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Oscar Wills Bsc Neuroscience

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Oscar Wills is an undergraduate student in BSc Neuroscience and president of Enactus Leeds, a student society that supports students and young people to take part in social action and social enterprise and is part of the global Enactus network. Oscar found his university enterprise experiences strengthened both his knowledge and networks for developing business-based and real-world project management skills.

Broadening opportunities at university

“I didn’t immediately see the link between my faculty and the university’s enterprise activities,” says Oscar. “But I always knew I wanted to spend some of my time at university exploring ways to bring people from different walks of life together and learn from their perspectives and experiences.

“A friend was the president of the Enactus society at a different university, and he inspired me to get involved here at the University of Leeds. I saw an advert for the Enactus society election on the Leeds University Union website and put my name forward. I was elected, and immediately stepped into the role of Society President.”

Building the Enactus society community from the ground up

“I knew I was taking on a challenge,” Oscar explains. “The society hadn’t yet fully recovered from the impact of the pandemic, and we really needed to start afresh. When I joined, we didn’t have the full number of students for completing ambitious projects. But we soon grew and formed our core project team.”

With the team in place, Oscar could progress the ideas he’d had to make the society a real community. “We wanted Enactus Leeds to be somewhere for students to come and meet likeminded people, creating a sense of community through low-key social events,” he explains. “Once we’d created that space, we could then explore which projects we wanted to get involved with.”

Gaining support from regional Enactus events

In Oscar’s first term as Enactus Leeds President, the society hosted a business challenge that would form the framework for two business-based projects. “Our committee had a fresh start, so we could brainstorm totally new ideas that felt important to us,” he explains.

“In late October, there was an Enactus regional event for all university teams in the North, designed to help us build on our concepts or create new ones. We came away with our two project ideas: one looking at homelessness and another at food insecurity (providing primary school children with meals during school holidays). But we soon saw how these linked, and merged them together under one broader project.”

Enactus Leeds entered the project into the Action4Impact competition, run annually by Enactus and sponsored by the philanthropic wing of Rothschild & Co. “We placed just outside the top 20 of around 80 teams that entered and attended an expo in London as part of the top Enactus society teams,” Oscar adds. “We won the ‘Ones to Watch’ award for the most improved team, which considering where we started out felt a particularly special achievement for me.”

Creating connections through networking

Oscar is full of praise for his experiences in his role as Enactus Leeds President. “I was overwhelmed by the support available from Enactus UK, as well as the University of Leeds student enterprise ecosystem, including the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies (CEES) and Spark,” says Oscar. “Enactus’ UK team were often in touch. We had an Enactus mentor in the faculty at CEES in Leeds University Business School, and guidance from the Enterprise Advisors at Spark.

“They’ve connected me with people able to help both me as an individual and Enactus Leeds as a whole. I’ve networked with local business owners at the Enterprise Ambassador Day and, at the university’s innovation hub, HELIX, I’ve been introduced to more likeminded people. It has been an invaluable way to build my connections.”

Setting the foundations for future success

With one year of undergraduate study left, Oscar is still exploring his options for postgraduate study or employment. “I’m not sure what’s next for me yet, but the Enactus society has proven just how many different opportunities are available at the University of Leeds,” he concludes.

“I’ve had exposure to leadership, networking, email and marketing communications, and many more business-based skills I’d never have had the chance to experience without Enactus Leeds. I know for certain that my enterprise experiences have given me a great head start for my future.”