Dan Orton

University/ College: University of Exeter
What are you studying? Psychology

I am heavily involved in the student media; I write for the newspaper, present a show on the radio and am Station Manager of the student television station, XTV. I volunteer in the area of student media as I was motivated by my interest in writing and television production. Through volunteering I have realised that I want to go into the media when I graduate. I also help run a branch of the Howard League for Penal Reform here on campus.

I have gained a lot from volunteering. Before coming to uni I had no idea how to use a camera or edit footage, and now I am running the entire station. I have also made countless friends a long the way. I have learnt a lot more from my time at uni, far beyond the stuff relating to my degree. The skills I've learnt whilst doing student media will potentially give me an edge when applying for jobs in that sector when I graduate...

 I have helped others as well as I can now confidently teach others the skills I learnt, and XTV as a society is invaluable to other student societies as we can film events, adverts, promotional videos and so forth.

Volunteering in student media was challenging to begin with, as I was learning everything you need to learn to make TV from scratch. Through asking for help as well as just teaching myself the skills, I overcame the challenges and it has definitely paid off.

The most memorable aspect of my volunteering is seeing something I have written or presented or helped produce going online for all to watch is always a nice feeling and I doubt I'll forget any of them.

In whatever capacity you want to volunteer, it's such a rewarding experience in so many ways. However you do have to want to do it and want to make a difference. Do it!