MEET LOUBELLE BUTALID Loubelle Butalid who is currently living in Maastricht, is Filipino-Canadian but born and raised in the United Arab Emirates, immigrated to Canada in 2008 and moved to the Netherlands in 2017 to pursue a degree in higher education. Professionally, she has a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing and a Master's Degree in Healthcare Policy, Innovation and Management from Maastricht University; and is currently thriving in her second career as a Clinical Safety Specialist for Medtronic. TED TALK TOPIC: Loubelle has always been passionate about the topic of self-development and believes that having a strong sense of self-awareness is key in shaping how we show up in this world as the best version of ourselves. Her talk, "The Phoenix: a story of personal transformation" describes her experience of hitting rock bottom but then rising from the ashes, and shedding the mask she had worn for so long. Rising as a new being, as an amalgamation of who she had been before and who she had become. A new being, and yet ever more herself. She is excited to share her experience and story. |
MEET ANDREA SIMONSEN My name is Andrea Simonsen and I am currently a second year student at UWCM. After an acute viral infection in 2014 I became progressively sick and a year later I got diagnosed with ME and POTS, two debilitating chronic illnesses that impairs normal activities and on a bad day makes even the rustling of bed sheets unbearable. When you meet me however you would never know and as such I have met several obstacles and prejudices from society. Through my talk I will explore these prejudices and the dangers of them on the chronically ill and society at large, as well as the changes society must make to accommodate. |
MEET MARIA LOPEZ María López is a young Spanish woman studying European law in Maastricht. She is also co-head of marketing at Feminists of Maastricht and works as a promotion coordinator for the university. Her friends always describe her as a very proactive person with great emotional intelligence. TED TALK TOPIC: Are you really the main character of your life, or are you living while having a supporting role? This question has made thousands of people reflect on the decisions they take every day. Being the main character of your story is not an easy change. It brings with it many implications: would you be prepared to show the real you, the one that is underneath the mask? |
MEET BRIANA O'HEARN "Hello! My name is Briana O’Hearn. I’m 30 years old and currently an Officer in the U.S. Military. I plan on transitioning to the civilian world within the next two years and starting a new career path. I have worked to achieve many goals in life, but none greater than remaining true to myself and being a voice for myself and others. Growing up I was raised by my grandmother, who stood by me through all of life’s twists and turns and provided an unwavering support system. I have strived to be that support system and advocate for others in all capacities possible. It’s important to own who we are and show the world what we bring to the table." |
MEET SOPHIE THIJS AND DION RAS Dion is a former student of UWCM and a current student of Psychology at OU. He co-owns Couch Therapist, an online practice, with psychologist Willow Miller and has provided active listening to people with psychological issues for 7 years through 7Cups and @ease. Sophie is one of the many examples that show it is not only about diplomas and achieving goals, but also to be happy with the development you make while working towards a job. When starting to work as a child and family psychologist at the age of 23, she felt like an outsider in a world where universities and work culture nurtured the idea that it's normal to work as hard as possible towards a post-master's degree. She found herself wanting to develop other talents'. Now, 13 years later, she combines work as an independent youth and adult psychologist, with not working full-time and having more fun and earning money with other passions. TED TALK TOPIC: We, parents & (young) adults, all experience the fear of failure. The feeling that if we don't work ourselves into the ground, we will get a low grade. We might feel that ultimately, we'll go to a ‘worse’ school or not get that job we think we should have. We might feel guilty when we're taking a break. Like we're not doing enough. Like we, as kids, aren't enough or we, as parents, didn't stimulate our kids 'enough'. This is nurtured by a Western way of thinking, in which the emphasis of success and happiness are defined by mostly one source: 'hard' knowledge. In this talk, Sophie and Dion discuss how to cope with this fear. They share their way of coping with this fear in this 'knowledge culture'. The audience will experience how it feels like when feeling ‘enough’ and still performing from not one, but different sources of success. There are more resources to define personal success than just 'achievement' and you’ll learn through Sophie and Dion’s personal experiences. One big resource is having more fun and they will show how that can help you achieving your success, your diploma or job, while still feeling enough and not burning out. |
MEET DIMA MUAMAR Dima Muamar is a student at UWC Maastricht from Gaza, Palestine. Dima is a poet, writer, activist, and public speaker. Her previous experiences in the Gaza Strip, the United States, and the Netherlands inspired her to believe in the right to a dignified life and to work tirelessly for justice. Dima's passion is to assist individuals, particularly those from vulnerable countries, in becoming the greatest versions of themselves and standing strong in the midst of suffering. She wants to emphasize the significance of understanding among all people and working together as humans to make the world a better place. TED TALK TOPIC: The talk will explore the personal experience of a refugee child growing up in the largest open-air prison in the world. It aims to inspire all people to be grateful despite the difficulties they go through, to use every opportunity for working towards what they want. It help them question where they belong, what is home and reflect more on their life experiences. The talk challenges the idea that we need to stop talking about the past or the bad things that happened to us, just so as not to feel sad, forgetting the idea that talking about it can make us stronger. |