“Peer support is so important: if it makes someone feel less alone, I’ve done my job”

Elliott Williams is taking their talent for mentoring to the next level by training to be a teacher.

An LGBTQ+ Wellbeing Champion for Cardiff University who graduates this week with a degree in French and Spanish, Elliot has also been heavily involved with the Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) mentoring programme.

Elliott, from Bristol, starts a PGCE course at UWE in September.

The 21-year-old said: “I’ve tried to make the most of any opportunities at university to develop my skills further.

“Lots of my social life has been centred around the queer community. Sometimes I sit back and think, if I didn’t have the LGBTQ+ community around me my life would be so much harder, and less loving and caring. That’s why I took the role as a wellbeing champion; some people don’t have that  network established. It’s never been more vital for people who are LGBTQ+ to know they have people to turn to for support and that was the reason why I wanted to do take on this role.

“Peer support is so important. I’ve really enjoyed meeting new people, lots of whom might have been new to the University. Small things can make such a difference, like being a friendly face and a listening ear. I hope the events I’ve been involved in have made a positive difference to someone’s day. When I’ve written articles for student news, I always think, if it makes someone feel less alone and better equipped to access the help that’s on offer, then I’ve done my job.”

Elliott’s degree involved them spending time in Paris as an English language teacher and Valencia as a student.

“Both experiences were amazing – and I’ve gained so much confidence from learning and speaking other languages,” they said.

As a mentor with the Modern Foreign Languages mentoring programme, Elliott used these experiences to inspire and motivate teenagers considering taking a modern language at GCSE.

“Learning languages gives you confidence and opens up your world to see different viewpoints and ways of life. It’s been amazing to be able to meet young people and share those benefits with them – it’s something I would have appreciated when I was in school, speaking to someone who isn’t a teacher or parent, but someone who is using languages in a practical way just a bit further down the road from you.”

Elliott is now looking forward to starting a PGCE and spreading this message further by teaching French and Spanish in a secondary school.

“I’m looking forward to the future, to inspire a curiosity for language learning in young people and be a role model I wish I had growing up,” they said.