Tuesday 09-05-2023 - 15:36

Meet Eddie Jones, the incumbent JCR President of Collingwood College. Describing his role as the face of the college and the go-to person for all Collingwood students, he narrates some of his choice incidents from his tenure. From helping oversee a student body as large as 1800 students to working with the management to put up a slew of extracurricular events, he chronicles the sabbatical position as that of immense responsibility and learning. 

Wanting to pursue medicine ahead, Eddie had to take a year out after graduation. In this venture, he found the President’s role an exceptional opportunity to develop himself while staying rooted in college life. Moreover, he previously held multiple positions of responsibility at Collingwood and thus thoroughly enjoyed working with and for the student community. Through his tenure as the Sports Captain, a JCR Exec and a Football Social Sec, he grew to see himself dedicating his efforts to enhancing student life in college. He credits his immersive college experience as having propelled him to compete for the JCR President’s role.

By managing large budgets, leading meetings with senior management members and heading numerous committees, he recounts the considerable manner in which the role helped him hone his professional and personal competencies. He notes this position to be of significant value due to the exposure that it provides. Be it networking, extensive training, welfare workshops or leadership opportunities, as the President he mentions having an incredible experience. He believes that the versatile nature of the role further allowed him to evolve with the position and the various challenges that it presented. Beyond Collingwood, as a JCR President, he is also involved in many other university-level committees that call for wider impact. Additionally, he states that even though being the JCR President gets demanding at times, his unique position within the college allows him to strike a balance through the much enjoyable socials and student group activities. For Eddie, it is this equal share in student and professional life afforded by the role that makes it so strikingly impactful.  

Recalling some of his standout moments so far, he asserts the all-JCR Presidents’ residential trip to York as a memorable one. This trip allowed the Sabbatical Officers to come together and discuss the shared objectives and obstacles faced by the University and the students. This trip was enlightening and instructive as it prepared Eddie for his role ahead. Ever since, he has undertaken innumerable exciting projects, of which he is proud of his work with the college’s upcoming Summer Ball, one of its most sought-after events. With the aim to navigate the cost of living crisis to accommodate student experiences, he has worked to reduce the pricing of the Summer Ball tickets. From tough negotiations, and building rapport with vendors to exploring every possible avenue, he and his team have strived to make this mammoth event successful yet accessible to all students. Accessibility forms one of his core aims as he strongly advises students to step out of their comfort zones and get involved in college activities to make the most of their college life.

With only a few months of the position left, he is genuinely grateful for the countless rewarding and refining experiences he gained from being a JCR President. Though testing at times, his tenure was of great fun and insight. Having spent four years making Collingwood home, Eddie looks forward to his last term as the JCR President and all the enriching moments that it brings along.

This student story was written by Malavika Pillai, our Digital Content Creator at Durham SU. If you would like to share your story with Durham students, get in touch with Malavika at: malavika.pillai@durham.ac.uk