“I've always been interested in how the public sector, government, and politics function. My curiosity grew when I worked as an advisor on student policy, helping to shape education programmes and advising on what policies would work best. My Bachelor’s degree is in Biology, which is quite different, but when I saw that I could enrol on the Master’s in Public Administration at the University of Twente after doing a pre-master’s, it became the obvious choice.
When I tell people I study Public Administration, the common question is, ‘What exactly is Public Administration?’ Basically, I’m learning about collective decision-making and how societies address important issues. For example, I examine how governments define and respond to crises and study the models behind their decision-making — what drives these choices and why?
Real-world applications
The freedom to choose your courses and topics within each course is what I like about the programme. Plus, the focus on applying theory to real-world scenarios is amazing. In the course Crisis Management, we studied crisis theories — what a crisis is, how patterns emerge, and what science suggests we should do to manage these situations — and then analysed a crisis of our choice.
I partnered with a student from Greece, and we decided to analyse the wildfires in Greece and how the government managed the evacuations. We started by researching news articles and other coverage to understand how the situation was handled, compared them with the crisis management models we learned in class, and identified what worked well and what could have been improved.
Greece handled the situation quite effectively according to our analysis. There were no casualties, and the evacuation and communication strategies were on point. Although the island isn't densely populated, the quick response and well-organised firefighting efforts played a huge role in preventing further damage. It was interesting to see how real-life crisis management plays out.
Social impact
For my thesis project, I’m focusing on the integration of Ukrainian refugees into Dutch sports associations. Specifically, I’m studying how these associations adapt: what changes they make, if any, and whether government policies influence these changes.
One surprising discovery was the minimal government involvement. While some policies are mentioned, most associations either don’t use them or aren’t clear on what the government expects. The associations don't seem to know what other clubs are doing either, so there’s little shared knowledge or collaboration on how to handle the situation. It would probably help if they shared experiences or tips.
Another finding is that while associations make small adjustments — like providing extra sports materials or organising transport for children — it’s often a challenge for Ukrainian refugees because they live in areas far from the sports facilities they need. For instance, someone might be really into volleyball, but the nearest club is 15 kilometres away, which makes it hard for them to participate. This lack of proximity is something associations don’t always know how to handle.
My future
I'm nearing the end of my studies and am excited to have landed a job as a policy advisor for integration at the municipality of Almelo — a role that aligns perfectly with my thesis topic. I’ll be responsible for evaluating the current integration process for refugees, proposing small policy changes for immediate improvements and working with local government officials to implement large-scale changes. This job is a great first step, giving me the chance to directly influence policies that impact people’s lives.”
