It was nice to meet the alumni students and hear about their current careers. All students agreed that their experience in the Netherlands has broadened their horizon and taught them about different cultures. This experience has taught them to adjust quickly in different environments.
Some students had planned to go back to their home country after studying in the Netherlands, however the majority is now still working and living abroad. Sanita Lapkase: “I come from Latvia and I decided to study in the Netherlands for 1 year, because I could receive a scholarship. I planned to go back to Latvia after and settle my life there. However after my experience in the Netherlands I found out the world has much more to offer. I worked in Amsterdam for 1 year, then in Canada for a few years and I am currently working as an event coordinator in London. While I was searching for a new job, I also applied for a job back in Latvia, but they considered me as over qualified.”
One of the details that has been discussed is that according to research students who have studied abroad will earn more salary than students who have stayed in their home country. These Alumni students could confirm that because of their studies in the Netherlands they gained more confidence to apply for specific jobs and their international experience helped them to get interviews for positions they applied for.
They have discussed their experiences and we discussed the transformations our school has gone through in the meantime. Some students from our current programs decided to join in and meet with the students and hear about possible career possibilities.
For the alumni it was nice to see the new school building in Dronten and then they went to see our location in Almere. In the morning in Dronten, they met with Wil Bekkering, Tim Menger, Natasja Spaargaren, retired colleagues: Toon van Aerts, Aaldrich Enting and other colleagues from the international team. After a tasty prepared lunch on one of our balconies, they received a tour from Gert Vosjan, who was happy to share all the cool features of our glass school building and even showed the view from the rooftop.
We hope to meet more alumni students in the future and for next year November we are planning to organize a large alumni event for all international graduates that ever graduated from our school.