This board year is now well underway. The Kennismakers have settled in, the first few exams have been failed and the Koornbeurs is as vibey as always. Time for the Redâkkie to check up on board to see how they are doing. First up our chair, Nino “Brock” De Graaf!
Big up for Natalie for conducting the interview while I (Mats) was feeling ill <3
How are you feeling now in general?
Oof. I’m a lil bit stressed but also very happy and fulfilled. Happy with the vibe and going with that vibe and that’s good.
How’s your board year been so far?
I feel like my emotional state is very much tied to how the board’s going. So far it’s been pretty okay!
What has been the best moment up till now?
I don’t think there’s a specific one. There have been occasions where i needed to rely on people a lot, cause i wasn’t feeling very well. I got to trust those people to handle it and it all went very well, that felt really good. That’s so nice.
What about the worst moment?
Almost the same. There’ve been moments where I’ve been very sick. Also I already felt tired of the Koornbeurs so soon cause I’m doing so many things. I felt bad about not being able to do the stuff I wanted. The support was great.
Where do you hope to be a year from now?
I’ve got a lot of projects going on, I’m curious how they’ll turn out. At the end of the year I really hope that some things that aren’t habitual yet, will happen. Doing board has a lot of different aspects, which is what makes it hard. It’s hard to tell what things are important, those things will hopefully become very natural. The sooner we do that, the sooner more beautiful things can come from board cause we will have the time for it.
What projects?
Personally I’ve been trying to extend myself into the international community of Delft, it’s been very successful thus far. We’re getting in contact with more people, it’d be fun to play a role in it. Also the kitchen! I’m very hyped for the changes that’ll be made to the kitchen! I hope that’ll turn out very nicely.
Where do you think you’ll actually be?
I think my hopes are actually realistic. I think we’ll be doing a lot of stuff we’re passionate about. They can flourish when we have the time for it.
What would you bet on happening this board year?
There’s gonna be a fight at some point. It’s unthinkable at the moment cause I love everyone so much, but we’re eight people put together for a year. Fights are bound to happen. I really don’t want it to happen. I think it’ll be shitty, but it’ll turn out alright.
Besides all the things we do not know yet.
What do you like the least about being board?
Being asked so many questions. I’m not against it, but especially in the beginning, people needed a lot of confidence in their decision-making. Fellow board members, but also members in general. It got a bit tiring sometimes. It’s a dilemma for me. I want to answer every question, but knowing my limits, finding out which questions to answer or not sucks and it’s hard. I’m noticing it’s going the right way for me though, board is getting more used to the members and vice versa.
Also I hate authority. I want people to listen to me for who I am, not because I’m chair. I don’t like being called praeses, it just sounds pretentious and is not my vibe.
(Sorry Nino, Freya made me do it) x Mats
And what do you like the most?
Helping everyone and being everywhere. Just trying our best together to do the right things and enjoying each other’s company. Even though it can be very tiring, it’s perfect.
What do you hope to change about the Koornbeurs?
I’d like to be more friendly to internationals. LV’s, participation in the Koornbeurs, and also trying to exclude internationals less from conversations. People seem to have a hard time switching to English and I’d like to change that. Internationals should be just as able as Dutchies to join in on conversations, somehow. It won’t change our core value of being open to everyone. (Our interviewer Natalie is very happy right now) It’s sometimes difficult that I don’t personally experience the discomfort of internationals, but I’m trying my best to help.
Finally, if you could say one thing to all the members, what would it be?
I hope no one sees our board as the board, they need to see us as members trying to improve the association. We’re just normal people, you can come to us for anything, Koornbeurs-related or not. Don’t be a stranger to the board, I don’t know, something like that.