From HZ student to HZ employee

Some stayed on right away and others traveled around the world first: these 5 colleagues went from HZ student to HZ employee. And that can take some getting used to, when your teachers suddenly become your colleagues. Chaima, Alco, Lucas, Aïscha and Sophie talk about their experiences.

Aïscha Manuhutu

She studied Communications at HZ and now works as a communications and content specialist at Department of Marketing, Communications, Community & Internationalization

Confidence

In 2019, I started studying Communication at HZ. I had previously studied Communication for a year at another college, but I didn't finish that course. After working for a while, it started itching again: I wanted to go back to school and really want to get my college degree. I was already living with my boyfriend in Middelburg and didn't want to go somewhere else to study. The HZ was an obvious option, which I had always heard good stories about. Without visiting an open day, I signed up for the program. Because of the good stories, I had complete confidence in the HZ.

COVID crisis

During the first year of my studies, the COVID crisis began. As a result, I was not physically on campus for a year and a half. Very unfortunate, because I find it a very nice and familiar place. Then I chose to do my graduate internship at HZ, in the Marketing, Communication, Community and Internationalization Department. In 2023, I received my degree and was allowed to start working immediately as a communications and content officer at HZ!

A whole new world

As a student, I was only concerned with my studies and thought that everything at HZ was about education. Not everyone who works here is a teacher, for example. All the posters and expressions you see on the street or online don't just appear out of thin air. A whole team works very hard on that. I was totally unaware of the different departments that belong to the HZ or the whole research department. When I came to work at HZ, I realized that there is much more. A whole new world opened up for me.

Passion for nonprofit

During my minor and my internships, I learned a lot that I can now apply in my work, such as writing articles or developing a communication plan. The Communication course is very broad, so we were taught, for example, about government communication and were allowed to do assignments for commercial companies in the region. This is how I found out that my passion lies with non-profit organizations. Now I enjoy working on the student magazine HZ Life and can put these skills into practice.

Alco Nijssen

He studied Aquatic Ecotechnology at HZ and now works as a lecturer in the Water Management program.

Twenty-fifth anniversary

I graduated in 1995 from the Aquatic Ecotechnology program at HZ, which is what the Water Management program was called back then, and then I was able to stay right away to work. I really liked it at HZ, so I was happy to start working as a laboratory assistant. Then I progressed to lab manager and finally to lecturer. My work is very diverse. I teach students, of course, but I also have a lot of contact with the professional field. I have a lot of freedom in my work, which is why I have stayed at HZ all this time. I recently celebrated my twenty-fifth anniversary here.

Getting used to it

I remember very well that I went from being a student to being an employee at HZ. I had just graduated and the lecturers who taught me suddenly became my colleagues. On my first day at work I also went on an exchange week to Sweden as a supervisor. Those new relationships took some getting used to. As an employee you also get a lot of things that you didn't see or don't notice as a student. The HZ institutional plan, for example, and how that translates into domain and study plans.

Broadly applicable

Because I took the HZ course myself, I am now very versatile as a teacher. I am not a specialist, but I know a little bit about all the disciplines within the study. I can talk about everything. During my studies I learned many skills that I have been able to build on in my career. Think of practical skills in the laboratory, but also working on projects and preparing reports.

From classical to multidisciplinary

I have seen education really change over the years. I myself still had a fairly classical education with all kinds of separate subjects, a bit like you have in secondary school. Now the different subjects and disciplines are much more integrated and housed in projects. Students also have to deal with real-life cases. In a multidisciplinary group, they work together on an issue put forward by a regional company. This is how we prepare students for the professional field.

Chaima Benkaddour

She studied Human Resource Management (HRM) at HZ and now works as a policy advisor.

Pleasant environment

I graduated from the Human Resource Management (HRM) program in 2022 and a year later I came across the vacancy for policy support officer. Then I thought: why not? As a student, I found the HZ to be a fun and pleasant environment. Now as an employee I find it a dynamic and personal workplace. I like being surrounded by the students, it creates a very open atmosphere.

Broad application

When I was choosing my studies, I hesitated between several studies at HZ. I really wanted to work with young people, so the programs Pedagogy, Social Work and Primary Education Teacher really appealed to me. I only doubted whether I actually wanted to work in the classroom. Then I decided to apply myself broadly and go for the course HRM, then I had enough space to discover what really suited me. Now I still work in an environment with young people, so it worked out well in the end.

Backpack instead of briefcase

I work in the B building now, and as a student I didn't know it at all. Yet sometimes I still feel a bit like a student, even though I'm here now as an employee. I don't mind that at all, because I really enjoyed studying. I also just carry a backpack instead of a briefcase. That suits me better.

Room for flexibility

As policy support officer I have a wide range of duties. I take minutes of board meetings, collaborate on policy and am part of project groups, such as Social Safety. During my studies, I learned to find a balance between the organization and the employees. You want your organization to be able to develop and for your employees, through policy, to have a good time. Of course I have my fixed tasks, but there is also a lot of room for flexibility. Any time a new issue can come forward. That makes my job a lot of fun.

Lucas Hanzen

He studied Sports Sciences at HZ and now works as an employee at HZ Vitality.

Rotterdam or Vlissingen?

Last academic year I graduated from the Sport Science program at the HZ. I live in Bruinisse and many of my friends chose Rotterdam for their studies, which is just a bit closer than Vlissingen. I knew I wanted to do something with sports and there is no suitable study in Rotterdam for that. Then I went to an open day at the HZ and met the teachers. That was a good match.

Great combination

I did both my practical and graduate internships at HZ. When I had to choose my internships, I briefly considered doing them outside HZ. But I feel most at home here at HZ. During my graduate internship, I found lifestyle counseling for HZ employees and did my graduate research at the Healthy Region lectorate. That was a great combination that I was able to follow within HZ.

Work first

I first enjoyed a well-deserved summer vacation and then a vacancy became available within HZ Vitality. My old internship! I was hired and now I focus on the vitality of employees and students at HZ. I am also partly responsible for the Vitality Center on the Edisonweg. Now that I work at the HZ, I do feel a certain responsibility that I didn't feel as a student or intern. When I was graduating here, I was mostly focused on writing my research. Now my work tasks come first.

Keep developing

During my education, I did a lot of lifestyle coaching and that falls directly into my job duties now. I learned a lot in terms of guiding and coaching people and I can now apply that every day in my work. At HZ Vitality I can continue to develop in this area, which is great. I also want to continue my studies. In September 2025 I will start the part-time master's program in Psychomotor Therapy at Windesheim in Zwolle.

Sophie Adriaansen

She studied Vitality Management & Tourism at HZ and now works as a Tourism Management lecturer.

Nice and close to home

I graduated in 2017 from the Vitality Management & Tourism program at HZ, which is what the Tourism Management program was called at the time. Directly after havo I started studying at the HZ, nice and close to home because I lived in Middelburg and then I could continue to play korfball. During my studies I went abroad to gain experience. Suddenly you have to be able to manage in a foreign city, and I learned a lot from that.

Half research, half teaching

After getting my master's degree in 2019, I came back to HZ, at the Knowledge Center for Coastal Tourism. A former lecturer had sent me a message via LinkedIn about the vacancy and then I started working there. After a year or two I got involved in the Tourism Management program and during the corona crisis I worked half in research and half in teaching. Finally, I have now switched completely to teaching.

Opportunities

I chose teaching because there were a lot of opportunities there for me. I did a lot of study, project and thesis supervision, which I found super fun. Formally, I was not trained as a teacher, so from the HZ I got my Basic Didactic Competence Qualification (BDB) and Basic Examination Qualification (BKE). I can also attend sessions or workshops offered from the HZ to continue to develop myself.

Home base in Zeeland

During my studies I have been to many places in the world. I can now take those examples with me in the lessons I give. Zeeland is still my home base, but my work allows me to combine it nicely with traveling. I go on study tours with the students and for example on an exchange to Finland. That's super fun!