Sefa has never been just a study association for me. I think of Sefa as a family, a place where people love to spend time with each other, enjoy the fun of being together and support one another in life. During my stay in the association, I saw hundreds of friendships originating, groups coming together and lifelong connections being formed. I can safely say that the friendships I formed in Sefa are amongst the most meaningful connections I made in life, relationships that I will forever cherish.

When I first moved to Amsterdam, I was unsure of what I wanted my university experience to look like. As an international student coming to a new environment, I was longing to form meaningful connections and get my new social life going. That is why I was immediately thrilled when my Intreeweek mentors introduced me to Sefa. Based on their description, Sefa had everything I was looking for: exciting social events, cool trips and projects, and the chance to autonomously build my career. They were not lying. Sefa turned out to be as good as they described it to be, if not better.

I started my career in Sefa as a member of the “As Good As New”, a group of 30 motivated first-year students selected for their growth potential into the association. When I joined Sefa, I was a fresh high-school graduate, with unremarkable practical skills and a lot of doubts about my desired career. As I grew within the association, I got the chance to apply my academic knowledge to real-life scenarios, acquired soft and hard skills, and formed a vision as to what I wanted my career to look like. During my experience in Sefa, I got the chance to be a member of the Marketing Team and a mentor of the “As Good As New” Committee. What I enjoyed the most of being a committee member was feeling part of a team with a goal, contributing to the realization of ambitious projects and events, and seeing collective hard work turn into concrete results.

Beyond the impact that it had on my personal and professional growth, Sefa introduced me to the wonders of student life in Amsterdam. With weekly “borrels”, Introduction Camp, Active Members Weekend, Lady’s Night, Wintersports, the Gala, Study Trip and many more events, I enjoyed my college experience to the fullest. I was always waiting for the next Sefa event, looking forward to being back together with my friends drinking some beer and doing the most disparate things each time.

I now live in a new country and am not an active member anymore, but I always look back at the good moments spent within Sefa and keep in close touch with its members. When I think of my bachelor experience, it is impossible to discern it from Sefa. This is where I made some of the most meaningful and fun memories and where I met people that will be by my side for life.