Meet the Committee!
2024/25
The JCR
The JCR Committee are the elected undergraduate students who represent student interests & act as intermediaries between the Catz students and staff.
The elections for the President are held in November and the rest of the Committee is elected every February.
President
Cara Bossom
she/her — 2nd year MML — jcr.president@caths.cam.ac.uk
Hi all, I’m Cara, your JCR President this year! My role is to ensure our JCR is consistently representing and supporting you in every way possible. Through consulting and negotiating with college staff and advocating for student needs at collegiate meetings, I hope to guarantee that all voices are heard in decisions affecting Catz life. I work closely with our JCR officers, supporting their initiatives to keep our community vibrant and welcoming. Whether it’s a quick question, an idea, or something you want to try and change, don’t hesitate to reach out – I'm here to help make Catz a place where everyone feels at home. Please stop me in college anytime, send an email or use the Anonymous form to get in touch!
Vice President
jcr.vice.president@caths.cam.ac.uk
At present, role held by the President:
The role is wide-ranging, spanning from running the JCR elections and by-elections, to organising the agendas for all JCR meetings and attending Governing Body meetings. A significant part of the position is representing Catz at a University level, acting as the college representative at the Student Union (CamSU), and a general liaison between college and all Uni politics.
Treasurer
Pippa Lloyd
she/her — 2nd year Economics
Hi I’m Pippa and I am this year’s treasurer. My main role is to allocate our budget between all of the other officers to what Catz students would like from their JCR. Another crucial part of the role is frequently meeting with the college bursar and accountant to represent the student body in discussions around our finances. Otherwise other money related pursuits such as discounts and improving the JCR room fill out the rest of my role. If you have any suggestions about how to best spend the JCR’s money please contact me at jcr.treasurer@caths.cam.ac.uk
Communications & IT Officer
Marcus McCarter
he/him — 2nd year Bio NatSci
Hi, I’m Marcus and I am this year’s Comms & IT Officer. I manage the website, social media and IT admin of the committee. I write up the JCR minutes to keep the study body informed of what we get up to. Also, I collate opportunities across Cambridge, and outside to send out in the bulletin. The Catz calendar is maintained by me and can be found on this website, listing a number of events happening in the college community! If you have any queries regarding the website, minutes or the JCR in general, email me via the address above!
Academic Officer
Shreya Tewari
she/her — 2nd year Lawyer
jcr.academic.affairs@caths.cam.ac.uk
Hi, I’m Shreya and I’m this year’s Academic Officer. My job is to make sure all the students at Catz have the support they need to thrive in their academic lives here! Among other things, this means working with college to ensure everyone has access to suitable study spaces, with library staff to ensure our libraries are well-stocked, and with the Education Committee to ensure students’ concerns about academics are heard and acted upon. Please get in touch via email or the JCR suggestions form if you have any concerns!
Access and Admissions Officer
Sara Les
she/her — 2nd year Psychological & Behavioural Sciences
Hi, I’m Sara and as your Access and Admissions Officer this year I’ll be working to help prospective students from widening participation backgrounds through both outreach as well as college and university access projects. On top of this I’ll also be helping to support the Catz community in a variety of ways to make it the most inclusive and supportive place for all. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need anything!
Accommodations and Facilities Officer
Nuozhen Tu
he/him— 2nd year Lawyer
jcr.accommodation@caths.cam.ac.uk
Hi, I’m Nuozhen, and I also go by Kevin. I’m the Accommodation and Facilities Officer this year. I’ll be working to improve information about accommodation, updating the Photo Gallery and pushing for improved facilities at Catz. I’m also responsible for overseeing the Ballot. Feel free to reach out if you have queries or concerns about accommodation, housekeeping and maintenance. I’d also be happy to listen if you have any suggestions for making our shared spaces more functional or enjoyable.
Catering Officer
Matt Pickard
he/him — 2nd year Geography
Hi I'm Matt, a first year geographer. As catering officer I am excited to work towards ensuring that Catz is offering high quality and wide-ranging food options that suit the needs of all our JCR students. Another part of my job is organising special formals throughout the year, so if you have any ideas for themed formals (or any food-related concerns in general) feel free to get in touch with me!
Charities Officer
Salomé Gakwaya
she/her — 2nd year English
Hi I’m Salomé and I’m a first year English student. As charities officer, I want to encourage student involvement in the Cambridge and Catz community. Information about upcoming events or how to get involved is available on the charities page or the JCR facebook. Please contact me if you have any suggestions for events or specific charities to target!
Disabilities Officer
Lucas Cheng
he/him — 2nd year Economist
jcr.disabilities@caths.cam.ac.uk
Hi everyone, I’m Lucas and I will be your disabilities officer this year! I’m committed to improving accessibility for all in Catz, and if there’s anything you’d like me to propose to college, or anything you’d like to discuss please don’t hesitate to get in touch! My priorities this year will be to make support more readily available, continue raising awareness for hidden disabilities, and creating a support group for all students with disabilities.
Ethical and Environmental Officers
Anni Myllymäki and Caleb Huang
she/her and he/him — 2nd year Geography & 2nd year Classics
Hi, we are Anni (Geography) and Caleb (Classics), and we are the Ethical and Environmental officers this year! Our role is all about sustainability and we want to make college as environmentally aware as possible. What we do ranges from holding the college accountable to their environmental goals, to putting on fun events (like green week, and clothing swaps) throughout term time. We represent your views and concerns and so we would love to hear what you think. We are also here to ease climate anxiety and answer any of your questions so don’t hesitate to get in touch through email/the E&E suggestions form.
Entertainment Officers
Theo Shorrocks and Jamie Wade
he/him and he/him — 2nd year AMES & MML
jcr.ents@caths.cam.ac.uk / @catzentz
A spectre is haunting Catz: the spectre of Theo and Jamie being this year’s Entz reps. We’ve got an exciting year of bops, music nights, quizzes, games and more ahead, so keep an eye on the CatzEntz Instagram and the JCR Facebook page to not miss out. We’re also in charge of getting you your club tickets, ensuring that the student nights in Cambridge all have a busy Catz corner. So, students of the JCR, unite; you have nothing to lose but your library all-nighters.
International Officer
Anika Pai and Junho Huh
she/her and he/him — 2nd year Natsci & 2nd year Engineer
jcr.international@caths.cam.ac.uk
Hello! We are Anika and Junho, your Catz international officers. We’re here to represent and support the international community at Catz, ensuring everyone feels welcome. We hope to organise cultural celebrations and social events to unite our diverse community. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have advice or suggestions of any kind, any events you’d like to see, or if you just need a listening ear for any issues regarding international student life in Cambridge!
Gender Equalities Officer
Jem Ward
she/her — 2nd year English
Hello, I’m Jem and I’m your Gender Equalities Officer this year! My role involves ensuring Catz is a welcoming and safe space for everyone, with a focus on support for women and NBs, and any gender-related issues.
I hope I can be a friendly face around college, alongside the Welfare Reps and FemSoc. Please feel free to contact me about anything - questions, ideas for events, or just for a general chat :)
Fresher’s Reps
Barney Blackburn and Hannah Bekman
he/him - 2nd year MML
jcr.male.freshers@caths.cam.ac.uk
she/her — 2nd year HML jcr.female.freshers@caths.cam.ac.uk
Hi everyone! Our names are Hannah and Barney, and we are this year’s Fresher’s Reps. As the first faces you see here at Catz, we are excited to welcome you to the college in October, and to support you throughout your journey here at Cambridge. Our main aim is to ensure that you feel comfortable in your transition to university life, and therefore can fully benefit from all the fantastic experiences that life at Catz has to offer! Our college is known for its friendly, warm environment and we can’t wait to share the Catz love with you all.
Welfare Officers
Florence Crofts and Shirav Medepalli
she/her and he/him — 2nd year HML and 2nd year History
Hi! Our names are Flo and Shirav, and we are excited to be your welfare officers this year! Our role is to ensure that, throughout your time at Catz, you receive plenty of support to ensure your wellbeing is properly cared for. Catz prioritises student wellbeing, and we are one pathway for you to seek any extra support that you might need. We offer a listening ear, support, and can point you in the right direction of other helpful services. We are also in charge of distributing the free sexual health supplies in pidge, as well as online STI testing services. In addition, we work closely with Catz’s lovely Welfare Team (Mary, Ally and Ryan) to disseminate wellbeing information and organise various welfare events throughout the year. Do get in touch with us if you have any queries or concerns!
LGBTQ+ Officers
Astrid Petterson and Elijah Redden
they/he & he/him— 2nd year HSPS & 2nd year Classics
Hi, we’re Astrid and Elijah, your LGBTQ+ officers. As officers, we want to strengthen the queer community within Catz so that all LGBTQ+ students can feel safe and supported here! We regularly work with the other liberation officers to ensure we are promoting intersectionality and inclusivity within college. We also organise events - such as LGBTeas - which are an opportunity to chat with other queer people over free tea and snacks. Please contact us if you have any concerns, suggestions for events or would just like a chat!
Sports and Societies Officer
Eva Kynaston
she/her - 2nd year Geography
Hi, I’m Eva and I’ll be your Sports and Societies Officer for this year. My aim is to create an environment in which everyone can be engaged with college life by always feeling comfortable to join a team/ society. A key responsibility and the one I am looking forward to most is ensuring that the Worcester Sports Day runs smoothly and is as enjoyable as possible. If you have any questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Racial Equalities Officer
Helena Desta
she/her — 2nd year Psychological & Behavioural Sciences— jcr.bme@caths.cam.ac.uk
Hey! I’m Helena and I’m a first year studying PBS. As your racial equalities officer I will represent your needs and advocate for you in the best way I can. It is important for ethnic students to have a space where they feel safe to celebrate their culture, but also bring up any difficulties they may face and I hope to create that space. Please feel free to come up to me at any time or reach out by email to suggest ideas or concerns, or just to chat. I’m always here to listen and validate you.
Religious Equalities Officer
Estella Hope
She/her — 2nd year Theology — jcr.bme@caths.cam.ac.uk
Hi! My name is Estella and I’m your JCR Religious Equalities officer. My role is all about helping religious students ensure any of their needs are met whilst studying at Catz . This can mean anything from supporting students practical needs like improving the multi-faith prayer room or by celebrating and recognising religious holidays and religious festivals. I am always here for anything a student may need support in. Please don’t hesitate to reach out by email or in person with concerns or possible things you may want to do in college. I’m here to represent you and make Catz the best place possible for you :)