The Start
Before I actually started as a board member, I had no clear idea what my weeks and days were exactly going to look like. I understood that you have a lot of freedom in which projects you can pick up and how you want to get started. But how do you make choose between all the possibilities and where do you make a start? Things I wondered about at first, but quickly became clear.
During your studies you are used to tasks and assignments where you know where you are going or what the end product should be, such as exams, projects or your bachelor assignment. In committee work, large and small, there is usually also an end point or a goal. The way to get there is often still free to choose, but you have a clear idea of what you ultimately want to achieve.
Before September I had not yet envisioned what I would be doing now, I felt a little tensed about it, but I saw it mainly as a big challenge. But now I also understand why I did not have such a clear picture of it, I had to come up with the things that I was going to be busy with myself! As a SU board member you set up new projects, and these goals and final points that I just talked about are also part of that.
Teamwork
Apart from the fact that you decide for yourself what you think is important or where the need lies to get started, you never work on your project alone. You mix in all layers and with all kinds of activities. From associations and individual students, up to the Executive Board or other parties, you will talk all kinds of people; first-year students, but also professionals who have been working at the UT for several years. This way you can combine insights and ideas from all angles, but also make use of the expertise of the people around you, so that major steps and changes can be made and continued.
This regularly involves major decisions that can have a lot of impact, which makes it exciting but at the same time gives your work a lot of meaning. Throughout the year, you dedicate yourself to your fellow students in order to offer all students at the UT the opportunity to make the most of their student days and to obtain More Than A Degree! To give an example I am responsible for the Kick-In Committee, this means I am closely involved and also help them with difficult matters. It is great to see that they’re doing such a good job and are well prepared, I am sure all new students will have a great time and will be introduced well to our University in such a way that they can land safely in their new environment.
My next journey
In September I will continue with my master Applied Mathematics, which I also find very fun and interesting. But one thing I know for sure, everything I have learned this year and will encounter in the coming months is worth a great deal!