Seven questions with... Anna Dodridge

What does your role involve and how long have you been at UCL? What was your previous role?

My role as Advice and Welfare Manager at UCLU Rights and Advice Centre is two-sided. On one hand I work to ensure the service runs smoothly as we give independent advice to thousands of students on a range of issues including immigration, academic regulations and housing. We are a student's Citizens Advice Bureau so we deal with a lot of queries about a lot of different issues. Another aspect of my work is supporting UCLU's Sabbatical Officers on a range of important campaigns such as the cost of living and welfare provision.

I have been at UCL since June this year - before I started here I held similar student advisory roles at LSE, Kings and other universities.

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?

I'm really proud of the work we do to support so many students - it's clear that our help impacts students' lives especially when they have been seeing us over a long period of time. I'm particularly proud of cases where we have helped our students to overcome hardships, such as obtaining visas or dealing with housing problems. It's great when this positively helps them and they can continue with their studies at UCL.

Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list?

Right now we are in the middle of our 'Check and Send Service' (ends 10 October), where we assist around 700 students in one month to apply for their Tier 4 visa. Although this is something we do throughout the year, at the start of the new academic year we've streamlined this into a fast and efficient service to help students right across UCL at a time when this needs to be done ASAP.

What was your first job straight out of university?

I actually worked in a music shop selling instruments! I had just finished my music degree and was about to start teaching when I realised it wasn't for me. I made the decision to change careers pretty soon after that.

What is your favourite and least favourite thing about London?

As I'm a drummer in the band 'Rat the Magnificent', London is great for the variety of places to perform. You're always able to meet new people and discover new opportunities to do gigs.

Originally I'm from near the sea so London's lack of outdoor swimming places can be quite depressing!

Who would be your dream dinner guests?

It would have to be Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Harriet Tubman, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina from Pussy Riot.

What would it surprise people to know about you?

That I'm an ornithologist - growing up outside a city, you become good at identifying birds!