Inspired by the quote: ‘Leiden University never leaves you’
With this quote in mind, we organised an alumni event in Brussels for those alumni that live and work in the Brussels Area. 67 mostly young alumni - the majority graduated in the years 2010-2019 - showed up at the beautifully renovated Holland House, situated near the lively Place du Luxembourg (better known by local European bureaucrats and journalists by one of its nicknames, Place Lux or Plux).
Connecting again
The event started with a lively panel discussion on "Will Brexit change the EU’s foreign policy?", chaired by Dr. Maxine David (Humanities), and joined by panel members Dr. Matthew Broad (Humanities), Dr. Armin Cuyvers (Law), and Dr. Joris Larik (FGGA). Check out the Humanities Twitterfeed for Maxine David’s tweets during the roundtable!
After the panel, in a room full of buzz and noise, the alumni enjoyed connecting again with old friends and meeting new ones. At 20:00h, the last guests left Holland House. It was great to see you all, and we are looking forward to meeting you again in Brussels for our 2021 event!
'It feels as if I’m back in Leiden’
During the event, we interviewed some of our alumni.
Liesbeth Versluis – Classics (graduated in 2009)
'I’ve studied Classics and did a minor on European Union Studies. At the moment, I work for the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the European Union, as an ‘Education Attaché’ for the department of Education, Culture and Audiovisual Affairs. I promote the Dutch interests in the European Union, mainly on the topic of education. I came to this alumni event to meet a couple of old friends and to learn more about the alumni activities of Leiden University.'
Dan Iulian Stanciu – European Union Studies (graduated in 2012)
‘I’ve studied European Union Studies and I’ve graduated in 2012. It was one of the best periods in my life! In Brussels, I work with Horizon2020 funds and I help innovative companies and startups to apply for the EIC accelerator – a grant mechanism from the European Commission. Although it is almost ten years back, I came to this alumni event to relive that period of my life as a student in Leiden and most importantly to get to know other Leiden University alumni.’
Hannah van der Wurff – Leiden University College (graduated in 2018)
I’ve studied World politics and international justice at Leiden University College in The Hague and graduated in 2018. I’m currently living in Brussels, because of an internship at the NOS [Dutch Broadcast Foundation] department here. The NOS in Brussels mostly focuses on news regarding the European Union, but also on news related to the NATO. I came to the alumni event because I’m interested to learn about the careers of other Leiden University alumni here in Brussels. Also, it can be quite hard to meet people of my own age here. During this event I’ve met a lot of interesting and nice people, so I’m really happy that I’ve attended the event!
Margot Moeslinger – MSc Industrial Ecology (graduated in 2019)
‘I’ve studied Industrial Ecology and graduated in 2019. I’m currently completing a traineeship, called the Blue Book traineeship, at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. It has been a really interesting experience. Together with some other trainees, I’ve formed a ‘sustainability committee’ and tomorrow, we will have a meeting with a member of Frans Timmermans’ team to talk about the Green Deal. I’ve come to the Leiden University alumni event because I was inspired by the quote: ‘Leiden University never leaves you’! Although we are in Brussels now, it feels as if I’m back in Leiden’.
Martine Mathieu – International Children's Rights (Advanced LL. M.), 2015-2016 en Samuel Delcominette – International Civil and Commercial Law (Advanced LL. M.), 2015-2016
Also attending the event were two alumni from the Leiden Law School, both graduated in 2016: Martine Mathieu and Samuel Delcominette. Martine was a student in the advanced LL.M. in International Children's Rights and Samuel a student in the advanced L.L.M. in International Civil and Commercial Law. Currently, both work in Brussels on topics related to their advanced masters. 'We came to the alumni event to meet old friends and other alumni from Leiden University!'
