USR / USC, Author at Ad Valvas

2 September 2026

We do not come out of our shells alone

When I arrived at VU Amsterdam in 2021, I could never have imagined that I would one day run for the University Student Council. Finding my place within the university community felt like a challenge. I was more reserved back…

20 May 2026

The more diverse, the better

As a first-generation student, I entered university with ambition, but without a roadmap. While others seemed to understand how the system worked, I had to figure everything out myself: where to find support, how to study effectively, and who to…

30 March 2026

How do you do so much?

We’re already well past the halfway point of this year. I could describe it in so many ways, beyond a normal board year. I genuinely believe that what you meet in life meets you for a reason. For me, this…

9 February 2026

Violence cannot be ignored

In Hegel’s thinking about the ‘Other’, identity never emerges in isolation but always in relation to someone else: we exist by virtue of a they. That mechanism also operates on our campus. When a student party presents itself as the…

15 December 2025

Find out the right question to ask

Science has always been my way of understanding the world. Since I was little, I’ve always wanted to know why things work the way they do. Not just in theory, but also in ways that could actually help people. That…

28 October 2025

I had to hide my VU Pride sticker

Navigating trust and openness can be an exhausting mental and physical challenge. To constantly be aware of how you conduct yourself in public, to always look at things such as the way you walk and talk, is something most LGBTQI+…

25 August 2025

Supporting students, not punishing them

Every student has a story, and mine is one of resilience, growth, and the belief that every voice deserves to be heard. I’m 22 years old, and I grew up in a Dutch village called Mijdrecht. These days, I live…

2 July 2025

An ode to the forever student

When I graduated from high school, I had a clear plan: finish my bachelor’s degree in three years, and then head into the world well-prepared. But I got to know myself better: my avoidance, my restlessness, my chaotic way of…

27 May 2025

‘Are you seriously right-wing?’

This has happened to me several times this year. I’m at a party or social gathering, chatting with someone, when suddenly a question or comment comes up: “Are you really with the Vrijmoedige Studentenpartij? Are you seriously right-wing?” It’s usually…

15 April 2025

Curiosity doesn’t have to kill the cat

“Are you crazy?” This is the most common response I get when I tell people I study Psychology and Law while also being in the University Student Council. Well, maybe a little, but aren’t we all? My usual response is,…

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