{"id":155835,"date":"2023-06-06T10:37:16","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T08:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=155835"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:49","slug":"first-generation-student-romy-owes-her-parents-a-lot-im-so-lucky-to-have-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/06\/06\/first-generation-student-romy-owes-her-parents-a-lot-im-so-lucky-to-have-you\/","title":{"rendered":"First-generation student Romy owes her parents a lot. \u2018I\u2019m so lucky to have you\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Romy didn\u2019t mind that her parents didn\u2019t know much about the university or her degree programme. After all, they were supporting her in so many other ways. \u201cI\u2019m lucky I was born into this family.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Romy is the first one in her family to go to university. "I never felt you guys were pushing me in any particular direction."<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLevien Willemse<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Romy van Leeuwen (27) is sitting on the couch with one leg up as she relaxes in the home of her parents Peter van Leeuwen (58) and Wendy van Leeuwen (57). There\u2019s a portrait photo of her and her sister on the cupboard. Romy is an education specialist at Risbo and has been living just around the corner in Krimpen aan den IJssel for several years now. During her time as a Psychology student, she lived with her parents. It was nice at home, and it was close to university, she explains.<\/p>\n

Curious<\/h2>

University was an unfamiliar world for her parents, who didn\u2019t pursue higher education themselves. \u201cI remember you taking me to the open days\u201d, Romy tells her parents. \u201cI loved that you just tagged along everywhere. But what was it like for you guys to come along to university?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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Lees meer<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t