Little Panwar - Student Trustee at MDXSU
Little Panwar, Student Trustee — MDXSU Board of Trustees
When I tell people I'm a Student Trustee on the Middlesex University Students' Union Board of Trustees, a statutory director role under the Companies Act, most assume I must have arrived at university already knowing exactly how organisations like this work. I didn't. I arrived self-funding my degree, working part-time, and still finding my footing as someone who'd moved to London from India to study Business Management.
Why I Chose Middlesex
I chose this course because I wanted a degree that didn't just teach business theory, but let me practise it. What I didn't expect was how quickly Middlesex would hand me the chance to do exactly that, not through a case study, but through a real seat on a real board.
Finding My Footing
The first few weeks were about survival more than strategy, figuring out lectures, budgeting carefully, and building a routine around work and study. I didn't arrive with "Trustee" as a goal. It came from getting involved wherever I could: first as a Student Voice Leader, listening to what other students actually needed changed, then realising I wanted a seat where those decisions were made, not just a channel to raise them.
Where the Classroom Met the Boardroom
Studying Business Management turned out to be more relevant to the Trustee role than I expected. Modules on governance, strategy, and organisational behaviour stopped being theoretical the moment I sat in my first Board meeting and recognised the same frameworks playing out in real decisions.
It's rare to test what you're learning in real time, on an organisation you're actually part of but that's exactly what Middlesex made possible.
Running — and What Came After
Standing for Student Trustee meant putting myself forward to represent the whole student body on a board that legally governs the Union, its finances, strategy, and accountability. Getting elected didn't feel like an ending, it felt like the real work starting.
It was intimidating at first, sitting across from trustees decades into their careers. But I learned quickly that being the youngest voice in the room isn't a disadvantage if you come prepared and Middlesex is the kind of place that gives students that chance, not just a promise of one.
Balancing It All
Alongside the Board, I've kept working to protect a First Class average, because I never wanted university to be just one thing. Governance on one side, coursework on the other, and a life in between, proof that ambition here doesn't have to be singular.
What I'd Tell a Prospective Student
If you're choosing a university and wondering whether you'll actually get opportunities like this, come to Middlesex and find out for yourself. I didn't wait until I "felt ready" to run for Trustee. I ran because the opportunity was here, and Middlesex is a place that lets you grow into it.
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