Meet the Student Support Team: Sophie Rupp

Student Hub Assistant Sophie and her dog Mabel

Student Hub Assistant Sophie tells us about the ways she supports students, how wanting to help people resulted in her applying for her role and shares how she’s training her dachshund to be a therapy dog.

Hi Sophie! Can you tell us about your role and how you support students?

The Student Services Hub is the frontline for all student enquiries, from “Where is this classroom in Cottrell?” to mental health support. University life can be a bit daunting sometimes, especially in your first year, and my role is to help with anything that might come up for students along the way.

How did you get into this role?

I used to be a student ambassador at Stirling and a few months before I graduated, I worked as a welcome assistant at the Student Services Hub. I was looking out for jobs after I graduated and when I noticed this role, I applied right away – I already knew quite a lot about the service, and the team’s lovely.

What would you say is your favourite part of your job?

I just love being able to support students. My degree was in psychology and this role is a nice blend of helping students with some quite complex things and signposting them to other services that can work with them longer term.

What would you want students to know about this service?

The most important thing for students to know is there are no silly questions, you can ask us anything. I know that it can be quite intimidating to ask for help, but we’re here for students, whenever they need us.

Can you tell us a fun fact about yourself?

I have a one-year-old sausage dog called Mabel, and I’m training her to be a therapy dog.

I’ve always wanted a dog, and Mabel is just amazing. She loves people, is great with kids and gets on well with other dogs. From my psychology degree, I know the impact therapy pets can have on people and Mabel has all the right traits.

The training involves teaching her standard dog commands, keeping her calm and making sure her recall is good. I’m hoping she’ll be qualified in the next few months.

Thanks for speaking to us Sophie!

The Student Services Hub brings lots of services together to help you resolve a range of queries through a single point of contact, easily access the services you need, and thrive during your studies. Find out more on the University of Stirling website.

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