Hazel Marzetti
2017
Hazel Marzetti
Age: 28
Location: Edinburgh
Hazel smashed through multiple barriers as a queer, disabled woman from a working-class background to go to Edinburgh University to study Philosophy. Whilst at uni in 2011 she was elected as the Women’s Rep on the NUS Scotland LGBT Committee, and then the NUS Scotland LGBT Officer, campaigning for and representing LGBT+ students across Scotland. Hazel then ran for election as Vice President of Societies and Activities (VPSA) in her final year, and won. Her portfolio included student welfare, equality and diversity, student societies, volunteering and charitable activities. She ran multiple welfare events and campaigns to improve support for students, and particularly those with additional needs or protected characteristics.
After being VPSA she started working for Edinburgh University – first as the Project Co-ordinator of Inclusive Learning, implementing the Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy. She then moved on to the Leading Enhancement in Assessment and Feedback (LEAF) project, looking at improving the way students get feedback.
While she was doing all that, she also volunteered for a whole bunch of different organisations. She was an e-mentor for Future First, providing online support for 6th form students deciding whether or not to apply for university. She was also a Researcher for the Edinburgh Museums’ Proud City exhibition that celebrated the LGBT+ culture and community in Edinburgh from 2005-2015. On top of all that Hazel also volunteers with LGBT Youth Scotland every other week, mostly with the Beyond Gender group that supports trans young people in Edinburgh and helping provide them with support, advice, a safe space and a listening ear.
She’s also heavily involved in Edinburgh Frontrunners, the LGBT Running group, on a weekly basis and helped to organise the first ever JogScotland run to officially allow non-binary entrants, which came out of a meeting she had with them about the barriers that were being created by Jog Scotland requiring people to tick one of two gender boxes to become members/attend runs.
She pursued a part time Masters in Educational Research – while simultaneously working full time – and graduated with both Overall Distinction and Distinction in her dissertation, which examined the experiences of LGBT+ students at Scottish universities – a topic that had not been really researched before. She’s continuing her important research in a PhD at Glasgow University, examining how offline and online communities influence young LGBT+ people’s mental health and wellbeing in Scotland.