After a fantastic year for the blogs section, it was time for Daniella Weduwer to hand over the position of blogs editor to Amelia Dunton and me – Hannah Lewis.
Like Amelia, I am entering my fourth year of studying after returning from a year abroad in Montpellier, France. I am a student of French and European Politics and I have been contributing to the Gryphon for a year, sharing tales of being an Erasmus student whilst speaking candidly about living with mental illness. One of my biggest passions is raising awareness for mental health issues and eradicating the stigma attached. After suffering with various unpleasant illnesses, I thought that I would convert my challenging experiences into something useful. By writing openly about my experiences I aim to inform, help and inspire other people who have suffered or are suffering with mental illness too. This year, I am looking forward to taking the blogs section into a new direction, and I am keen to include more coverage on mental health. Hearing young voices talk so comfortably about an issue which has been such a taboo in our society should hopefully incite a change in people’s perceptions on mental health.
Both Amelia and I got involved with the Gryphon via the ‘Postcard from Abroad’ feature, so we of course want to keep that going this year. If anyone is a keen blogger and has just embarked on their year abroad, do get in touch! This also applies to those of you who are from afar and are adjusting to the glamorous lifestyle here in Leeds, we want to hear from you as well.
Being a woman in the 21st Century, I also take a keen interest in feminist issues. In recent times, social media has been saturated with feminist debates, and I would love to hear some of your reactions to these via our new subsection which will focus on women. A feature of this subsection will be ‘Woman Crush Wednesday’, where we want to dedicate each Wednesday to appreciating an unsung female hero. Or y’know, someone who is just a great gal.
I love that the blogs section is able to give the student body a voice to spark debates on contemporary issues, as the difference between a blog post and a newspaper article is that we get the chance to hear an original and subjective point of view on these issues. I hope you are as excited as I am to add some fresh and original content to our student newspaper. Me and Amelia have loads of ideas to make the Blogs section the best it can be, so if you fancy yourself as a Gryphon blogger add yourself to our writers group! ‘The Gryphon Blogs: Writers group 15/16’ https://www.facebook.com/groups/932892173470650/
In other news, I love flowers, kittens and human rights. I like the sort of music your dad likes and I’m a vegetarian with a keen interest in weird sweet and savoury food combinations. I have congenital anosmia which means I was born without a sense of smell, so no I have never smelt bacon and I don’t know what my own farts smell like. My favourite film is Pride, my favourite book is Tina Fey’s autobiography and when I grow up I want a career in making the world a better place.
I hope that you all have had a fantastic summer, and that you are settling in nicely as the first semester of the year creeps upon us.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Hannah Lewis
xoxo