What DWARSers do: Interview with Tessel Wijne

Tessel Wijne (21), a biomedical sciences student in Utrecht, was president of DWARS Leiden-Haaglanden between late 2014 and late 2015. For just over a week now, she has been national board member Schooling & Activities.

Why and how did you become a DWARS member?

Tessel: 'I joined DWARS four years ago, when I was 17 years old. During my primary school days, I was already politically interested and felt my leftist heart beating. During high school, political interest took a serious turn. I always called in sick for three days in September to watch the political reflections. At 15, when I also came to realise the importance of sustainability and freedom, I knew that GroenLinks was the party for me. So I first signed up to DWARS. I secretly still found it a bit scary to become a GroenLinks member.'

Why did you want to be on the national DWARS board? What are you going to do there?

Tessel: 'I wanted to join the national board because I know many people within DWARS who had a great time here. I think education is extremely important for DWARS and I want to continue this in a good way. With activities, I want to create a greater sense of association'

What do you personally think is the coolest thing you have ever achieved with DWARS?

Tessel: 'I love my personal development and the development of a lot of others (like my predecessor and co-founder of Leiden-Haaglanden). In terms of activity, 25 hours of DWARS stands out for me.'

What are the pros and cons of a ward compared to nationwide?

Tessel: 'As a departmental board, you hardly have a budget and just work in a team where people have much less time for DWARS. At the national level, you can achieve an awful lot by appealing to the right people and just being able to spend money.'

What are your fondest memories of ward Leiden-Haaglanden?

Tessel: 'Of course, I can be very brief about this: all the lovely ducks I had the pleasure of meeting during my time at Leiden-Haaglanden.'

What will you be doing in the coming year that relates to our department

Tessel: 'I will work with Fabian to ensure that training also remains accessible to the departments. We will definitely start offering this to the department as well.'

Do you have any tips for new DWARS'ers?

Tessel: 'Just speak to older members. They might act cool sometimes, they are actually heartily approachable. And don't be afraid to make mistakes! I made mistakes myself in my year on the board at Leiden-Haaglanden, but it all works out in the end.'