Meet the student panel

The Charter student panel shapes how Student Minds can empower students to use the Charter to champion a whole-university approach and ensure student voices are central to the Charter Award Scheme.

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Amy Sharpstone

​I’m Amy and I’m currently studying a Masters in Mental Health: Research and Practice at the University of Nottingham. Whilst at university I’ve volunteered in roles with the aim to improve students’ mental health and wellbeing at UoN so I’m really excited to be a part of ensuring this is a priority of universities all across the country!

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Anna

I am an internship student studying medicine at the University of Central Lancashire. I have a great passion in public health and the way it regions nation’s health and wellbeing. I observed challenges that students go through when opening up about their mental health. Thus, my goal is to create a positive mental health culture at universities for all students. He is currently a partner in a recruitment business specialising in the Environmental & Water sectors.

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Callum Murdoch

Callum is studying a BSc (Hons) in Psychology at the University of Derby. This is a distance learning course. Callum became interested in mental health after leaving University in 2012 due to mental health problems and is hoping to use his own experiences to help others. He is currently a partner in a recruitment business specialising in the Environmental & Water sectors.

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Chelsea Sowden

Chelsea became interested in mental health after her own experiences and being a carer for others, and wanted to get involved with the SAC because she identified changes she wanted to create and her ethos really aligned with that of Student Minds. She is currently studying her final year of animation at Nottingham Trent University and is also the equality and diversity officer for gender at Nottingham Trent Students' Union as well as the head residence assistant across NTU university halls of residence, so deals with a lot of gender and sexuality based mental health questions as well as those from students living in halls.

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Emily West

Emily is a Medical Student at the University of Oxford, originally from the North East of England. She first came across Student Minds as her College Disability Representative, finding gaps in mental health care provision, which lead to many students being failed by the system. She has previous experience of mental ill health, both personally and through her friends and peers, as well as through volunteering for other charities which provide mental health care to students and young people. She is excited to get involved with SM, making mental health a priority for Universities across the country, advancing the conversation around the issues and reducing stigma associated with mental health conditions. Outside of volunteering, she loves to go figure-skating, trampolining, doing yoga and meditating. She loves spending time with her puppy, Alfie, as well as her friends and family.

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Eoin King

Eoin is currently undertaking a PhD at Edge Hill University. He is exploring the relationships between sport, work and mental health amongst sports workers in elite sport settings. Eoin is also a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University. He agrees with the Charter’s view that looking after staff wellbeing is essential for developing a whole university approach to mental health.

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Megan Price

Meg is currently Vice President Education at Worcester Students’ Union. Her main focus is on academic experience; looking at how the academic representation system can help develop academic experience. Meg, who was recently elected as President, wants to ensure that all Universities are implementing the charter to it's full effect, and that students are empowered to lobby for change at their universities.

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Michael Priestly

Michael is a PhD student at Durham University studying the effect of higher education policy on student mental health and wellbeing. Michael is passionate about changing the state of student mental health, and also volunteers with Student Minds as a Charter Researcher, Blog Editor and a member of the Student Advisory Committee.

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Milo Dack

Milo is a current second year history and politics student at Royal Holloway University in Egham, Surrey. His passion for mental health emerged from his own experiences and he has since been at the forefront of the mental health discussion at RHUL. Earlier this year, he ratified a Royal Holloway’s first mental health society, and he is excited to be involved with Student Minds.

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Natasha Craven

Natasha is a second-year biomedical science student at Keele. She first became involved in welfare support at the age of 15 organising sports fundraising events with Mind. She later became a volunteer and Welfare Officer for Keele Nightline and a Samaritan Listener. She is also a Welfare Officer of two university sports teams and societies and is secretary for her university’s Student Minds society.

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Shanika Ranasinghe

Shanika is doing a music PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London; she also studied at the University of Oxford (BA) and Goldsmiths, UoL (MA). A voice hearer, she volunteered on Richmond Borough Mind's 'Mindkit' and 'Bounce' youth projects and has also worked for Mind in Camden. She currently works for Young Minds on their 'Find Your Feet' project.

When not studying, Shanika enjoys listening to music, spending time with her friends, doodling, and writing poetry.

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Zoe Norman

Zoe is in her second year undergraduate student at Royal Holloway, University of London. She has a personal interest in mental health from lived experience and is extremely passionate about making sure all students across the diverse community have equal access to the wellbeing support they need. She hopes that the charter will help break down barriers and act as an accessible guide to help universities develop their wellbeing services for the whole community including staff and post graduate students. Most importantly she hopes that through the charter universities can continue to develop as positive places for mental wellbeing allowing individuals to flourish and achieve their potential regardless of their circumstances. To look after her well-being Zoe enjoys socialising with friends and being in nature.

Explore the charter

• ​Sustainable Future
• Charter homepage
• Creating the University Mental Health Charter​​
• Student panel
• FAQs

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