What's Next: the Graduated Class of 2016
After three (or four) years of hard study, there are every year a lot of Bachelor students that say goodbye to go and explore the wide world. Where are they going next? And what will they miss most about our beautiful city? For the coming weeks, we will tell the stories of 6 recent Bachelor graduates in Public Affairs and Leiden University College, who we spoke about their future plans, most precious college memories and their favorite spot in the Hague.
Maxime Boumans in Home Town Café, The Hague
‘‘That group feeling and that feeling of oneness: that is what I am going to miss the most about LUC..’’
Who is maxime?
Maxime is a third year student at Leiden University College (LUC) who is originally from Vleuten. For the past three years, she studies Global Public Health issues for her studies, for which she wrote a thesis on the effects of supplements in food on the prevention of Malaria. She currently lives in the center of the Hague (near the Grote Markt) in a large student house, together with other LUC students. After three years of hard work, she was awarded her Bachelor’s diploma in the Koninklijke Schouwburg last Friday.
And now?
Now I am going to pursue a Master’s Degree in Health Sciences at VU University in Amsterdam with a specialization in Infectious Disease and Public Health. Here, I hope to learn more about infectious diseases such as Malaria, both on an international level as on a national level. What exactly I will be doing.. I will have to see. For the coming months at least I will still be living in the Hague, but in the second part of the academic year I will leave for another country to do a study-related internship or to conduct research in my area.
What is your favorite spot in the Hague?
I am really a café person (not even sure if that is a real word, ha-ha!). One of my favorite things to do is enjoy the slow, mellow atmosphere of a café: the rush of the sounds playing softly on the background while I am working… At this café there are not that many other LUC students and the music is really nice.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Tough question! In an ideal situation I would be doing field work: little projects for UNICEF, AZG, or something like that. Making a big impact on a small scale with my research.
What is the most valuable lesson you learned from three years of studying?
That with hard work, you can come really far! You don’t have to be the smartest of the class if you have a lot of perseverance. When first coming to LUC, I was incredibly overwhelmed by all the smart people around me that seemed to always know exactly what to say in class. After three years I found that I have something valuable to say too!
What is your favorite LUC memory?
Honestly… I think my whole first year was one big great memory. I mostly treasure the memory of my first introduction week, though: we were all sitting on the 21st floor of the Campus building in the common room; someone was playing guitar and we were sharing drinks. It was so ‘gezellig’, or cosy you could say.. That group feeling and that feeling of oneness: that is what I am going to miss the most about LUC.