Who are you, and what thrills you most?

My name is Roos ter Elst and I’m very excited to start at International Studies. My background is in Pedagogy and Social psychology and I’m currently in the second year of the LDE-traineeship. 

I am usually excited about having surprising conversations, walking around in Copenhagen where I once studied, and impressionistic art. But what thrills me most are the lemon-meringue pastries from the French bakery in my street (very dangerous). 

What will you be doing for International Studies, and what are you looking forward to?

Some people might think that ‘being well’ is as easy as sleeping well, eating well, and walking 10.000 steps a day. However, it is not a simple equation like some magazine headlines would like you to believe. For example, in the current conditions, starting your studies in a foreign country can come with a lot of excitement, but also with extra insecurity and unwanted feelings. How do you know where to turn to for help, or how do you make sure you don’t drown in your own expectations? 

As the International Studies Student well-being counselor, I aim to find out what students need in these trying times and transform that into valuable actions. We all miss face-to-face contact, but that does not mean we can’t try our best to still stimulate engagement amongst students. For me, this entails, for example, supporting the student mentors and starting conversations via the mentors on what students believe could ameliorate their study experience in terms of engagement and community. Next to this, I will commit to raising awareness for certain well-being issues, for example via our social media, and collaborate with other initiatives.

I am looking forward to listening and contributing to students’ study experience, even if it is only in the smallest way. Undoubtedly, the curriculum students follow at International Studies is enriching. However, if you ‘simply’ do not feel well, it is pretty hard to press “play” on that online lecture every day and truly process information. I hope to be able to listen to you, students, so we all can learn and develop better practices.

What is something about you, that most people wouldn't expect?

In a second life, I could be in real estate. In this life, it is confined to spending hours on the Dutch website ‘Funda’, dreaming about property and interior design.