The 100K alum
Manon Weusten is Maastricht University’s 100,000th alum. The South Limburg native with an international outlook, a love of her region and a passion for lifelong learning talks about UM’s contribution to her career path—and her aversion to attention.
Somebody was bound to be the magic number. How did Manon Weusten feel about being the 100,000th UM graduate? “I had no idea until the Alumni Office contacted me. It’s a great honour, of course. But I’m not that fond of all the attention,” she laughs.
Weusten, who will attend her official graduation ceremony in November, may not be the most typical UM student. She is, however, a great advertisement for the South Limburg higher education system and the opportunities it offers for those with talent and dedication. Born in Heerlen, she went to high school in Meerssen, a village near Maastricht. She then moved to Kenya to pursue her interest in tropical medicine, studying Pharmacy and Medicine at Kenyatta University in Nairobi.
The long road
After two years, she realised medicine was not her lifelong calling. She returned home and enrolled in Business Economics at the Sittard campus of Zuyd University of Applied Sciences. A student job opened her eyes to her true passion: accounting. “I know it’s not the sexiest of subjects,” she laughs.
Alongside her undergraduate studies, Weusten followed a pre-master’s at UM, which would enable her to further her education later on. “I went to Maastricht every week. It was all much more condensed and academic, and everything was taught in English.” She was keen to learn more. “But I was afraid of accumulating too much study debt, so I decided to start working instead.”
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Work and study
She found a job in Heerlen: financial reporting for AZL, a financial institution that works for pension funds. “I learnt a lot and it was a good experience, but after a couple of years, I wanted to grow professionally.” She joined Statistics Netherlands (CBS), also in Heerlen, as a statistical analyst for large enterprises. “From the start, I told them that at some point I’d want to continue my studies and get more academic qualifications.” A few years later, on the cusp of receiving her first promotion, the time had come.
“I already knew Maastricht was a beautiful city and the education at UM was really good.” The deciding factor? UM’s two-year, part-time master’s programme in Accounting and Control, which allowed her to continue working and study in the evenings and weekends. “On Fridays, I’d spend the day in Maastricht and feel like a student again. Sometimes I’d go for a drink after a day of classes or go to the hairdresser—little things like that.” Of course, the programme was also challenging. “Working in teams and always depending on others was tough in the beginning. I also remember feeling overwhelmed the first time I had an exam in the MECC [Maastricht’s conference centre] with hundreds of people.”
Ambition and flexibility
Along with the flexibility of the programme and the design of the curriculum, Weusten appreciated her cohort. “There were many people from the region already working in accounting, but in different contexts, from family businesses and corporations to the public sector. Having all these different experiences in the group was fascinating.”
She is grateful for CBS’s flexibility in enabling her to pursue her further education. “They’re a great employer—very flexible, and they’ve always encouraged my development. And obviously it helps to know that what I’m doing has a positive societal impact.” She wants to stay at CBS, where she is now a researcher in the globalisation unit. “Maybe one day I’d like to do a PhD, but again combined with work. I’d like to research what I’m doing for my work in greater depth.”
Lifelong learning in Limburg
Weusten has become a proponent of lifelong learning. “After a couple of years working, I had my doubts about whether I’d still be able to study, but the work experience and level of maturity actually really helps.” As she discovered, the combination of studying and work, though challenging, also has its upsides.
“Study and work mutually reinforced each other. I learnt things about academic research that I could apply immediately at work. And at work I had learnt many things, like programming, that came in handy with some of the assignments.” She strongly recommends having a student job, which can help to integrate acquired knowledge.
Besides some nerves about the publicity, the magic number is not exactly at the forefront of Weusten’s mind. “I’m really looking forward to celebrating my graduation with my family, but the ceremony is also the day before my wedding, and we’re expecting a child in January.” The ceremony, then, will be a milestone for both Weusten and UM—and both are already looking to the future with optimism and ambition.
Text: Florian Raith
Photography: Harry Heuts
On Monday 7 October, Manon was handed a certificate for being the 100K alum by Rianne Letschert, President of Maastricht University.
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