Who are you and what is your position within the faculty? Since when?
I am Annet, 24 years old, and I started working as a PhD candidate in Development Psychology at the end of August. As a doctoral candidate, I work with others on the CatS project (Cool @ School), where we do research into popularity as a motivator for bullying among children.
What position/job did have before this?
I was a teacher for half a year in 2023. It was something that I liked doing, but not for five days a week. I ended up going go back to university, where I went on to do the Master’s in Educational Sciences in Utrecht over the course of the last year. The PhD position I have now is something that I stumbled upon and it looked really fun! That isn’t to say I would never return to teaching. I still love teaching and it is something that is on my bucket list of things to do, so who knows? Maybe in four years I’ll be back in front of a classroom.
What is something that you look forward to the most in your position?
I don’t think a lot of people would agree, but I look immensely forward to data collection. It will mainly take place at various schools, and I really like having direct contact with the children. My target group are kids in their last three years of primary school, and that is also the age range I have the most experience with. The fun thing about this group is that they love to be proactive and think along with you.
At the moment, I am still reading up on the topics of my research. When I started this, I told myself that I want to help the teachers. Teachers often hear and see things happening in the school yard, as I well know from personal experience. They are aware of bullying and popularity, but the link between the two is not made very often. At the end of my PhD I hope to be able to offer teachers something concrete that they can use in their everyday work. Previous research has shown that teachers generally don’t notice a lot of instances of bullying. It will be nice if any of my contributions will improve teachers’ perspectives on bullying and how to prevent it.
Where can we find you? / How can we contact you?
I am in my office (MM 03.378) five days a week and besides that my mailbox is always open.
Which film or book did you enjoy the most?
Recently I have been very into the X-men and Marvel films. I like to watch a specific character and see where they start and how they develop themselves over the course of these movies. While studying for my final exams at high school, I watched all eighteen Marvel movies in a row… I passed my exams, but you can tell I’m very much a binger, haha!
What is at the top of your bucket list?
I would love to perform in a musical again. I used to do that a lot when I was younger. At our primary school, we used to have a school choir that would perform a musical once every two years, and I would play a role in it. Later, I joined a local theatre association, and I also joined the student theatre association when I studied in Nijmegen. Unfortunately my schedule got a bit too packed and I had to quit doing theatre. I would love to pick it up again when I have a bit more time on my hands. I secretly love following a script and bringing a character to life.
Which hobby makes you forget the passing of time?
Musicals, definitely, but also baking! During the COVID pandemic I baked a lot of cakes. It is very effective for getting all the frustration out of your body. Sometimes I see something nice while watching “Heel Holland Bakt” (the Dutch version of the Great British Bake-Off) or 24Kitchen, and other times I see what ingredients I have at home and see what I can make of them. I love the creative element and the experimenting with flavours and products. My favourite combination is definitely chocolate and orange, delicious!
Can you tell us a fun fact about yourself?
Well, I once had a thumbtack in my knee! You’re probably wondering how that happened… I worked as a volunteer for some time at the Mini-Efteling, a miniature theme park in Nieuwkuijk, Brabant, inspired by theme park the Efteling. The director told me that it was possible to climb behind the screens of the Carnival Festival and get to the bakery from there. I immediately knew I had to try it. So, I crawled over and found out that I could indeed reach the bakery through Carnival Festival. However, I felt a certain stinging in my knee halfway and then I saw that there was a thumbtack in my knee! You probably know the feeling; it felt like that tingling that is caused by stubbing the funny bone in your elbow against something. I felt that from my knee down to my ankle for about three hours… I definitely wouldn’t recommend it!