Interview by Shazia Khan
“Broadening horizons and resilience in the face of setbacks are two of the most valuable things that Enactus taught me.”
Meet the inspiring co-founder and former Vice President of Enactus Nijmegen, Harald Broersma. Currently wrapping up his Master’s in Civil Law, our proud alumnus Harald has an inspiring story to tell. In 2015, after finding his footing in student life, he decided to set up a new Enactus foundation with fellow students at the Radboud University. Harald had a diverse and unusual experience as he embarked on the foundation of Enactus Nijmegen.
The birth of Enactus Nijmegen
One step at a time the first range of successes were achieved. From connecting to new business advisors to gaining financial support from the outside world and recruiting new startup members. However, setting up a new Enactus team in Nijmegen did not always go as expected. The road ahead was bumpy:
“Everything was new and challenging! Shall we set up a new startup first, or start recruiting new members? It became a chicken and egg situation! What is the correct order of steps to take?”
Of course, encountering setbacks was not the only thing he experienced, but also valuable lessons he learned as time went on:
“What I learned during my board year at Enactus Nijmegen is to start loving challenges. Even though I came across many setbacks, this did not stop me from moving forward. It made me believe in the importance of always putting in the effort: resilience is your guide in confronting any challenge!”
Enactus helped Harald overcome challenges he used to dread:
“Giving lecture talks to recruit new members seemed daunting. I thought ‘What did I get myself into?’ But eventually, with lots of practice, putting yourself out there becomes less terrifying.”
Nowadays, public speaking has become his “forte” as he organized a public speaking training for the members of Enactus Nijmegen and has helped out in the preparation for the national competition over the past few years. As well as during his time in Australia, he helped the local Enactus team improve their presentation skills. Overall, Harald is very happy with what Enactus Nijmegen has achieved: an up-and-running Enactus team which was built from scratch and is thriving and growing every day.
Broadening horizons
During his time with Enactus, Harald realized that he wanted to expand his knowledge beyond law. During the creation of the Enactus team he learned that managing projects and the business side of things sparked his interests. He decided to broaden his horizons and learn more about these subjects along the way:
“Besides law, I took part in a MUN-program in which I studied International Relations and was trained in public speaking & negotiating. To lay an academic foundation in business and experience a new culture, I followed courses in entrepreneurship, digital marketing and human resource management at Luiss Business School in Rome.”
Next stop: business time!
Through having had this diverse range of experience, he found that the actual art of doing business is where his heart mainly lies, and so he decided to pursue his future career within this field.
“I applied for a business course at Randstad Group to learn about the concept of a traineeship. This took quite an unexpected turn for me as I was not aware it was part of a job application process. And then all of the sudden, I sat in front of the HR-director for the final round… I am sure that Enactus crossing my path is the reason that I got to discover my true calling. I am looking forward to my new job at Randstad!”
Nonetheless, Harald still continues to be an active member of the advisory board and is currently helping out the new board members to grow further. This year marks his fifth year of Enactus Nijmegen. But before his journey at Randstad begins, the final challenge of student life is still needs to be overcome *drum roll* : finishing his master thesis.
Interested in more alumni stories? Stay tuned for our upcoming alumni blog next month! Or read our past alumni stories of Emilie, Léon and Sander on our website.