Meike Imberg is a Diversity and Culture Manager and served two years as President of the Greenwich Students’ Union.
Chosen by her peers after an impressive campaign, Meike’s role was to champion student causes and represent the university both externally and at National Union of Students (NUS) events.
Hailing from Cologne, in Germany, Meike is extremely passionate about all things Greenwich. She first came to the UK on a gap year, volunteering with disabled people in Bexleyheath. She fell in love with British traditions, and decided to stay, and after an open day at the University of Greenwich she was completely hooked.
“When I walk around this campus, I am immediately inspired. It’s not just the buildings and heritage, but the people I’ve met here, from my course programme leader Louise, to my lecturers and the students themselves.”
Outgoing and straight-talking, Meike’s first priority was to make the Students’ Union an inclusive place for everyone. She welcomes students from all backgrounds to join in the fun and to feel invested.
“I want more students – the shy, the loud, the international, the LGBT and so on – to join our many clubs and societies. There’s something here for everyone, including employment and volunteering opportunities as well as the advice service, which covers a range of areas.
“And another important message: the NUS is actually an active union. It recognises that education will create a fairer, more prosperous society, and that students are the hope for the future of education. So let’s all join in and shape things for the better.”
She believes that the most powerful forces for change are kindness, honesty and social acceptance. And she’s learned a lot about herself and others from her Sociology and Psychology degree course.
“Greenwich is a very accepting and supportive place – I’m not afraid to say that I’ve been vulnerable, but there’s always a solution and way forward. I feel like I can be myself here and I want others to feel the same. With mental health problems on the rise, this is more important than ever.”
As for the future, Meike ‘wants to change the world’. She urges students to vote in the upcoming general election and quotes her latest tattoo: “Let’s be realistic: demand the impossible.”
“When I walk around this campus, I am immediately inspired. It’s not just the buildings and heritage, but the people I’ve met here.”
Following Meike’s two terms as Students’ Union President, she was worked for organisations including Stonewall and DIAL Global and is now Diversity and Culture Manager at Vattenfall.
