'Knowing my project might have helped people is what really counts'

He was a tutor, now a student ambassador and is part of the Hanze Honours College. For Santiago Montemiranda Aguirre, a third-year International Finance & Control student, his time at Hanze University of Applied Sciences is about making the absolute best of it.

'After finishing an mbo-programme in finance in my home country Aruba, I knew I wanted to pursue a bachelor’s programme somewhere abroad. Because I was born in Colombia and moved to Aruba when I was ten years old, I always struggled with the Dutch language. However, Aruba follows the Dutch school system, so I presumed a Dutch college would provide the best follow-up after my mbo studies. When I learnt about the English-taught Finance & Control programme at the Hanzehogeschool, I knew that was the programme for me.'

'I really enjoy the programme and find that the quality of the teachers is outstanding. They are very experienced in their field, but are very approachable as well. They are always happy to answer your questions, whether it’s during class, after class or even in the hallways. As a student who is passionate about studying, I love that my teachers are really there to help me and my fellow students.'

'I’m very determined to make the best of my studies. That’s why I signed up to be a student ambassador. I represent and promote the Hanze UAS at events and show new international students around upon their arrival. I’ve also been a tutor for first-year international students. Lastly, I’m part of the Honours College, which I love.'

'The Honours College is mostly about personal development. That’s why one of the projects I did for the Honours College is very personal. It’s about social pressure on drop-outs and people without higher education degrees. Personally, I started high school at the lowest level, which got me a lot of comments. Now that I’m 24 years old and doing a bachelor’s degree, people say I’m “too old”. With my project, I wanted to create awareness and open up the dialogue about this subject.'

'My project got me nominated for a Hannie Schaft award, which was a great honour. But what was even more valuable to me, was that so many people shared their stories about the pressure they felt, saying they could relate to it. Knowing my project might have helped people who struggled with this is wat really counts for me. I know that eventually I want to be a finance professional, but I would love to also be socially involved, maybe even create more projects like these.'