Interviews with our alumni
As a graduate of the Faculty of Humanities, there are unlimited possibilities. Do you want to know more about the sectors and jobs Humanities' graduates end up? Click on the name of the alumna/alumnus to read their story!
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The LinkedIn profile of alumnus Arne Driessen describes him as a ‘serial entrepreneur’. After studying Japanese he ended up working for a translation agency, after which he founded his own online marketing company, which he later sold to enable him to do something different again: making offices more sustainable using mobile plant walls.
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Akke de Hoog helps asylum seekers whose application has been rejected to plan their future and voluntary return to their country of origin. Her master’s programme taught her about migration and how international politics, the climate and the economy impact different migration flows, as well as migration legislation and policy. ‘The results of these global developments can be observed at local level as they affect the people we coach.’
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Looking for a job after a financial crisis is not easy, but Ward Hoskens (28) managed to take his fate into his own hands. During an internship, he found his way to the Pieterskerk, where he now works as a junior curator. Director Frieke Hurkmans took him on.
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During his time as a jurist for SOS Jurists, a local legal aid NGO that helps asylum seekers in the Lake Geneva region, Maurice Kirschman realised he did not speak any of the languages of the refugees or could understand the politics of their cases he had to take to court. “I wanted to connect with people in those situations, so I applied.”
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Lucia Langerak was awarded a Master’s degree in Egyptology with cum laude honours in 2018. Her bachelor’s degree was also with cum laude honours. ‘I’m an exceptional Egyptologist, if only because I’ve never been to Egypt.’ She is now the coordinator of the Access & Support Platform at the University.
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Romana Osman (24) knew one thing for sure: she wanted to work at an embassy in the Middle East. However, finding a position turned out to be rather challenging. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. After an internship at UNICEF, Romana now works as a trainee at the Dutch Embassy in Amman.
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At a time when statues of figures from history have an uncertain future Valika Smeulders has just become Head of History at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum. What changes does she want to make? And how does she look back on her Languages and Cultures of Latin America degree programme in Leiden?
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Imagine: you walk into a museum, see something that catches your eye and before you know it, you have an internship. This is what happened to history student Davey Verhoeven, who went on to work on the exhibition about the unique Japanese folding screen by Kawahara Keiga (approx. 1786 – approx. 1860) that is currently on display in the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden. ‘This was the first time that I was able to put my skills into practice and consider what I wanted to do with my study programme.’
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A permanent job or start your own company? After her studies in English Language and Culture and History, Anna Visser faced this exact choice and chose the latter. She started working as a freelance translator. How did this go and how did her studies benefit her?