Joey in den Eng - Chairman

Dear KOers members,

My name is Joey in den Eng, and I am the new chairman of the 55th candidate board. I am 21 years old, and I am from a small city in between Utrecht and ‘s-Hertogenbosch called Culemborg. I finished my TTO-gymnasium at the KWC Even though I briefly had interest in other engineering fields, I quickly knew that I wanted to be a part of the Built Environment at the Technical University of Eindhoven, since one study provides the option to learn and explore all the fields regarding buildings unlike Delft and Twente.

I decided quickly to follow the SED-track after the first year of the bachelor, since although the other tracks were interesting in their own ways, I did not believe these tracks would provide the same knowledge and opportunities that the SED-track would give. Then it became clear to join KOers, especially after a certain chairman of the 53rd board would try to persuade me every time I met her. The first part of KOers that I joined was the podcast committee, which sounded intriguing and a great intro to KOers as an association. Then quickly I joined the Concrete Canoe Race, where I got to know many people of KOers and KOers as an association. In the third year of my bachelor, I decided to participate in even more committees, with a year record of four. Being this involved in KOers eventually led to the age-old question if “I would like to join the board for next year”. Eventually, after a lot of convincing and planning, I decided to join the board on one condition: to be the chairman. 

The reason that I wanted to be the chairman is partially because of my career. I am starting my fourth year at a local company in construction in my hometown called Bouwbedrijf Gbr. in den Eng B.V. The role of chairman would provide me with great learnings and experiences that would be useful for my job at the construction company. The other reason was that it sounded like the only fun role on the board (no hate for the other roles). 
I am thrilled to be your chairman next year, and I am already looking forward to all the memories that we will make. As your chairman, I will try my best to ensure that the entire association runs smoothly so that all of you, the members, can have a fantastic academic year. Lastly, I will also be the face of and the point of contact for the rest of the association. 
 

Veerle van Oss - Secretary

Dear KOers members,

My name is Veerle van Oss, and I am 23 years old. I was born and raised in Schijndel, a village between Den Bosch and Eindhoven. I got my VWO diploma at Gymnasium Bernrode in Heeswijk-Dinther. I had no clue what I wanted to do after finishing high school. During my fifth year I was convinced I would study classical languages. However, in my last year I figured it was not what I was looking for and decided I needed a different challenge. I have always liked math, so after visiting TU Eindhoven, it became clear that a more technical study was the right fit for me. After studying Mechanical Engineering for 6 months and only liking the static mechanics part, I switched to the Built Environment. From there on, it was obvious that I would focus on Structural Engineering and Design because I got to be a bit creative but still use math and physics which I always liked. To this day, I am still very happy with the choice that I made because of the amazing people that I have met and all the opportunities

When I started my masters in 2021, I became a member of KOers since I did not know many people within the track. I decided to join the KIST committee next year because I wanted to become an active member and always liked organizing and going on trips. Last year, I got to know the association and the amazing people a lot better.  After some convincing of the 54th board, I decided to join the candidate board of KOers, to end my last year here (hopefully) with a fun and new challenge. 

Next to my studies, I have been somewhat active at E.S.K.V. Attila, the Student Korfball Association in Eindhoven. I got to organize the biggest indoor korfball tournament in the world two years ago, which was a lot of fun. Right now, I train once or twice a week with a competition on a week night.  Next to that, I love hanging out with my friends and going on multiple trips a year to explore other cities. 
I am very excited for the coming year, where I will fulfill the role of secretary. I will take care of all the meeting minutes, the membership database, and all incoming and outgoing emails. Next, I will also take care of all media-related tasks, like the website and social media platforms, with Priscilla. 

Danila Ridanovs - Treasurer
Dear KOers Members,

My name is Danila Ridanovs, and I am 22 years old. I was born in a small town next to the capital of Latvia – Riga. After graduating high school, I was still doubting the path I wanted to choose. I realized I enjoy doing technical studies and working on complicated projects requiring problem-solving and designing. I always liked working on projects and seeing them come to life. Therefore, I knew that I wanted to move in the direction of civil engineering. However, I was not convinced if I wanted to fully dive into civil engineering or follow more architectural path. This indecisiveness led me to the TU/e.

TU/e offers the possibility to try projects from multiple disciplines involved in the Build environment. After studying for 3 years in TU/e, I found myself and successfully finished the Bachelor's in structural design. During the 3rd year of my bachelor's, I discovered KOers, mostly through friends. Activities organized by KOers helped me learn and understand the function and possibilities within the discipline of structural design. Additionally, through these activities and KOers in general, I was able to meet many new people sharing similar interests as me. 

Last year I participated in the CCR committee and was not as active in other fields as I am going to the gym and working. However, this year, as I am starting my master's in structural design, I wanted to get more involved in KOers. I enjoyed the activities organized by KOers and want to help continue organizing them. Therefore, I decided to join the KOers board.
As a treasurer, I will be responsible for bookkeeping and fund allocation within KOers. I want to ensure that KOers has the budget to continue organizing the activities and events. To achieve that, I still need to learn a lot. I was a treasurer in the CCR last year. However, this time, the scale is much larger.
I look forward to learning bookkeeping methods and getting to know KOers better.

Ruben Philips - Commissioner of Public Relations & Vice Chairman

Dear KOers members,

My name is Ruben Philips, and I am 23 years old, raised in Amstelveen and now living in Eindhoven. I have been studying for two years in Eindhoven and am now a second-year master student Structural engineering and design. 
From an early age, I was interested in drawing, designing within the built environment, and building a lot with LEGO. I discovered I enjoyed the bèta subjects during secondary school and wanted to do something technical. After earning my diploma, I chose to study civil engineering at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences because it was both technical and practical. While working as a side job for a contractor on-site and getting my hands dirty, I truly developed a passion for building and structural engineering. I chose the structural engineering track in my bachelor but found myself wanting to dig deeper and understand the principles behind the work, so I decided to continue my studies.

That is what brought me to Eindhoven and the Structural Engineering and Design program, which felt like the perfect fit. Even before I started here, I’d heard about KOers and knew I wanted to get involved. A study association that complements your master’s program by organizing fun and informative activities with students and companies—who wouldn’t want to be part of that?! I got involved with the KOers podcast, which I was already a fan of before starting my studies, and I’ve enjoyed talking to many interesting people in our field. I will organize the Concrete Canoe Race 2025 this year, hosted here in Eindhoven! This is just one of the many exciting things KOers has to offer. 

This year, I will serve as the Commissioner of Public Relations on the KOers board. In this role, I will be the link between our members and the working field, advocating for our members' interests. I believe this will be a unique experience, one that is only possible during your time as a student, offering the freedom and space to get to know the built environment even better.

I’m excited for this year and confident that, as a board, we can make this year both interesting and enjoyable for the students while further improving our position and connections in the field. 

Priscilla Cools - Commissioner of Education
Dear KOers members, 

My name is Priscilla Cools, and I am 23 years old. I was born in Tiel, where I attended the RSG Lingecollege. A common theme during my education has been not knowing what I wanted to do when I grew up. I went as far as undergoing the entire selection process to study medicine, only to give up my spot to study chemistry instead, only to find out that I did not want to spend the rest of my life in a laboratory, leading me to quit after the first semester. 

When I visited the TU/e during my quest for a new field of study, me and my indecisiveness were immediately drawn to the broad way the bachelor of the Built Environment was set up. The obnoxious amount of LEGO present in my household might also have had something to do with it. Unfortunately for me, the start of my bachelor’s degree in Eindhoven also marked the start of a 2-year long decision process of whether I wanted to become an architect, urbanist or structural engineer. However, when I started taking more specialized SED courses during my third year, I quickly came to realize how much I enjoyed those subjects, and it suddenly became a very easy decision to start the master track structural engineering and design. 
Now that I don’t have to spend so much time contemplating those big life choices, I enjoy reading, watching TV shows, hanging out with my friends and playing sports. I particularly enjoy tennis and something I call ‘learning squash’, yet my squash partner calls ‘endangering lives by playing tennis on a squash court’. I also love traveling, which led me to join the KIST, during which I was convinced (subtly and non-so-subtle) to join the 55th board of KOers this year!

Joining the board came somewhat out of the blue for me since I had not been an active member during the previous years, and there are quite some things I don’t know yet. Despite that, I am very excited to join the board. I have very broad interests, love puzzles and organization, and am always eager to learn new things. I’ve always enjoyed the atmosphere at KOers and all the activities they organize so I’m thrilled to become a part of that. 
As commissioner of education, I will be focusing specifically on the improvement of the quality of education. To do so, I will evaluate courses and provide teachers with feedback. Together with Veerle, I also will be responsible for everything media related.