France is a BA-2 student now and came to Rotterdam in 2016, just to study media and communication here. “I was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand and I always went to international school there.” She studied a year of communications back home, but decided that it was not international enough for her. So after eliminating universities in The States and the UK (due to their high tuition fees), France chose Erasmus University to further her studies. After asking her why then she opted for the Netherlands, she said: “I wanted to find a country where people spoke English, so I wouldn’t have to adapt that much and it would make university life and being away from home way easier.”
France was an IBCoM ambassador during the last year, which involved visiting high schools, information markets (college fairs) as well as representing IBCoM at the EUR Open Day to inform students about studying communication and media. There is also the ‘Student for a Day’ programme where high schoolers sign up to walk around on campus and go along to a lecture. “I feel like its a very fun and empowering job, as you are helping students who are in the position you once were.”
She explained that as an international student it was really exciting to be an ambassador. “I got to travel around and see the real Netherlands in the small towns and rural parts. Here I got to know about the true Dutch culture, because of the locals and it was also very interesting to see what students in high school are passionate about nowadays.”
In this second year of IBCoM, France also decided to start a YouTube channel and a blog mainly to document her life and speak about topics that interested her. She had wanted to do it since high school, but she felt it was a little too scary. After seeing her friends here at university following their interests and passions more and more, she also decided to go for it!
“I’ve become really passionate about health and fitness, which is really hard to maintain within the student lifestyle. So I enjoy providing tips and recipes on a healthier, but also cheap lifestyle to other uni students and also to show what I typically do in my day to be healthy.”
Now that the last term of the year has started France has also started her internship after a long battle of finding the right position. This hardship was generally due to the fact that most internships were offered to students who spoke Dutch and so even getting considered was difficult.
However, her housemate Simi Özmen (also BA-2 IBCoM) had recently started as a social media intern at Run The Trap events, which interested France and so she asked if there was another position available. “The company organizes events and concerts playing electronic dance music around the Netherlands, a style of music that I’ve always really loved since I was young, so it was was perfect from me.” There was a spot available doing PR and promotion, which she applied to and managed to get. “It was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Thanks to France for telling her story and check out the Run The Trap party on May 5th here in Rotterdam!