“Keep working with young people; that’s very important”

Dutch version in this link.

What was your position when you started working at, then, NHTV in December 2007?
“I started as a supervising lecturer for placements because there was a shortage of them at the time. After a week, a colleague approached me and asked if I also wanted to teach the SPSS course because lecturers  were still being sought for that too. In the end, I supervised placements for a month, then I became a lecturer very soon and started working on research courses.”

What are your current activities at BUas?
“I’m still a lecturer. I’ve also taken on a lot of the coordination and planning of the study programme. In fact, I really enjoy doing that. I coordinated a lot of modules and I was coordinator of the Leisure Management and International Leisure Management programmes. I’ve been working here for a long time now, but my job changes a bit every year. I’ve been very busy with the new Sports & Esports specialisation in recent years. I helped develop this and many colleagues see me as the coordinator here too because I want to know and arrange everything. I also took over the coordination of the Esports, Event & Media Management minor from former colleague Samuel van Kiel a few years ago. In the meantime, together with Ruben Been, I also realised a relaunch for Breda Guardians. This is the esports team that has its home base at BUas. Ruben knows a lot about esports and I know more about education, so that was a nice combination. I’m also a member of the board of examiners now and have always continued to supervise students doing their graduation project.”

Can you tell us some more about who you are, apart from your work at BUas?
“I like watching a lot of sports; we used to do that at my parents' house. I always played basketball. I can't actually do many other things either. Just to give you an example, I really can't play football. Nowadays I also do bodypump because I’m getting older, which is how I try to keep my body fit. In basketball, I joined a 3x3 team which is very popular now. I used to be on a 5x5 team. I also enjoy watching such sports on television, especially the fast sports. Football and tennis matches take so long. I prefer watching padel and 3x3 basketball because it has much more action.

I now have two sons. Many students remember the time when I went on pregnancy leave. My sons also play basketball now, even though they were not obliged to, mind you. They really enjoy it. I coach my elder son's team. Lovely to scream along enthusiastically with the team. I talk a lot at work, but also in sports, ha-ha.

In addition to all the sports, I have a great deal of contact with friends and family. I like going to concerts. Now that I’m a bit older, I go out less often, but I go wine-drinking with friends. I really like red wine from Italy, with some cheese, should people find it nice to read that. Oh yes, I think  holidays are also very important too. We go to the mountains both in summer and in winter. A nice spot by a lake, relaxing together with a tent.”

What makes your work so nice? 
“All sorts of things are happening all the time. For instance, I did a lecturer placement at CM.com. I worked there two days a week and I taught two days, although that was sometimes hard to combine. At CM.com, I wrote customer stories. Among other things, I conducted interviews with customers on why they liked CM.com's system so much. They shared those stories on their website, so potential new customers could see what the company can do for you. I still have good contact with them and they now do a lot in the field of sports. With students, I sometimes visit them. That's the nice thing about such contact, that I can apply it back to my work. In addition, the unique thing about my work is working with students. You have new students all the time. They provide new insights and I get excited by them because they are so enthusiastic. In the Sports & Esports specialisation, we all have the same interests, so we quickly click. I also find contact with the professional field very important, because we can check with them what they need in the industry and we apply that in education.”

What do you think back to every now and then?
“I think back to the study trips sometimes, because you get to know the students in a different way. I have also been to conferences with students, such as the EASM Congress, which are times I remember well and which students were there. I also like it when I can mean something to international students who know hardly anyone else. It's nice if you can mean something to them and that you can create a kind of ‘home’ for students within school.

When I was pregnant the first time, I went on pregnancy leave at the end of the academic year. A few students had given a container with baby goodies in it. Another student sent me an infant bodysuit  from the Olympics Games in London. I was so happy to receive those gifts!”

Has anything changed in education in recent years?
“Quite a few things have changed. We are transmitting less. We used to give a lot of lectures, now we make more knowledge clips, give workshops and there is much more interaction. We are also closer to the students now. This automatically ensures that I often know better how students are doing and can respond to that; we operate on a smaller scale now.”

What would you still like to achieve in education?
“At Sports & Esports, we are now looking a lot at the fan experience in the sports industry. I think it would be really cool if we as BUas become known for the innovative concepts we come up with for the Sports & Esports industry. We have so much expertise and have already achieved a lot with it. It’s also interesting for students to see where opportunities lie. I also hope that our esports team Breda Guardians will be big and we can make even more use of it in education.” 

What memory stands out the most at BUas? 
“That’s Edinburgh because we went on a study trip there several times. When we visited it the first time, I first went there with Marcel Grooten and Hennie de Groot to arrange things. We were seeking accommodation for the group of students, figuring out where the university was and what distances we had to travel. We came up with a substantive programme there. For instance, in a pub we happened to get into conversation with people who organise very funny ghost tours, so we included those in the programme as well. After that, we worked with them for years. That contact is a storyteller and came to Breda once to give a guest lecture and we subsequently gave guest lectures there as well. I have fond memories of these study tours.”

Do you have much contact with former students?
“That varies, but I still talk to some of them. Sometimes, for example, I am in touch with someone when I see on LinkedIn that they are doing something cool. We work together with a group of former students every year; we try to set this up on a permanent basis. Our second-year students now have a client who came in through a former student, and we arrange guest lectures with former students.’

Do you still have tips for alumni? 
“Keep working with young people, that’s very important. Find us, if you want to host a guest lecture or fieldtrip, for example. It's fun for former students but also for young people to get to know each other. And, stay creative and enterprising. Then you’ll get there!”

Do you want to get in touch with Liedewei Ratgers? Do you have any interesting things you want to share, do you want to supervise students doing their graduation project or do you have knowledge about sports and esports? Feel free to email her at [email protected]. 

Interview by Elles van Steenis