Inspiration

'Kickboxing is no longer the sport of the criminal underbelly'

1 July 2024
Frank van Gemert, a criminologist at VU Amsterdam, not only researches kickboxing but also trains weekly in the gym.

From Vocational Training to PhD: 'Being underestimated serves as fuel'

Marjolein de Jong4 March 2024
Sara Ben Hmido is far from following a standard career path: after starting in vocational training, she quickly climbed to pre-university education.

'Pitching to the founder of Tesla was like playing a role in my own movie'

Redactie VU Magazine3 March 2024
Alumnus in Physics and Science, Business and Innovation, Jardo Stammeshaus, is making significant strides with his startup Liion Power.

Suddenly you know: you're becoming a teacher

Redactie VU Magazine27 November 2023
Faye Best (29) radically changed her career: from working in sustainability to becoming a maths teacher. „I haven't regretted a single day.”

Writer Joke J. Hermsen on nostalgia: 'We all long for a lost time.'

Marjolein de Jong27 November 2023
For Joke J. Hermsen, studying at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam felt like being reborn. „I came home to myself.”

'I have often had to fight against the label 'refugee''

Marjolein de Jong20 November 2023
Wahhab Hassoo, who fled from Iraq, reached VU Amsterdam through vocational education. Now, he's on the list for parliamentary elections.

‘Newcomers need contact with Dutch people’

Marjolein de Jong5 April 2023
VU alumnus, Sylvia de Groot-Heupner, tries to match newcomers with volunteers so that they can learn Dutch.

Like father, like son: ‘I tried to keep him away from political science’

Marjolein de Jong10 February 2023
A double interview with former Member of Parliament Joël Voordewind and his son Manuel. Both men studied political science at VU Amsterdam.

‘Companies are barely thinking about the impact of technology on society’

Marjolein de Jong21 December 2022
Gerard de Graaf works in Silicon Valley on behalf of the EU, in order to ensure that major tech companies comply with European digital rules.

Sport at VU Amsterdam: multi-faceted university history

8 November 2022
The history of sport at VU Amsterdam is a history that goes back much further than many realise, according to university historian, Ab Flipse.