Zoe Leigh is a 2nd year French, Spanish and Russian student who has taken up the opportunities offered in University of Nottingham by being part of 8 societies! On top of that, she is studying Sign Language. With this much insight, there’s no surprise as to why she is this week’s Campus Celeb.
Which society are you enjoying the most at the moment? And why?
At the moment, I’m really enjoying the stuff I’m doing with NUTS. I’ve had the opportunity to go and film events at Fresher’s week and to assist on the live filming. We have so much advanced equipment, it’s like you’re working with a real TV station. All their shows go out on the NUTS website, so take a look if you’re interested in getting involved or just love watching TV.
As part of NU Dance, what do you think has been your best experience?
Last year’s Valentine’s Day flashmob for ‘CoppaFeel’ breast cancer charity was by far one of my favourite experiences. We got to dress up as giant boobs and dance like mad in the middle of Portland!
Have you auditioned for the NU Dance competition?
No, unfortunately I haven’t as I don’t have time! I’d still love to be a part of some of their dance shows later this year; I hear they’re really great to watch.
Kettle Soc – what makes it different from your other societies?
I love Kettle Soc because of its originality (as well as its love for all things beverage-orientated!)- although I haven’t had the time yet this year to do any of the events. Last year I was lucky enough to take part in one of their many café crawls, where you get to visit some of Nottingham’s hidden gems and try lots of tea and cake! They also have tea-tasting evenings for tea lovers and sometimes team up with Cake Soc and Flair Soc (the cocktail masters) to create some really special evenings. I suppose what I love most about Kettle Soc, is that it provides the perfect opportunity to take some time out from your busy university schedule and to just enjoy a nice cuppa (or any hot beverage really) with other students. This is definitely rare to find at uni!
Speaking of taking time out of a busy schedule, do you think yoga has helped you cope with stress or just overall uni life?
Definitely. Living life at university can be really intense, especially when it comes to exam times. I find that doing yoga once a week gives me the break that my brain needs to handle uni’s hectic lifestyle. The relaxation part at the end is the best – all your worries seem to melt away!
You have a clear interest in communication, why do you think it might be important to learn sign language?
As a linguist I’ve discovered how vital communication in our world really is. Without it, no one would be able express themselves and as a result, the world would never be able to progress as there’d be little co-operation. What people tend to forget though, is that communication doesn’t always have to be verbal, it comes in many different forms and visual communication – such as sign language – is just one of these. So why exclude the deaf from communicating with us? Sign language is a really fun language to learn and you would be surprised how many people in the world use it. Even if they are not deaf themselves, sometimes it can still be their first language if they have a deaf parent or guardian. It is definitely something I would recommend using and if you happen to be a visual learner, like myself (and talk with your hands a lot too!) then you’ll find it relatively easy to pick up. It’s also really useful when chatting to friends in a club or across a lecture theatre I’ve found!