Elene is the only student in the Rotterdam Council

Elene Walgenbach (25, D66, place 5, Rotterdam) just survived the selection and is the only student in the Rotterdam council.Her study has suffered a bit from this.

“An amazing rollercoaster is the best description of the last six months. Being a council member in Rotterdam is practically a full-time job and after the elections, you really get thrown in the deep end. Particularly because there are lots of new people in our party, you get masses of paperwork. That made life very hectic during the first months, but you soon get used to it.”

“I’m not the youngest council member, but I am the only student. The nice thing is that I’m also responsible for subjects that relate more to young people, like hospitality and events. I also consciously try to be the link between the council and young people.”

“Progress in my studies has been slightly more problematic. Last September I embarked on my master. Since January, I’ve been spending more time campaigning than studying and things have only gotten busier. I did do a full-time internship, but I also need to find time to complete my thesis. That’s hard, but I still hope to graduate before 2019.”