The Leiden United Board of 2021 - 2022
Meet The Team
Maxine Gerlach President The president oversees everything in the association, takes care of the paperwork, and is usually the contact person for official meetings with third parties. Besides that, the president also facilitates communication between the board members. My name is Maxine and I am currently doing my masters in Applied Cognitive Psychology. I have been an LU member for about 4 years now and I thought it was time to finally also become a board member. I always enjoyed going to the dinners and spending time with the dinner group, as well as going on excursions. Considering that I have been living in Leiden for quite a while now, I had some time to experience how hard it can be to become friends with Dutch people. Therefore, it has become my personal mission to try bridge the gap between international and Dutch students. I hope that we will have a great year and that you will also be able to connect more with the Dutch culture! |
Federica Mauro Treasurer The treasurer is responsible for all things connected to money. These includes things like confirming budgets, taking care of invoices, and keeping track of finances in general. My name is Federica. I am Italian and currently an astronomy research masters student at Leiden University. I first moved to Leiden when during the first Covid lockdown and being part of Leiden United helped me feel less lonely and find a way out of my room. I was able to make connections, meet new people and make memories that I will cherish forever. I am a cat person, love books and walking in nature listening to my favorite music or a good true crime podcast. I am a huge figure skater fan even though I am not good at it (or in any other sport to be honest). Can’t wait to try ice skating on the canals next winter!! |
Deniz Gökkaya Secretary The secretary is in charge of keeping track of all important dates and takes notes during the meetings. Furthermore, the secretary is also responsible for promotion, such as making newsletters and posting on social media. My name is Deniz and I am from Istanbul, where I have also lived my whole life so far. This is my first year living abroad and I am really excited about it!! I saw Leiden United on Instagram and thought it would be a nice experience to join it and make new friends from all around the world. I am an author and a book-lover, I might also be a little bit addicted to Netflix. Other than that, I love crocheting and traveling! I can’t wait to meet with you all!! |
Rick van Beek ASSESSOR EXTERNal The assessor external is in contact with the five big student associations in Leiden and is responsible for scheduling the dinners for the foodie membership. My name is Rick and I was born and raised in Leiden. Since I have lived here all of my live, I also decided last year to start studying history at Leiden University. During the El Cid week(Dutch introduction week), I learned about Leiden United and wanted to join them right away. Besides talking and hanging out with international people, I also like learning more about different cultures, which is why I decided to join. The fist year as a member was really nice, we had a lot of fun activities. This year, I decided to become a board member, not only to broaden my horizon, but also to help create a place where people from all around the world can make great memories and have fun during their time in the Netherlands. |
Elina Böhm Head of committees The Head of Committees oversees and is responsible for the Leiden United Activities Committee (LUAC) and the Alumni Committee (ALUCO). The Head of Committees also is the bridge between board and the LUAC as well as ALUCO. My name is Elina and I study psychology in the international bachelor’s program. During my first year of my bachelor’s program, I became a member of Leiden United and have been a member since. Leiden United made me feel very at home in Leiden and enabled me to meet many lovely people from different cultural backgrounds. I think it is a great idea to bring together Dutch and international students by organizing dinners and events where people can mingle and have a lovely time together. I’m looking forward to many beautiful moments and events together with new and old members. I hope we can also make this year a memorable one. |
