Elina Rudze - Chairman
Dear KOers members,
My name is Elina Rudze, and I am from a city right next to the capital, Riga, of this small Baltic country known as Latvia. I am 21 years old and the chairman of the 56th board. I finished high school with a deepening subjects in physics and economics. This passion for exact subjects helped me to choose a university in Latvia, where I also applied. Late in August, I received an enrolment letter from TU/e, a few happy screams and tears later, I was standing in front of the Vertigo doors. In my first year of AUBS, I quickly understood that architecture is not going to be my thing, as the best thing I could draw is a stick figure, and the question of choosing either the BPS or SED track arose. At the end of the first year, I came to the realization that SED is a much larger field and gives me more opportunities in the future. When the first year's structural project took place, the chair on the 55th board, doing his duties, filled our ears with stories about KOers and, with the help of KID, recruiting a small bunch who quickly became my friends. I decided to join the concrete canoe race committee as well as the BEST committee, amongst them, the sports committee. I started joining events as well as organising them and slowly started knowing more and more people from KOers. Being the person who wants to get the most out of things, the board year sounded just like a thing that would be interesting to do. A small push from people around, and I was convinced.
In terms of choosing the role, it wasn't much of a question for me. I knew that the one role that would push me out of my comfort zone and develop me as a character, which was one of my requirements if I where to join the 56th board (now there is no going back). I also have been in a similar position before, which led me to believe that I am choosing right, but this time with more responsibility.
I am very excited to work on our team of 5 and see what mountain tops we can reach as the 56th board, while guaranteeing that all the members of KOers have the most fun year joining activities and events. As a chairman, I will do my best to ensure the member engagement, communication between committees and keeping KOers name known inside and hopefully also outside TU/e walls.
Nina van der Velden - Secretary
Dear KOers members,
My name is Nina van der Velden, and I am 23 years old. I was born in a small village near Deventer. When I was eight years old, I moved to Nijverdal, a town in Twente. Now I have moved to Eindhoven, since I started the pre-master's program in Structural Engineering and Design at the TU/e. But I still visit my hometown almost every weekend.
After graduating from HAVO, I began studying Industrial Product Design. While I enjoyed the technical side, I found it too focused on creativity. Because I preferred the calculations more, I decided to switch to a more technical study: Construction and Architecture at Saxion University of Applied Sciences in Enschede. I enjoyed this program a lot and felt ready for a greater challenge. I knew I wanted to specialise in structural design and continue studying, which led me to apply to TU Eindhoven, a decision I'm still very happy with, as it brought new challenges and great people into my life.
During my time at HBO, I spent one semester studying at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, where I had an amazing time and made a group of friends I still travel with every year. I also completed a six-month internship at a structural engineering firm, where I realised how much I enjoy structural engineering. it also showed me how much more there is to learn in this field, and motivated me even more to do a master's.
At the start of my pre-master's, I could often be found at the Skybar!Underground, where I joined the KOers International Study Trip Committee. This marked the beginning as an active member of KOers and helped me find my way within the association. I was curious about being part of the board, but I wasn't sure what all the roles entailed. Eventually, the position of secretary caught my attention. It allows me to stay well-informed about everything that's happening, without necessarily being in the spotlight.
I am very excited for the coming year, during which I will fulfil the role of secretary. I will be responsible for the meeting minutes, maintaining the membership database, and managing all incoming and outgoing correspondence. In addition, I will also assist with all media-related tasks, such as the website and social media.
Mathias Tempel - Treasurer
Dear KOers Members,
My name is Mathias Tempel, and I am a ginger. I am 21 years old and come from the best Baltic country, Estonia. I am from the capital, Tallinn and have lived there my entire life until moving to Eindhoven. My deepening in high school was a combination of science and engineering. There has always been a part of me that wanted to study abroad and TU/e felt like the place to do it.
Coming to Eindhoven, I had a clear understanding that I want to become an architect. Whenever someone asked me what intrigued me about this topic, I always answered with certainty that it's the physics and calculations behind it. After the first quartile I realised that architecture as such is a bit different from what I had imagined, but then in the second quartile I was introduced to structural engineering, and I fell in love from day one. It was exactly what I imagined I want to study.
The first interaction with KOers was during the deepening project in year one, where the old chairman of the 55th board invited me to help build one of the concrete canoes for the concrete canoe race. This led up to me joining the concrete canoe committee the upcoming year and having more interactions within the association. A warm feeling of belonging and good friendships with Elina and Enlil made me realise that board year is something that I want to try out.
Choosing to become a treasurer was a no-brainer for me. Having a strong side in mathematics will help me feel confident in my roles, yet bookkeeping and budgeting is something new and challenging.
I am very excited for the upcoming year and I'm confident that this team could easily climb the Mount Everest as a leisure activity. As treasurer, I will make sure we stay within the budget throughout the year while having the best time we possibly can.
Eliyah Schneider - Commissioner of Public Relations & Vice Chairman
Dear KOers members,
My name is Eliyah Schneider and I am going to be responsible for the Public Relations of KOers in the upcoming academic year. I am 22 years old, originally from Alkmaar, but currently living in Eindhoven. After finishing high school, I started the Built Environment studies at the Technical University of Eindhoven, driven by my interest in architecture and a general preference for technical and science-oriented subjects.
I even did several short internships in architectural offices and worked at an architecture firm during school holidays. However, once I started the bachelor's program, my interests gradually shifted towards the Structural Engineering and Design of the Built Environment. So during the program, I mainly followed SED courses and Architecture related projects. During these projects, I started a design from a certain pattern or structural grid. Besides that, seeing the different projects from KOers members and walking through the lab only deepened my interests in SED.
After completing the bachelor in three years, I was still unsure whether to pursue the Architecture of the SED master's track. To gain practical experience and explore the field further, I decided to take a gap year. I started working at a construction company, mainly in the field of work preparation for renovation projects. The firm plays a central role in coordinating different aspects of the construction process, which gave me the opportunity to connect with professionals from various disciplines.
Through my involvement in several KOers activities and building the concrete canoe, my enthusiasm for the association continued to grow and made me wonder if a role in the board would be something for me. This upcoming year, I will serve as Commissioner of Public Relations for KOers. In this role, I am to strengthen the connection between the professional field and our members. I look forward to this unique experience, and I'm excited about everything I will learn and contribute during the year. Hopefully, I will be able to strengthen KOers' external connections.
Enlil Saliba - Commissioner of Education
Dear KOers members,
My name is Enlil, I'm 19 years old, and I grew up in a small town south of Oss. I completed my TTO-VWO at the Maaslandcollege in Oss. For a long time, I've known I wanted to pursue a career in the Built Environment, although I was unsure about which university to attend. I eventually chose TU/e because of its bigger focus on the different tracks and the advantage of staying close to home.
When I started my studies, I was still undecided about which track to focus on. Early on, I realized I was most interested in Architecture and Structural Engineering and hoped to find a way to explore both. In my second year, I chose to focus on Structural Engineering, with the intention of building a strong technical foundation that would also support a future transition into architecture. I'm now entering my third year bachelor's and really enjoying the SED courses.
Joining KOers for me started quite mindlessly and I joined the Concrete Canoe Committee without having participated in any KOers events beforehand. After joining, I quickly began to enjoy being part of the association. Once I moved to Eindhoven, I became even more involved, attending more activities and getting to know the community. This growing engagement eventually motivated me to apply for the 56th board of KOers.
Outside of university I like to spend my time cooking and sporting, I am particularly interested in doing kickboxing and I am part of the association Impact in TU/e. I hope to be able to combine board with my studies and hobbies next year and am very excited to start my board year at KOers.