Alumna Izra ter Weer: ‘Leiden had many more connections with the rest of the world than I thought’
Izra ter Weer's mother had studied English Language and Culture in Leiden and was always so enthusiastic about her studies that Izra decided to follow in her footsteps. After completing a Master's degree in Linguistics, she now works as a consultant at strategic consultancy firm Sprenkels and organises the annual Cleveringa meeting in Luxembourg.
Ter Weer grew up in Luxembourg, but with two Leiden alumni as parents, the City of Keys was never far away. ‘They often reminisced enthusiastically about their own student days,’ she says. ‘Luxembourg does have a university, but there is no real student life there as they described it.’
After secondary school, Ter Weer therefore decided to come to Leiden. Like her mother, she chose to study English Language and Culture. ‘English was always my favourite subject at secondary school: the language, but also the teachers,’ she says. ‘My mother's enthusiastic stories also helped me to choose what I really enjoyed. I still didn't know exactly what I wanted to be.’
Leiden and the world
Once in Leiden, she enjoyed student life as a member of Minerva. Her choice of study also proved to be a hit. ‘When I look back now at the literature we read and everything we learned about the language and its history, I still think it was really fun,’ she says. ‘I was a pretty relaxed student; for example, I never spent many days in the university library and really enjoyed sleeping in until eleven after a party, but I did get high marks.’
After completing her bachelor's degree and a minor in Journalism and New Media in three years, Ter Weer decided to spend six months abroad. ‘I thought: I studied English, so I'll go to England, but my father said I should take advantage of Leiden University's global connections. I had no idea all those options existed, but in the end, that's what led me to Kingston in Canada.’
New worlds
Back in the Netherlands, she pursued a master's degree in Linguistics and a minor in International Relations. For the latter, she went to the University of Amsterdam. ‘They were surprised that I wanted to do a minor, which isn’t really the intention in your master's programme, but they allowed it,’ she says with a laugh. 'I enjoyed discovering a whole new world again.'
That is also evident from her first job. After a tip from a friend, Ter Weer ended up in the communications department of a consultancy firm that mainly deals with pensions and insurance. ‘Almost all my colleagues are science graduates, with degrees in subjects such as econometrics. It took some getting used to at first, but I think I have now shown them that a language degree is about more than just language. For example, I also make sure that all the texts are easy to read. Our target group may be highly educated, but they too appreciate a text that is straightforward to read.’
A timely return to Cleveringa
Ter Weer not only followed in her mother's footsteps with her choice of study. She also recently took on the organisation of the Leiden Cleveringa gathering in Luxembourg, where a Leiden scientist gives a lecture to alumni. ‘I had always planned to take over when I returned to Luxembourg,’ she says. ‘That happened a little earlier than expected, but now is precisely the time to remind ourselves how Cleveringa stood up for his Jewish colleagues during the Second World War. That is why the first lecture I organised was about international cooperation.’