Active membership at Aureus: Testimonial of Rachael Nederveen

Have you ever wondered what active membership at Aureus is all about? Which tasks do you need to fulfill? Which skills do you need to possess? Which functions you have in a committee? Read Rachael her testimonial and all your questions will be answered. 

Short introduction about yourself

My name is Rachael Nederveen. Currently, I am in the second year of the Bachelor programme International Business Administration. Also, I joined the Speaker Series committee of Aureus this year!

Why did you choose to join aureus?

I realised that nowadays doing something active, besides your study is becoming increasingly important for future employers for example. Moreover, I wanted to develop myself on multiple levels, and I felt like becoming an active member by Aureus would really help me in achieving this. Besides this, I thought that joining Aureus would be a great opportunity to meet new people and make new friends!

What is your role in your committee?

I have the functions secretary and marketing. Tasks that include my secretary function are for example making notes during meetings, sending emails, etc. My marketing function is a little bit more work, but also a lot of fun and it gives me the room to be creative! For marketing, I am responsible for planning the promotion campaign, making promotion materials, etc. In essence, everything that has to do with promoting an event. For marketing, it is the challenge to reach as many students/applicants as possible, in order for us to draw them to our events!

Besides these functions, my role in the committee also involves acquiring (inter)national speakers.

Do you enjoy your function?

Yes! My function is quite diverse, and my specific tasks differ per event what we do. That makes it a fun and dynamic function! But sometimes it can be a challenge, because each event is organized around the speaker and tailored specifically to its expertise, making each event and the organization of it different. But, I like my functions so far, and I learnt a lot already!

Which committee would you like to join after Speaker Series?

I am not exactly sure yet which committee I want to do after Speaker Series, but I do know that I definitely want to continue at Aureus. I am thinking of a committee that is slightly more challenging, or something completely different, so that I can develop myself further on different aspects. But, I still have to think about this. Luckily, the board of Aureus is very helpful in guiding you in your choice.

What is the most challenging moment you had so far?

I can’t really think of one specific moment. However, Speaker Series is a new committee since this year. Thus, we had to come up with the whole concept/idea of the Speaker Series. The difficult thing we face is that no one has done this before, and we are the ones responsible for setting up an entirely new platform of speakers this year. A challenging, but fun thing to do!

What is the best moment you had in your committee so far?

It was great when we had Klaas Knot, the president of DNB, over as our first speaker. Klaas Knot is a big deal, so the committee and I were very pleased that everything went well. After the event, we received a lot of positive feedback. At that moment, we really felt proud of ourselves!

What is the craziest thing you’ve experienced with your committee?

I cannot think of something very crazy per se. However, during the Speaker Series you get to meet a lot of people, during our events for example. So, it was a very funny moment when a person of our committee was asked out on a date by one of our visitors, haha!

Besides this, you do a lot of fun stuff within your committee together. For example, we had a teambuilding activity where we went carting. Not crazy per se, but a lot of fun!

What have you learned so far?

I have learned many things at Aureus so far, but I will give you a few examples. For instance, communicative skills in the acquisition process, creative skills in drawing as many students to the event as possible, and academic abilities in thinking of relevant speakers and topics for students. Besides this, I also learned how to work closely with others in a team, thus how to deal with responsibilities regarding the tasks you have to do.

Also, Aureus helps me a lot on how to develop myself personally. In an active year, they guide you towards your learning goals, and help you to become aware of your strengths, but also about your weaknesses and common pitfalls. All in all, I have developed myself a lot already, in the couple of months that I have been an active member at Aureus.

How is the experience going to help you in the long term

First of all, working in a committee has been good for developing certain skills, but also for my personal growth. Knowing about my strengths and weaknesses for example, is knowledge that can be of great value for future (job) applications.

Why should other students become an active member?

Becoming an active member is really good for your development. You learn a certain set of skills regarding the tasks you have to do in your committee. However, you also develop yourself a lot personally. Both things are great assets for your future job application processes/careers.  Besides this, you meet a lot of great new people and you do a lot of fun stuff together!

Are you interested in becoming an active member or do you need more information? Click here for all the open committees or send an email to [email protected] to request a coffee with our HR-Officer.