WHEA Annual Report 2025 Final Digital with links v3 - Flipbook - Page 8
Warwick International Higher Education Academy Annual Report 2025
Enaya Nihal
Alijah Taha
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT POSTGRADUATES
(NOW CURRENT PRESIDENT)
Students’ Union
WIHEA is such an inclusive and
welcoming space! For myself,
although the nature of my role and
the sheer number of campaigns I
was delivering meant that I could not
attend as many Learning Circles as
I would have liked to, I found WIHEA
events and the people who made it to be a joy. Meeting
people who champion interdisciplinarity, co-creation,
and the student voice at its heart, and being able to work
with them in other spaces has meant leading initiatives
designed with students, for students. Having been a
Fellow for two years, I can definitely say that WIHEA
gives you a chance to go beyond your bubble. I would
thoroughly recommend everyone who has got a touch
of wonder at Warwick to rock up and see where it takes
you. There are some incredible stories waiting to be told,
and you have the chance to tell yours – or create one
with someone from a department that you did not know
existed before!
Dr Dhvani Patil
Students’ Union
As a WIHEA Fellow, I had an
excellent opportunity to get involved
in Learning Circles, particularly
the Building and Belonging Circle.
For me, WIHEA feels like a parent
body to many small but incredibly
powerful think tanks – spaces where
meaningful change begins with conversations and ends
with tangible outcomes.
This Fellowship has impacted on me in more ways than I
can count, from expanding my network and shaping my
thinking, to empowering me to drive initiatives with the
support of brilliant people whom I met through WIHEA. It’s
been equal parts thought-provoking and action-oriented.
To incoming Fellows, make the most of this rare and
brilliant opportunity. Say ‘yes’ to collaborations, dive into
discussions, and let your ideas grow in the company of
curious, committed people. Just one word of caution:
don’t stretch yourself too thin like I did, trying to join every
fascinating Learning Circle. There’s a lot to gain, and just
enough time to do it well.
WIHEA STUDENT FELLOW AND PROJECT OFFICER
Liberal Arts
I’ve had a great time as a WIHEA
Student Fellow this year. One of
the main things I did with my time
as a Fellow was to get involved with
the Building Belonging Learning
Circle. I also had the opportunity to
be a judge for the Warwick Award
for Teaching Excellence, which was super interesting!
Finally, I got involved with a student project on Belonging
and Inclusivity within informal spaces of higher education.
Although this project did not get to the data collection
stage this year, I still learnt a lot about research through
the process of planning and organising it. Overall, my
time with WIHEA has taught me a lot about the way
the University works and how academic research is
conducted. As a student, I have valued opportunities to
have conversations with staff beyond the classroom.
Especially as someone who wants to pursue a career
in academia, this year has been a brilliant learning
experience.
My advice for incoming Student Fellows would be to be
confident and not shy away from starting conversations
with the other Fellows.
Vivek Venkatram
WIHEA STUDENT FELLOW
Philosophy, Politics and Economics,
UNESCO Youth Representative
The WIHEA community and
Fellowship have allowed me to directly
impact the student experience
and understand the institutional
challenges that educators face. In my
first year, as part of a WIHEA project,
I co-created an interdisciplinary PPE
module on food systems. As a WIHEA Student Fellow
and Project Officer, during my second year I worked on a
University-wide project to embed digital skills throughout
the learning cycle. I conducted research and devised
questionnaires on how we can holistically improve virtual
learning environments across the University, so that digital
skills are effectively integrated. As an extended WIHEA
Fellow in my third year, I co-led a University-wide Education
Fund project on generative AI in education, and collated
department-specific AI policy frameworks, while also
receiving a WIHEA Small Fund grant to launch ‘Building a
Climate-Conscious Warwick’, a project that allowed me to
merge my policy advocacy as a COP29 Youth Delegate
with climate education, and informed the pedagogy of
‘Politics of Climate Change’, a module taught by WIHEA
Staff Fellow Kerem Öge.
The informal avenue of my many interactions with WIHEA
Staff Fellows has allowed me to voice concerns and
suggest improvements to student–staff engagement. The
community has facilitated my learning and engagement
through WIHEA forums such as the Learning Circles.
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