Bram | VSV Board Year
Bram is a first-year Control & Operations Master student, specialising in Sustainable Air Transport, who did a full-time board year for the study association of Aerospace Engineering ‘VSV Leonardo da Vinci’ as Treasurer after finishing his bachelor's degree.
What is the VSV?
“The VSV is the study association for all Aerospace Engineering students with the goal to enrich the student time of each student in every sense of the word. We do that by organising activities in three pillars: career, education, and social. To give examples, for the social pillar we organise weekly drinks where members can get together and de-stress. Another activity is our Freshmen Weekend for the first-year students. It is the first introduction among all about-to-be first year students, so that they have an opportunity to get to know each other. The career pillar includes two study tours, one close to the Netherlands, and another to further destinations. During such a tour we visit companies and get in touch with the industry. We also work together with other study associations, for example to organise the Delft Career Days. We tackle the final pillar, education, through course evaluations and an education committee. For that, the committee sits together with staff and other students to evaluate and improve the courses. Of course, to do all of that, we have members who work in many different committees to realise all these events.”
What did your function within the board entail?
“Within the board, I was the Treasurer, which means that I was responsible for the financial health of the VSV. That includes managing the budget of the VSV, but also of every committee. Every committee starts its organisation by setting up their budget, so I worked together closely with them to ensure all their events would run smoothly.”
Why did you decide to do a full-time board year?
“Well, after four years of studying hard for my bachelor’s degree, I was ready to take on something else for a year. I wanted to do something completely different, that would also allow me to broaden my horizon a bit. So, I already knew I wanted to do something else full-time in between my Bachelor and Master. During my Bachelor I have spent quite some time and effort being a part of multiple committees of the VSV. I really enjoyed that, so doing that full-time with the additional responsibility of its management really spoke to me. Besides that, I knew it was an opportunity that would teach me a lot, so that is why I decided to apply for a board position.”
So, what has your time as VSV Treasurer taught you?
“It has contributed so much to my personal development, both in hard skills and soft skills. I learned how to make the right decisions and how to communicate well with others. Sometimes that can be very difficult, for example when someone has put a lot of time and effort into a project, you need to be tactful with how you tell them about your decision on their project. That is hard to do, but at the same time it is incredibly valuable to learn how to communicate in those types of situations.
Now, having finished the board year, I have noticed that I gained a lot of confidence. I never used to approach people at network events for example, but I have noticed that I do that a lot easier now. I learned how to present myself professionally to others and with that also how to engage in conversation at networking events. “
Could you explain more about these committees?
“Yes, of course. The VSV really helped me with settling in Delft during my first year. It started off with the friends I made during the Freshmen Weekend. That was very nice because it meant that I already knew some people before going to my first lectures. That weekend itself is actually organised by one of the VSV committees, to give an example, and one year later I decided to join that same committee.
But even in your first year, it is already possible to join a committee. You get to know all the different types of committees during the Freshmen Weekend and other events during the first quarter. I, for example, decided to join the Bar Committee (Barco) during which you serve drinks at the faculty bar. That was a lot of fun as I got to meet a lot more people from the society. It made me feel at home at the faculty from the start.”
What was the most fun aspect of your board year?
“I think the chances that I got and the chaos that came with it all. For a full year, your own agenda is complete chaos. It is full for 52 weeks of the year, but it’s full of meetings with important people from the industry, old board members, and many other fun opportunities. I really enjoyed being in this constant state of fun chaos, in which I also learned how to stay close to myself. That sort of chaos was the most fun in my opinion.”
Do you have a message for prospective students interested in becoming an active VSV member?
“Most important is that you do something you enjoy, and within the VSV you can go into many directions. So, for example, if you really enjoy organising trips or tours, then you should join the committee that does that. But it is also completely okay if you would rather join a any other study or student association. Really the most important is that you do something you enjoy, and you will automatically go through that personal development. “
