Hi! My name is Pascalle. I’m from a small conservative village, called Sommelsdijk, in the South West of the Netherlands. I am a sociable and energetic person who loves being around other people, but who can also turn very introverted at times. School has never really been my thing. And I know this applies to more people, but for me, it was something I really hated. I always felt like school wouldn’t teach me “the real important stuff”. In high school I was thus extremely unmotivated but, against all odds, graduated with proper grades.
After I graduated, I decided to take a break from school and I started working as a waitress at a beach club to save up before traveling through South East Asia for 6 months. And yes, this might sound cliché, but this gap year really changed me. During my trip, I have met the most incredible warm-hearted people and learned about different cultures and countries. It required me to become more talkative, open-minded and accepting. And it was during this same trip that I realized that I was not yet ready to start working for the rest of my life. I would have never thought so, but this realization actually made me look forward to studying again! So, I did.
In September 2019, I started my International Bachelor in Communication and Media at the Erasmus University and moved to Rotterdam. Besides my studies, I worked as a freelance caterer assistant for several restaurants in Rotterdam, which I really enjoyed. Then, at the end of August 2020, my sister hit me up and asked whether I was interested to work at ErasmusX. She explained how ErasmusX consists of a small, dedicated and diverse team that works on educational innovation for the Erasmus University Rotterdam. As she really enjoyed working at ErasmusX herself, when a job position opened up, I was the first one to know.
While I was still not very fond of studying and have always been quite critical of my education experience, I saw this as a chance to actually work on its improvement and to voice my opinion. Besides, even though I have always loved my job as a caterer assistant in the hospitality sector, I felt it was time for something new — time for something different. So, I applied.
Then on the 14th of September 2020, I had my job interview with Alex (Whitcomb). And guess what? I got the job! Currently, I have been working here for almost a year now and I am very happy to be part of this amazing team!
Through a short blog series, I am excited to give you a glimpse of what it is like to work in this team. In my next blog, I will talk about my experience working as a student assistant at ErasmusX.
Hope to see you again next time 😉.
