Hey all! I would love to be one of the 3 student members of the Programme Committee, and for that I need your vote! My name is Elisa, and I’m a Second Year in Security Studies.
I would greatly appreciate the opportunity of working for the benefit of students through that Committee. It would give me a voice to use as a student in the interests of the students. I would act to improve our current study experience and the experiences of future students.
We all know that we can fill in the course evaluations as an attempt to improve the course, but honestly, do we really feel like it is effective enough? On the Programme Committee, I would ensure that our dislikes are heard, and that our feedbacks are taken into consideration.
I have experience representing the interests of fellow students, as I was elected Delegate of the Administrative Council and Delegate of the Civility Council in my High School Council.
Please give me a chance to be one of the reasons why you enjoy university and your classes a bit more!

Even though I have only experienced the first couple of weeks, I feel confident saying that this program and university are unique in terms of content and teaching philosophy. That's the approach I've been looking for in a study program and the reason I would like to join the OLC. Being a part of something that I believe in is important to me. I experienced that first-hand during my studies at another university and three years of working and volunteering in the public sector. I have learned what is possible and what is not, and how things need to be done to become feasible. I want to use these experiences and the insights I gathered during that time, not just in my studies, but also to make things happen at the university. Being able to contribute to the quality of the study program sounds promising, and I would really appreciate the opportunity to do so. Therefore, I would like to join the OLC and take an active part in the university.

I am Lennart, a second-year Security Studies student from Germany, and I am running for re-election to the OLC because I strongly believe in building on the work we started last year and continuing to strengthen the voice of students within our programme. Having already served on the OLC, I am familiar with the university’s systems and procedures, which allows me to move beyond the learning curve and focus directly on improving how we gather and represent feedback.

From my experience, student engagement is essential to ensuring that our courses truly reflect our needs. Last year, I contributed to providing targeted feedback to the university, and I want to expand these efforts further. As Secretary and Vice President of Custodia, our study association, I have gained valuable insights into the broader student community and built a strong network that connects different groups of students. I believe this dual perspective—both as an OLC member and as a board member—enables me to represent our collective interests effectively.

Looking forward, I aim to go beyond traditional surveys and meetings by exploring new ways of collecting feedback, such as open office hours, closer collaboration with Custodia, and additional short surveys on specific issues. This way, every student can feel heard and represented.

I would be very grateful for the support of my fellow students in the elections—your vote can help us make our programme even stronger.

Hi everyone,

I’m Alberto Dojas, a first-year MSc student in Crisis and Security Management (Cybersecurity Governance), and I’d love to represent you in the Programme Committee (OLC).

Why me? I care about making sure our voices are heard. With a background in Political Science and experience in stakeholder management, communications, and policy evaluation, I know how to listen, give constructive feedback, and turn ideas into action.

I want to make sure the programme continues to improve while keeping the student perspective at its heart. I’m keen to learn from your experiences, bring your concerns to the table, and work with lecturers to make our courses the best they can be.

If elected, I promise to be approachable, proactive, and focused on what matters most to students. Let’s make our MSc journey even better together!

Thanks for your support,
Alberto

I am Arina Matvieieva, running for the Committee because I hope to use my previous experiences in similar roles to strengthen our program.

I am pursuing the Intelligence and National Security track, motivated by my firsthand experience of war growing up in Donbas, Ukraine, and by the drive to transform those experiences into meaningful security insights through academia. Having the opportunity to live and study in safety in the Netherlands is something I value deeply, and I want to combine both my practical experience and theoretical knowledge to contribute to our program and to the broader field of security.

I bring relevant experience: I was part of the Programme Evaluation Committee for Peace and Conflict Studies and the Nobel Peace Prize Committee at Vrije Universiteit, alongside serving as the Head of Ukraine at ABBA Amsterdam.

I am always open for a coffee and a good conversation — whether about the philosophy of methodological choices in OSINT or CIA psyops.

I am Camila Quiñonez Isaza and I am 22 years old. I have lived most of my live in The Hague but I was born in Tulua, Colombia. I did the bachelors Political Science at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and am now doing my masters in Crisis and Security Management at Leiden University, specialization Violence, Interventions, and Policing.

I started CSM because I think it’s important to help other people. The specialization that I have chosen gives me the skills to better understand why people use violence, but it also delves deeper into what kind of policies we can employ to prevent violence or to minimize its impact on people.

What I have noticed though, during lectures and seminars, but also in the course syllabus is the lack of inclusion of non-Western scholars or of counternarratives that give a different frame on violence. We know that not all cultures employ or see violence the same way, so why are we not discussing that further and amplifying our knowledge and understanding?

I want to be part of the OLC, because I know I am critical enough to give assessments on what CSM needs to change to become a better and more effective program. I want to be a mouthpiece for my fellow students, so that they can follow a masters that they enjoy and which enriches them even more than is currently possible. 

My name is Chiara, I´m 23 years old, and I´m running to represent CSM students in the Programme Committee (OLC). I am currently following the War & Peace Studies track, but I´ve already met many students across all different specializations.

Before coming to The Hague, I was doing my Bachelor’s in European Studies in Maastricht and spent a year living in the South of France. Originally, I´m from Düsseldorf, Germany.

Throughout my entire studies I´ve always been involved in the student community through both social and academic activities and have helped to organize various events. For me, having our own student representatives within the university´s educational committee is very important, because it is our place to discuss issues and give feedback regarding the content and quality of our lectures and work groups. It is our chance to let staff members know what we think about the content they teach us and share concerns about the course materials or workload. At the same time, it is possible to express ideas and suggestions on how to improve a course or class. Whether it is positive or negative feedback, I´ll make sure that all our opinions are heard within the Programme Committee. Feel free to reach out to me at any time! :)

Hi! I’m Fadime Özcan (she/her) and I follow the masters of CSM - Cybersecurity Governance. Earlier this year I finished my Political Science BSc in Amsterdam and I’ve only recently started my career here in The Hague.

I want to be part of the programme committee to ensure the quality of our education. I recognize the importance of interdisciplinarity and truly believe in including different perspectives in our thinking. Moreover, I hope to represent my fellow students and be a point of contact for you to reach out to. I want to hear both your ideas and your critiques. I think it is valuable to keep listening to the students to understand what is valuable, interesting, and necessary to learn about. Lastly, I would like to see more critical theories incorporated in our curriculum and courses. I think we could really benefit from learning about non-Western perspectives and theories to understand how the world works.

I would like to be part of a positive change to the programme. So feel free to reach out to me if you have any ideas, programme committee or not. I think we can make a lot of difference. Love, Fadime :)

My name is Stijn Veneklaas (24), and I’m currently pursuing the MSc in Crisis and Security Management, specialising in Intelligence and National Security. After studying Law for a year, completing a BA in Public Administration (EBM track), and doing a minor at Leiden’s NIMAR institute in Rabat, I know Leiden University inside out. Alongside my studies, I work at the University of Amsterdam (Faculty of Economics & Business) as a student assistant in the Policy & Educational Quality department. Still, I couldn't pass up the chance to contribute to my own university.
I am motivated to join the OLC for three main reasons. First, I strongly believe in collaboration between students and staff to better align academic programmes with the needs of both students and society. I also have a keen interest in (academic) governance and multi-stakeholder processes. Lastly, I want to give back to my home university.
At work, I contribute to the OER and work on a project aimed at improving the transition from bachelor’s to master’s programmes by aligning course content. We use student evaluations and data such as programme progression statistics to support this.
In short, my combined experience as a student at Leiden University and a staff member at another university gives me the tools to contribute constructively to the OLC.
Thank you for your time!

Hello everyone! My name is Titiriga Daria-Alexandra and I am currently doing the Crisis and Security Management at Leiden University. I am a very sociable and open-minded person and enjoy talking to people and trying to help them if they have any problems. I was part of the OLC for two years during my Bachelor's, in my second and third year. I really enjoyed the experience. The time spent during my time in the OLC, but also before, made me realise that I greatly enjoy helping out students and I would love to continue what I started and help out the FGGA OLC as well and meet new people and students, as well as learn more about the FGGA. I enjoy learning new things and I do not mind the challenge of what that can bring. In my spare time I like to read, watch movies and series, write or hang out with my friends. Hope you believe I am worthy of this position and regardless of the votes good luck with your studies and congratulations for making it this far. Be kind and stay true to yourselves!

Kind regards, Daria.

Hello everyone, my name is Yu Lin van Veen, and I am running for the Programme Committee. 

I'm currently doing my Master's in Crisis and Security Management (CSM), and I previously completed my Bachelor's in Security Studies.  Having studied both programmes, I know what works well and where there's room for improvement. I had the opportunity to go on exchange at University of Indonesia, which gave me valuable insights into different educational systems and how programmes can be shaped in innovative ways. Combined with my experience as a secondary school tutor, I learned to listen closely to students' needs and communicate these to those in charge. 

What motivates me most is making sure that student feedback truly matters, not just as numbers in course evaluations. I aim to ensure that our perspectives taken seriously, and that the quality of our programmes continues to grow. 

If you believe that I am capable of letting your voices be heard, please vote for me in this Programme Committee election! 

With kind regards, 

Yu Lin van Veen