Dear member of the ESV,
What a strange year have we experienced. From the beginning, the enthusiasm could not be unseen, because of the exciting things that were coming our way. The committees were filled very quickly and all these members were ready to go the extra mile during the VIth anniversary year of the ESV Nijmegen. The lustrum committee had already been busy for half a year and was still very committed to organize a great week for everyone. The study trip committee also showed its best side and made the very first trip outside Europe possible: to the beautiful Bangkok. The conference committee could not be silenced at the Generel Members Meeting and convinced the members of the ESV to attend the lustrumconference at an external location. But beside that, all other committees also worked very hard and made sure that there was a lot of fun and original activities every week, which could be enjoyed by every ESV member. The first six months were packed with activities and plenty of drinks. And there was certainly still enough time and enthusiasm for the formal activities. These formal activities consisted of boat trips, dinners, in-house days, lunch lectures and the first alumni network activity: the ESV and its members showed their best side on all these activities.
Unfortunately, our beautiful lustrum year took a completely different turn: the year in which COVID-19 broke out, the year in which everyone experienced a quarantine for the first time and the year in which the ESV suddenly had to change track. But, together we have done our best to make it a great year. The committees did not hesitate to organize their activities in an alternative way: first online and over time in small groups. Many members showed their face on these alternative activities. Who would have thought it could be so much fun, alone in front of a laptop with a drink? On behalf of my board, I would like to thank everyone, the members, the committee members, the Advisory Board and all other people who were ready to help, advise and support us. We are proud to see how resilient the ESV and her members are and we got to enjoy the endless patience and support these members have brought to us. It might not have been the year we had in mind, but I can look back at it with a big smile and proudly say that it was a very successful year.
I want to thank you all for your enthusiasm, your commitment, your understanding and your patience. Let’s make next year just as great, this time with an amazing lustrum!
On behalf of the XXXIst board of the ESV Nijmegen,
Mandy Versteeg
Chairman 2019-2020