"As a small child in elementary school, I was already interested in the world around me by spending hours looking in atlases, searching for distant places. This interest in the world changed into a broader interest in earth science processes and human influence on it such as climate change. Following the bachelor Aarde & Economie was a logical choice for me.
During the bachelor, I came into contact with the topic of hydrology during fieldwork and courses. I found it fascinating that water has such a great influence on every natural process and on the other hand is such an elusive aspect. For example, we can never know exactly how much water drains through a river. This will always remain a statistic approach combined with natural science.
I look back on my study Hydrology with good feelings. I likes the variation of the subjects and the courses in combination with the fieldwork meant that I could immediately apply the knowledge in practice. I also liked the size of the group of students. A group of students that was not too big, but certainly not too small.
I remember Hans de Moel very well. He was the coordinator of the Master of Hydrology and also my thesis supervisor. I thought it was clever how he, as the person who was a bit further removed from my thesis, steered the process back in the right direction after just half an hour of consultation.
After my studies, I started working at Arcadis as a consultant and project leader for Urban Water and Climate Adaptation. Arcadis is one of the largest consultancy and design firms in the world in the fields of buildings, infrastructure, water and the environment. In all its projects, Arcadis strives to improve the living environment. I am a consultant and project leader in a team that works on urban water and climate adaptation. The work ranges from modeling studies of flooding, to making the city climate-proof to drafting policy with requirements to achieve this climate-proof city.
My suggestion for future Hydrology students is this: translate all your acquired knowledge into practice. After all, the practical world of water is not as perfect as it is in the textbook."
