By Sadie, UWE Bristol student.
When I came to UWE Bristol in the middle of lockdown, I remember having loads of anxiety over connecting with people. I never really considered myself popular or all that talkative, and all the rules around social distancing didn’t help much either. Now, I’m in my final year. I’m the president of one of the biggest societies on campus, and I feel more confident and self-assured than ever. How did this happen?
Before Bristol
I started my course at UWE Bristol in 2020, just after the end of the first COVID lockdown. The year I spent at my previous university had been cut in half after they closed their accommodation, forcing me to move back home.
Shortly before restrictions came into place, I had spoken with my course leader at my old university about leaving. While the teaching was great, there weren’t that many students and the campus I was living on was fairly isolated. I didn’t fit in, and I didn’t really have anywhere I could be myself. When lockdown forced me to move back in with my family, all that got worse.
I grew up in a small town in Dorset, pretty far away from anywhere else worth going to. I also knew I was queer, but I’d never really had the chance to explore that side of myself and I was deep in the closet. Things needed to change. I got ready to apply for a new course, eventually choosing UWE Bristol as my destination.
Meeting people
I started meeting people well before my course kicked off. I joined a bunch of group chats organised over Facebook, including a huge one for LGBT+ people going to UWE Bristol that year. It honestly shocked me how quickly I made friends. I was used to being the outlier throughout college and even at my last university, and suddenly I was talking to people who got me.
During the virtual Freshers’ Fair that year, I joined the LGBT+ society. While there weren’t any in-person events going on, the society had a Discord server that was buzzing with people from across the university. I chatted with a bunch people and quickly made even more friends, including members of the committee. It was a pretty bleak time, but I felt part of a real community. That made all the difference to my start at UWE Bristol.
Coming out
A few months after starting my course, I realised I was trans. Honestly, it was terrifying – I didn’t really know what to do with myself or what it meant for me. In a night, my whole understanding of myself was turned on its head. I felt totally lost in my own head.
I reached out to the president of the LGBT+ society over Facebook and told her what was going on. She was one of the first people I came out to. We started talking back and forth over messages and calls, talking about how I was feeling and what I needed to do. She really helped guide me through the first few months of my transition – I think without her I would have been totally lost.
Over time, I came out to more and more people. By the time I started my second year, I had legally changed my name. I was asked to nominate myself as treasurer of the LGBT+ society and won that election. I’m now the president, trying to nurture the same sort of environment that helped me. Coming to UWE Bristol changed my life for the better. Bristol is a big place – you won’t struggle to find your crowd.
If you want to check out a diverse and welcoming university, sign up to a UWE Bristol Open Day.