Keara Froon (24) seems relaxed as we meet in the Stadspark on a sunny Wednesday morning. And she has every reason to be: she has just graduated from her master’s in Data Science for Decision Making at the Faculty of Science and Engineering – a programme that, given the enormously increasing demand for digital solutions such as AI, almost guarantees its graduates a bright future.
Having lived in Maastricht for nearly two years, Froon has many positive things to say about the town and her study programme. But staying here longer doesn’t seem to be an option for her: “Maastricht is lovely, but too small for me in the long term. I’ve always lived in bigger cities. I love their anonymity.” That’s why Froon has been applying for positions in software management at consultancy firms all over the Netherlands. She has also been looking at West Germany, but she doesn’t want to look farther than that – not yet.
Sacrifice
Why is that? Her family, who left everything they knew behind in South Africa to live closer to their daughter, is the main reason. Froon doesn’t want to leave her parents, who recently bought a house in the north of the Netherlands, behind again. “They made a huge sacrifice when they left their home and friends to move near me. And now we’re happy together as a family. I don’t want to be the one that breaks us apart again.” But she also fears missing out on opportunities and is caught in a dilemma.
Froon’s close relationship with her parents has always been important in her life. Especially the strong bond between the FSE graduate and her mum is essential for her. It is rooted in the intense and defining experiences mother and daughter had during Froon’s childhood in South Africa.
Apartheid
She was born just after apartheid ended. For nearly five decades (1948 – 1990), the South African government kept white and darker-skinned people separated. They lived, worked, went to school and shopped in different areas, with the black population suffering severe discrimination.
As the daughter of an Indian-South African mother and a Dutch father, Froon and her mum were often picked on, as she is lighter-skinned than her mother. Even though marriage between black and white people was allowed when she was born, and couples like her parents could legally have children, the mindset of many South Africans hadn’t changed yet. “It was sometimes difficult. I was especially furious when people made comments about my mom. People sometimes stared at us when we were out grocery shopping. On other occasions, they asked her who she was, implying that we couldn’t be related because we have different skin tones”, says Froon. “It made us very close.”
Moving away
Still, her move to Maastricht wasn’t the first time the 24-year-old left her parents behind. After growing up in Johannesburg, Froon went to pursue a bachelor’s in Maths and Statistics, two subjects that have always been her passion, in Cape Town – 1400 kilometres away from home. “I got used to the distance eventually, but it was difficult for me. I couldn’t just hop on a train for a weekend.”
But the distance also helped her. In Cape Town, Froon learned to live on her own, cook for herself, and be more independent. “I had the opportunity to try out artsy stuff, like painting and playing ukulele, during that time, but it wasn’t for me. I’m more of a tech and sports kind of girl. But I can say that I truly became an adult there”, she explains.
After graduation, however, she felt stuck. “I couldn’t find a suitable job in South Africa. There were lots of start-ups, but nobody could really offer me a position with opportunities for growth. I was interested in growing.”
Europe
Froon moved back home to Johannesburg with a degree in her pocket, but no perspective. It was her mum who encouraged her to go out into the world again, even farther away this time. “One night when I couldn’t sleep, she sat on my bed and convinced me to go study in Europe. ‘Europe, that’s so far away’, I thought. It seemed like another world.” Although Froon holds Dutch citizenship through her father, she had never been to Europe. “The thought of moving that far away again frightened me somehow. But I realised that I had to. It was a big opportunity. And now I’m grateful that I took the step to come to Maastricht, and for my parents’ unconditional support.”