Meg Wandless

I am a member of the society Interface, a society at Sciences Po Aix that works with, and to help those in need. There are various groups within the society, such as the groups for human rights, lgbtq+, précarité which I am more specifically a part of. As a member of the group I work to develop and raise interest of others with helping in such matters by raising awareness. We also volunteer to host events to help directly, such as hosting food drives, giving to those in need around the city of Aix en Provence, and working alongside charities such as amnesty international to help those in need. I am new to this role but it has already given me a huge advantage and insight into the roles of charities through France and the global level. I am passionate about pursuing a career in the field of charity and non profit organizations and having this role with the society has already allowed me to gain important experience and understanding of the roles that people play in helping societies most vulnerable.

Whilst studying, I joined the society, Marys Meals, which is a charity that aims to end world hunger throughout the globe. My role was volunteering to assist other members to host engaging, fun, and smooth-running fundraising events by helping with organization and planning. This gave me the chance to get involved in charity work and to see how charities and non profit organizations run which is something I am highly interested in developing a career in. It was important to me to maintain a professional yet kind and approachable character to those in need and it allowed me to gain insight into how this happens on a global level.

My role at was to serve the students in Glasgow within the Strathclyde Union bar. My responsibilities include serving and making drinks and cocktails as well as floor work such as cleaning and emptying tables. The job has helped me expand on my previous experience in hospitality and has improved my knowledge and ability of cocktail making and working in a fast paced hospitality industry. I have found it useful working with a larger range of spirits and drinks and working in a student bar has pushed me to work harder and challenge myself to be prepared for any scenario I may face. The job allowed me to handle simultaneous customer, team, and business needs while avoiding unnecessary delays or errors. Whilst the job was not in the career field I intend to go into, it helped me gain experience and confidence interacting with large groups of people and handling potential crises whilst staying level headed.

With this role I gained more experience in making coffees and now have experience and confidence in my ability to make hot beverages. I also had the chance to increase my customer service skills and ensure standards are always being met and exceeded. My responsibilities include welcoming customers, taking orders and running food as well as making and serving coffees and other hot drinks to customers. The job has helped me gain more experience in hospitality and as well as training me as a barista.

I had the responsibility of being a waitress and floor staff in the restaurant as well as being a bartender. I had the responsibility of making customers feel welcomed, seating them and taking orders as well as running food and drink to ensure service was quick. As well as this I spent time behind the bar making drinks which allowed me to gain experience as a bartender and gain confidence at serving customers both at their tables and at the bar to ensure that customer experience exceeds expectations. I gained experience in making and serving hot and cold drinks as a bartender and barista. I have also had the responsibility of setting up the restaurant and bar at the beginning of shifts and closing down and preparing the bar for the following day. I enjoyed this job as it allowed me to enhance my communication and customer service skills and I have become better at handling any situation that may come my way in a quick and professional manner.