Meet the new editor of felix

An interview with Dan Wan, the new editor of Imperial's student newspaper, felix, for the 2009-10 academic year

The Office of Alumni and Development caught up with Dan Wan, the new editor of Imperial's award-winning student newspaper, felix, to find out more about the person in charge over the 2009-10 academic year.

What are you studying at Imperial?

I'm actually a biologist at heart. It's an area of science that always interested me a lot more than others. I've completed two years now, and will commence my final year after this sabbatical year.

How did you first get involved with felix?

I'd always heard that Imperial had strong student media, and as soon as I got here I started writing music and fashion articles. Soon after I became Fashion Editor and the rest, as they say, is history...

What's the most exciting assignment you'd had so far on the staff of felix?

Something cropped up last year about the proposed cuts in the humanities programme at Imperial. We were getting outraged staff leaking papers to us which suggested that they were about to lose their jobs. Students reacted just as angrily, and the feature I wrote sparked a protest on Queen's Lawn. I was up until 5.00 a.m. writing it. It's good to know people take notice of your articles, especially to that extent.


How do you feel about being elected as editor?

The election was so tightly run and fought so hard between Kadhim and I, that it's more a sense of relief. Kadhim and I are good mates too, so it made it all the more harder to celebrate outright.


What would you like to achieve in the coming year?

To open up felix even further into the student body. Though a lot of people read felix, I want a lot more to get involved in writing! I also want to give felix an impressive online face, which is something we don't have at the moment. Work in progess, I'd say!

Describe yourself in three words.

Not enough words!

Tell us something that people would be surprised to know about you.

I was a phone call away from quitting Imperial in my first year. I was a little disillusioned with life here, and I was going to reapply for an english literature degree somewhere up north. Thankfully, I didn't follow it all through though.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

Like a lot of students, I'm still not entirely sure where I want to head in life. I'd like to see myself in a big city, like London or New York, enjoying my work. I think that's a pretty important thing for me.