Academics: AA - Green River College (2015-18), BA Economics - Western Washington University (2018-2019), MSc Public Governance - Tilburg University (2021 - 2023) MSc Economics - Radboud University (2021 to 2022), PhD Economics - Radboud University (2023 to Present). Work Experience: Project Officer - Dutch Research Council in the Netherlands (2021 - 2022), Economist - Ministry of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations in the Netherlands (2022 - 2024), Advisor - Boards of financial supervision in Curacao (2024 - present).
Share a bit about yourself and what you have been up to since you left Green River.
After my time at Green River College, I transferred to Western Washington University to complete my degree in Economics. From there, I returned to the Netherlands to pursue two Master’s degrees, one in Economics and in Public Governance, while working at the Dutch Research Council and interning with the Dutch government.
Following graduation, I began advising the Dutch government on economic and financial development in the Dutch Caribbean, a role that has taken me across the world and eventually led me to relocate to Curaçao. Alongside my advisory work, I’m pursuing a PhD in Economics focused on the development trajectories of small island economies. My goal is to continue blending academic research with real-world experience because I truly believe those two worlds strengthen each other. It is so much fun to see what you learn in the real world.
How did your education at Green River College prepare you for where you are today?
Green River College gave me more than credits, it gave me momentum. Before going to Green River College I felt quite stuck in life, I didn’t know what I wanted in life and was floating around, aimlessly. While at Green River College I found community, work, a love for learning, and the realization it is okay to mess up. As long as you keep trying eventually you will succeed. I guess most of all I found the confidence to do more than I thought I could. While at Green River College I was able to reinvent myself and thought about who I wanted to be in life. I came thinking all I would be able to attain was an AA, then I wanted to attain bachelor degree, then a master degree, then two, and now a PhD. Like I said, I received momentum at Green River College and the confidence to chase dreams. Without Green River College none of that would have been possible.
What kind of advice would you give a GRC student who dreams of getting into a top university?
You can do this. I went to Mondriaan College in Oss and did VMBO-T. This is usually not a trajectory in the Netherlands that will get you into universities, so I am happy a different path exists.
If you want to go to a top university, you can do it. Simply keep on trying. If you set a goal for yourself you will reach it if you keep working towards it and sometimes when it is not possible there are good alternatives. I couldn’t afford to do a master degree in the US at the time, which I found extremely disappointing. Therefore, I looked for master programs I could afford, which in hindsight led me exactly to where I wanted to go. So my advice is, stay flexible and aim for the stars. Oh, and a good planner is key.
Additionally, sometimes life does not go the way we hope it goes, but that doesn’t mean you are failing. I have failed a lot more times than I succeeded at things, be kind to yourself when you fail and realize it is only human. In the end you won’t be defined by your failures. In the moment failure always seems like the end of the world, in hindsight it is merely a road bump, forgotten with time.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
You don’t need to be perfect to be great. I’ve doubted myself, failed more than once, and sometimes questioned whether all the effort was worth it. But each step taught me that consistency pays off, like that quote:
"If you do today what others won’t, you can do tomorrow what others can’t." - Jerry Rice
