Matthijs de Gooijer

Student

I'm passionate about making a difference, whether those differences are small or big. When I'm involved with a project at work, I want to do my best to achieve success. I feel the same way about what I do in my personal life. Being a university student involves being given a wide range of interesting activities that one should experience. Right now I am trying to allow others to think about this the same way by engaging in professional and social initiatives. This year I teamed up with a group of students from my university who I met in my study association. This group of students have experience with organising events and together we will hopefully host many more. This is really satisfying for me and makes studying a wonderful time.

Last year a group of students organised the first edition of TEDx Universiteit van Amsterdam. When I heard that my university would have its own TEDx conference, I immediately bought a ticket (which was smart because it sold out in no time). During the event I had an amazing time, as I never realized just how many cool initiatives and ideas were happening around me. The day was not only really entertaining but it gave me fresh insights and outlooks on life too. I felt inspired by all the ideas that were presented during the day. It was at that moment that I realized that I wanted to be the next person to organise this TEDx event. It is now a year later and I have been chosen to do just that. I have talked to the people that organised last years event and they have made me even more enthusiastic when they talked about what they learned last year and all the wonderful people they met. I think this is a great opportunity to do something that matters and learn a lot along the way.

Poetry