What can people find out about you online? [Laughs] I’m not very active online. I suppose it just doesn’t interest me much. I try to use LinkedIn to promote my work at EDLAB, as its visibility matters to me. I’m also on Facebook because that’s where our doggy daycare posts videos. We have a Cardigan Welsh corgi who goes once a week and has the time of his life there. I love watching the dogs run around and play together, or just mill about. That’s about it for my social media presence. I think I’ve got an Instagram account, but I don’t use it much. It just isn’t really my thing.
What’s the hardest part of your role? Phew. Having too many ideas and not enough time. Talking with people always sparks new ideas and makes me think about what else we could do. Thankfully, I have people on my team who rein me in and tell me, “That’s enough for now.” I asked them to do that, because my mind never stops. I’m a huge optimist; the glass is always half full for me. I see opportunities everywhere. My husband calls me a ray of sunshine. When I was working on my PhD years ago, people said I was so cheerful, and it’s true, both literally and figuratively. I bring that attitude of optimism into my work, which helps drive things forward. It’s always wonderful to see that I’ve managed to bring people together on projects, which can be daunting to get off the ground. But pacing my energy, that’s the hardest part.
I was a horrible teenager. Oh no, not at all. I was very quiet and reserved, never any trouble. I don’t think my mother would say I was difficult, if I asked her now. I suppose I was a bit of an outsider in secondary school, though. Don’t ask me why, but I was part of a group of four girls, sometimes five, all still figuring out our own style. We were just a bit different from everyone else. Not in a negative way, and it didn’t bother us, but looking back, I realise we always kept to our own little group.
"Pacing my energy, that’s the hardest part"
Do you ever pray? I grew up Catholic, got married in the Catholic Church, and our daughter was baptised and confirmed. But I feel like an atheist nowadays. I feel connected to my memories rather than to the church or religion. It was my dad’s birthday recently – he passed away almost nine years ago – and on days like that, I think about him a lot. The last time I cried was when he died. It was sad, but it felt right. He’d been ill for some time. I hold on to those happy memories; they’re my way of shaping my faith. We live next to a natural burial ground, and I’d like to be buried there, surrounded by nature, with deer roaming around and birds flying overhead. We sometimes walk the dog there. I feel very peaceful there, just revelling in the sight of a bird perched on a branch… My husband is more religious; for him, burial is more closely tied to a traditional cemetery.
What would you like to pass on to your daughter? Trust in yourself and your abilities. Be honest, and make the most of what you’ve got. My daughter is 22 now and studying Medicine here at UM. It was a well-considered choice; she’s wanted to be a doctor since she was twelve. We encouraged her to look at other universities too, and she did, but her mind was pretty much made up. She’s caring, has a great sense of humour, is creative and is very good at balancing work and life. At one point, she even banned us from talking about work at the dinner table. My husband and I both have backgrounds in educational sciences, so it came up often. Eventually, she’d had enough. Now she’s the one sharing her experiences while we listen.
"I suppose I was a bit of an outsider in secondary school"
In ten years… I’ll be nearing retirement and hopefully spending a lot of time on my hobby, sewing clothes. I started as a child, buying scraps of fabric from the fabric shop to make doll clothes with a friend. Around fifteen, I wanted to start sewing for myself. My aunt Truus, who was a seamstress, helped me. When I moved to Limburg, I earned four fashion school certificates. Now, I can sew anything I want. I’m currently working on a jacket, and I made this blouse I’m wearing. By 67, I hope to have completed the course at fashion school so I can start teaching. I’m good – not perfect – at sewing, but the teaching side, helping others learn, is what I enjoy most. That’s where my background in educational sciences comes in again.