on Adeyemi’s manifesto, which would provide postgraduate students with the opportunity to supplement their academic knowledge with workshops in areas such as photography, cooking and personal branding. Involving the potential integration of relevant societies, she believes that this policy would ‘give [students] an edge’ in today’s competitive jobs market.

Finally, Adeyemi proposes to establish more postgraduate-only study spaces across campus, featuring upgraded facilities and free tea and coffee. Suggesting rooms in and around Muirhead Tower as potential spaces, she told us that provisions of computers and photocopiers are currently too limited.

Summarising the overarching goal of her campaign, Adeyemi stated: ‘nobody is oblivious to the fact that [postgraduates] exist, but it’s not a priority. I intend to make it a priority.’

Also in the running to be next year’s Postgraduate Officer is Hadia Choudri, who did not contact Redbrick for an interview. Her campaign poster is below. Andrea Davis and Mohamad Elgenidy are also running, but they did not contact us for an interview or send copies of their manifesto posters.