Meet lecturer and researcher Esther Groenendaal

How long have you worked at BUas? 

I've now been working at BUas for 27 years; I actually started at the NHTV (Nationale Hogeschool voor Toerisme en Verkeer). The plan was to stay for five years, but that got rather out of hand.  

What is your role within the organisation? 

I've fulfilled various roles. Fortunately so, given the length of time I've been here. I'm a lecturer and researcher; I supervise graduate students; I work together with the academies for Leisure & Events and Hotel & Facility on the Social Innovation specialisation; I'm the international coordinator at the Academy for Tourism, and I help build new curricula. So, to speak of one role, that’s not really possible. I wear various hats and that suits me well. It also means I get to work with lots of different people. And that's inspiring.  

What do most students still know you for? 

Well, perhaps from a somewhat more distant past, from the Purchasing and Product Management specialisation. That was a fourth-year specialisation at the time, in which we worked very closely with tour operators and travel companies in the Netherlands. Our industry partners came along almost weekly for inspiration sessions and job shadowing days. We also went to visit them. Many students went to work for one of the partners after this specialisation. That was a wonderful time! It could also be that people still know me from the International Tourism Student Conference. We organised that annually together with a number of valued educational partners in Europe and America. Groups of students from 10 to 15 countries all prepared research within a theme, such as 'destination branding' or 'future tourism jobs', and presented it during the conference. That was a celebration of international perspectives and knowledge exchange and it created friendships for life.  

Why is working in education so enjoyable? 

First and foremost, the students. It's wonderful to work with them, exchange knowledge and build together on who we want to be and what we want to represent. I find dialogues and debates interesting. They yield insights, but also pleasure and depth. Furthermore, working at BUas is enjoyable because research is also conducted alongside education. For instance, we recently conducted research with CELTH (Centre of Expertise in Leisure, Tourism and Hospitality) into the methods of local impact measurement by travel companies. That's interesting, not least because there's still a large unexplored field that we as a knowledge institute can work on together with travel companies and organisations.  

Do you have a lovely/enjoyable/funny/memorable recollection from your work within our organisation? 

Plenty. I find it memorable when students stay in touch after graduation. And furthermore, every field trip has a memorable event. But what happens abroad, stays abroad 😉.  

What are you proud of? 

I'm proud of everyone with a heart for education.  

How do you make a difference? 

I hope by engaging in conversation with young people and building the path that someone wants to follow.  

Do you still have contact with former students? If so, in what way? 

Certainly. Fortunately! I'm mainly in contact via LinkedIn, but also 'live', in the form of projects and presentations. Just recently at the open day, two of my students from 25 years ago came up to me with their 17-year-old daughter. It was tremendously enjoyable to talk with them about back then (especially about the study trip to Goa), and about their careers after graduation. Wonderful to hear such lovely stories!  

What lesson or advice would you like to share with alumni? 

If someone wants a lesson, or advice, please feel free to contact me. I’m happy to do the same in return. 

Connect with Esther Groenendaal on LinkedIn