Jules Lousberg
Chairman
Jules Lousberg is the current Chairman of BuddyGoDutch. His roots lie in the city of Maastricht. He studies Human resource management at the Hogeschool Utrecht. Before he started this study, he travelled to South Africa and Namibia for 6 months. While working in a hostel close to Plettenberg (SA), he met many people from many different origins and cultures. There he learned that the easiest way to overcome cultural differences and to connect is trough humour. Besides his study, Jules also likes music, mostly Rock and Jazz, and playing his bass guitar.
Feel free to email him at chairman@buddygodutch.nl for questions or to get in touch about a new partnership.
Jorin Dijkstra
Secretary
Jorin Dijkstra is the current Secretary of BuddyGoDutch. She is 23 years old and she has lived in Utrecht for the past four years. She studies psychology and sociology at University College Utrecht. Ever since she was a kid Jorin has travelled to far away countries. This sparked her love for meeting new people from different cultures and backgrounds. During her time living at UCU’s international campus and a summer at King’s College London in 2016, Jorin discovered that there is so much to learn from people from all over. This is also what inspired her to become a boardmember of BuddyGoDutch. Besides her study Jorin likes to sing and play guitar and is also a ski-instructor in Austria. If you ever have any questions about alpine skiing, or any other subject, don’t hesitate to contact her at secretary@buddygodutch.nl
Daphne Aarts
Treasurer
Daphne Aarts is the current Treasurer of BuddyGoDutch. She was born in Enschede 21 years ago. She studied Biomedical sciences at Utrecht University, but she will start with a bachelor in physiotherapy this semester. Last year, she studied in Australia for a semester. She learned a lot about being an international student from that experience. Mainly that the people you meet can make your time studying abroad even more amazing. She wants all international students in Utrecht to have that same amazing experience, and therefore she became a board member of BuddyGoDutch. If you have any questions or if you want to get in touch about a new sponsorship, feel free to email her at treasurer@buddygodutch.nl
Saskia IJpema
Head of Internal Affairs
Saskia IJpema is the current Head of Internal Affairs of BuddyGoDutch. She is 21 years old and was born in a small village in the countryside of Groningen. For the last three years she has lived in Utrecht and is studying Media and Culture at the University of Utrecht. Saskia decided to join the board of BuddyGoDutch after two years of being a buddy. As the head of internal affairs she looks forward to bringing many different people together in order to enhance their experience of studying abroad. Last year she also studied a semester abroad in Budapest. She had an amazing time there, but missed the connection to the locals. She would like to help internationals in Utrecht to do connect to locals so that they can experience Utrecht and the Dutch culture together. She will do this by giving everyone an awesome buddy! Feel free to email her at: matching@buddygodutch.nl
Renee Raijmann
Head of External Affairs
Renee Raijmann is the current Head of External Affairs of BuddyGoDutch. She is 23 years old and lives in Utrecht. Renee studies Medicine at Utrecht University. A little while back Renee did an internship at a hospital in Sri Lanka. There she learned how important it is to connect to local citizens. They will teach you about their culture, which will make you understand and enjoy the experience even more. Besides her study, she enjoys being creative. She likes photography and to make pencil drawings and paintings, and also uses Adobe Photoshop to design images. In the upcoming year, Renee hopes to reach as many international students as possible and to help them connect with the city of Utrecht. If you have any questions or you just want to chat, you can email her at: pr@buddygodutch.nl
Linde Steenhuizen
Head of Activities
Linde Steenhuizen is the current Head of Activities of BuddyGoDutch. She is 19 years old and was born in Shangrao, China. At an early age, only 10 months old, her Dutch parents adopted her. She has been raised here ever since and starts on her second year of psychology at Utrecht University this semester. Linde became a board member because of her great experiences with the buddy program and to help people connect more with each other. She looks forward to organise some great events and make people happy about their choice to be here in Utrecht with us. Besides being a board member and a psychology student she loves to explore new restaurants and new cities. Her wish is to meet new people, hear different stories and have an exceptional year. If you have any questions regarding activities you can contact her at activities@buddygodutch.nl
All photo’s displayed on this page were made by Liedeke Taen. You can find her on Instagram and view more of her work!