UCU Alumni Shine as Finalists in DUB Columnist Competition
Alumni
Two 木瓜福利影视 College Utrecht alumni, Tara Neary '22 and Matthew Tan '18, as well as current student Lisa Sch眉ssler '26 were recently recognized as finalists in the prestigious , showcasing their remarkable writing talents. The competition, organised by Utrecht 木瓜福利影视's student platform DUB, invites students and alumni to submit thought-provoking columns that reflect their perspectives on campus life, global issues, and personal experiences.
, Tara Neary was selected as the winner of the English columnists' competition. A Master's student in Environmental Biology at the Graduate School of Life Sciences, Neary is originally from Ireland and started at UCU in 2019. Her nominated column, recounts a challenging fieldwork trip to the Czech Republic. Neary humorously reflects on how, faced with difficult weather conditions and the need to operate drones, she and a colleague turned to local gods for help鈥攁nd it worked! Her engaging and honest writing earned her the judges' praise, securing her place as a prominent voice in the upcoming column series for DUB.
Matthew Tan, another UCU alumnus, was also recognised for his outstanding contribution as a finalist. Tan who started at UCU in 2015, later pursued a Master鈥檚 in Medicine and now works as a junior lecturer in Anatomy at the Faculty of Medicine. His nominated column, encourages international students to connect with their Dutch counterparts by staying in Utrecht on weekends and stepping outside their social circles. Tan suggests that Dutch students invite international students along when they visit their hometowns, helping foster deeper connections between students from different backgrounds.
Lisa Sch眉ssler, a second-year student at UCU, focusing on media, social geography and politics was nominated for her column "." She explores the paradox of college being hailed as the best time of your life while also being a period filled with challenging existential questions. "It is precisely this abundance of opportunities that sometimes feels suffocating," she writes.
Congratulations to Tara, Matthew and Lisa for their achievements in the DUB Columnist competition, and we look forward to sharing Tara's upcoming columns!