Netherlands
I am a student in a Bachelor in European Studies at Maastricht University. Growing up in Belgium, a country renowned for its rich multicultural and multilingual heritage, I have always been immersed in diverse perspectives. Belgium’s strategic location in the heart of Europe and its role as a host to numerous European institutions further fueled my interest in political sciences, international relations, and European diplomacy. Therefore I grasped the chance to do an internship at the European Commission in Brussels and further discover this field. I also took the opportunity to discover as an intern the Belgian federal parliament to understand the mechanics at the member state level. My studies at Maastricht University allow me to deepen my knowledge about the European Union, such as its institutional framework and EU leadership in international relations. In my Bachelor, founded on the problem-based learning method, I also acquired skills such as critical thinking, policy analysis and research 📚🎓 Furthermore, I broadened my perspectives by entering the world of Model United Nations Conferences which allowed me to practice my negotiation skills. This exercise encourages me to take into consideration different proposals on various geopolitical issues and to know how to put forward my interests while still being open to compromise 🇺🇳 In my free time, I enjoy reading the latest edition of Le Monde Diplomatique, newspaper to which I have been a subscriber for years, next to a nice cup of tea. I also like to travel thereby discovering new cultures, countries and languages.
I am also the Student Representatives FASoS of the Bachelor European Studies of Maastricht University in the Educational Management Team (OMT) of FaSos. I contribute to faculty-wide policies: - Exam rules - Writing guide requirements + new GenAI policy - Course registration rules - Reforms of the group size of the tutorials - New transition rules experience
I have been elected Head of the Employability student working group. I have lead a team of 6 highly motivated students to enhance the employability of our Master and Bachelor fellow students through interactive workshops and career fairs.
How can we promote and create social cohesion in a diverse society? In Honours+, I will dive into this issue with a team of students from European Law, Psychology and International Business, under the guidance of our Supervisor, Jonas Wogh, PhD Candidate in Economics & Finance. I have indeed been selected to contribute to the Honours+ Excellence programme at EDLAB which gathers students from diverse faculties of Maastricht University to engage in complex interdisciplinary challenges. This challenge, anchored in the Dutch National Research Agenda and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, encourages us to approach complex issues along the lines of the scientific method, thereby requiring solid teamworking skills and collaborative, cross-disciplinary engagement. Currently, my team and I are in the brainstorming phase and will soon start an in-depth literature review on our chosen topic. In order to further improve the project, we have the opportunity to access the wide offer of professional development workshops provided by EDLAB on themes such as time management, formulation of research questions and guidance on how to conduct interdisciplinary research.
I followed the work of Xavier Dubois as well as other MPs and parliamentary staff from his fraction in the Belgian federal Parliament. I attended the sessions of the Commission on Internal affairs and Migration and numerous plenary sessions of the parliament. This enabled me to understand the full law-making process in the parliament and the complex dynamics caused by the Belgian linguistic and federal specificities. I have also had the opportunity to take part in the meetings of the parliamentary staff to formulate questions and interpellations to the government on current issues and to participate in meetings with the lobbies of the parliament. This experience thaught me the key qualities to fulfill parliamentary work as an MP but also as a staff member. During this internship, I also took the opportunity to connect with various MPs from Les Engagés and gave me interesting insights on how their career brang them to a parliament and on their commitment to their local councils and their country.
I joined the United Nations Student Association Permanent MUN Delegation. It reunites 30 Maastricht students from different fields of studies who want to engage in Model United Nation (MUN) Conferences and improve their negociating and public speaking skills. We meet weekly to practice our debating skills and prepare our next MUN conference. We also organize many social events for networking and building strong community bounds together !
I had the opportunity to do an internship at the Commission where I followed the work of multiple employees of the Directorate General in charge of Human Resources and the one in charge of Competition. I discovered the work of the institution from within, being immerged in the work by discussing with numerous civil servants, on-site as well as remotely. This experience thaught me the importance of effective organizational strategies, communication and team-working. This multicultural environment also demonstrated the variety of academic and professional paths to work at the Commission. It gave me certainty on my field of study choice as well as prospects for my professional career.