Assessor of the Honours Academy

Although I usually consider myself a somewhat introverted person, I keep finding myself in positions where I have to keep close contact with many people. My jobs as a student ambassador for consecutively the Astronomy bachelor and the Honours College primarily involved talking to prospective students, while my board year at AEGEE-Leiden was all about keeping members engaged, even in the middle of a pandemic. This job as an Assessor at the Honours Academy was no different, as I was the main point of contact for the honours students of Leiden University.

Background

Applying for this job was a very natural decision for me. At that point, I had just finished my Honours College programme, and my work as a student ambassador had showed me the other, organising side of Leiden University’s Honours education. Besides, My duties for AEGEE-Leiden were drawing to a close, and the responsibilities there had been very similar to those of the Assessor.

At about fourteen hours a week, this was my first ‘proper’ side job — the previous ones all being less than five hours. Besides, there were many colleagues (each honours programme having its own team) and the stakes were higher, as decisions impacted many students. Hence, it was a very enlightening experience to work in such an environment, especially since all colleagues were very motivated, even throughout the COVID-19 pandemic (which covered a large share of my two-year appointment).

Responsibilities

Generally, my responsibilities included representing the honours students’ perspective in the board meetings of the Honours Academy as well as other meetings, acting as a point of contact for the students, writing the monthly mailing for the honours students and organising events. Starting in my second year, I was also responsible for the Instagram and LinkedIn pages of the Honours Academy. However, a lot of time was also spent helping colleagues with their projects and events.

This experience has taught me much about working in such a team, about the administrative structure of the university and about all the factors that are taken into account when trying to organise such a variety in education for such a diverse group of students. Additionally, I got to meet many interesting people, including the rector of the university. After two years, I had to leave as I was heading to Stockholm for my exchange program, but I am glad that I could be a part of this team for so long.

About the image:
The header image shows me posing in an Honours Academy hoodie at an event for Pre-University College students in The Hague. The photo was taken by JP Witteman from Buro JP.