As extremely busy as she is, the 20 year old Marith, knows how to make a proper planning and stick to it. With her busy practicing schedule and her study she found a way to work for what she wants. Marith started her educational career here at BUas two years ago but decided to switch programs after her first year. Switching programs didn’t come as easy as she had hoped it would. In order to get accepted she had to study twice as hard. Besides being busy with her education and her side job, she’s also a very competitive in sports. Her main sport is playing water polo, which is a given in her family.

Higher expectations
Marith started studying International Media and Entertainment Management. Halfway through her first year, she figured out that her current study didn’t match her expectations. The projects weren’t as exciting as she hoped. Most of the subjects were topics she already did a project on. Prior to her education here at BUas, Marith successfully finished a study at MBO Graphic lyceum in Rotterdam, a bit similar to International Media and Entertainment Management. She wanted to explore the industry of events more, unfortunately IMEM didn’t offer the experience she was hoping for.

Making the switch
Making the decision to switch wasn’t an easy one. “It felt like failing myself” she explained. As if she wasn’t dedicated enough to stick it out and finish it. After long consideration she decides to switch, switching programs wasn’t an easy process. In order to change her study she had to earn all her 60 ECTs from her current study. Around that same time, she had to study for the final exam of the first year of Leisure and Event Management. The first-year students of Leisure and Event Management had their final exam at the end of their first year to determine if they would go to their second year. Only if Marith passed her propaedeutic phase and the final exam, she was allowed to switch programs. This was a stressful period. How do you study for a final exam without ever following a course? Luckily, a friend helped her to get in contact with someone who is currently in the program she wanted to get in. After receiving a summary of the first year, Marith knew what she had to study in order to pass the final exam for Leisure and Event Management. Two weeks later she received the news that she passed the final exam and obtained all her 60ECTs. All her hard work paid off and she could finally study what she wanted for so long.

Passed down through generations
Besides being a hard-working student, Marith is also dedicated to her hobby water polo. Water polo is not a sport you particularly pick very quickly. I asked Marith how she ended up choosing this sport. She laughed and said that she tried dancing while she had swimming lessons. After achieving het swimming diploma she started water polo. Playing water polo is a given in her family. Generations in Marith’s family played and are still playing water polo. Her grandmother, mother and father, uncle and nieces and her two siblings played it too. Marith started playing water polo when she was seven years old. In order to join a water polo team, you need to have your first two swimming diploma’s. Besides learning how to play water polo, she continued with her swimming and dance lessons. She later quit dancing in order to keep up with everything she had going on.

Unstoppable
Most of her free time she spends in the pool training for her water polo competitions. She trains from Tuesday till Friday. In the weekends, she has a match to play. Not only does she play for her own team, she also trains with the highest team of her sport club and gets to join and play five matches in their two competitions. One to win their water polo trophy and one competition for the title Best Dutch female water polo team. “It is exhausting sometimes, especially when you have two matches in one weekend” she explains, after spending so much time at the pool for her training and matches.

Make room for more
Marith is enjoying her study program and continues her busy schedule. She decided to reduce her training day to make room more for her side a job. She hopes to save up some money to go on an internship abroad upcoming semester.