A Remarkable Student Journey

Anoushka Anand, Graduating Student Webster University, interviewed by
Jean Paul van Marissing, Director Webster Leiden Campus 

I observed you. Leading the MUN 2021 conference in your role as Secretary-General. There was a large (online) audience of more than 70 registered participants from more than 50 countries. At your age, at least at the opening of the conference, I would have been terrified. But you seemed relaxed and confident. Clearly enjoying the momentum. These are great leadership skills. Does it come naturally to you? Were you aware that you have these leadership skills?

No, it doesn’t come naturally to me. I built this confidence by leading MUN conferences at an early age. Although I tried to avoid it (by missing the deadlines), my mother continued insisting that I would do this. She was always very much involved in school, and she just knew it would be good for me. At the beginning, I was very nervous. But I knew that if I didn’t control my nerves, people around me would feel nervous as well.

Actually, as a child I was incredibly shy and would have loved to run away! But standing in front of a MUN committee with 200 people and speaking, is a great way to practice having more confidence in yourself. What also helped, is not knowing the people who are in the committees. That made it easier to open myself up since after the weekend, I would not see them again! Much to my surprise, I actually started enjoying it… so much. Meeting all these new people, it became a lot of fun!  

I always say that leadership is a do-it-yourself project and a journey. You never stop learning. That’s what makes it so exciting… If you think about leadership, what do you find to be the most important leadership qualities? What is it that you look for in a leader?      

Determination and empathy. A leader must have a goal and be willing to achieve it. No matter what and without any hesitation. But at the same time, a leader must have empathy for the people they are working with. Otherwise, they will disconnect and not follow you. 

In my teenage years, I was intrigued by John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King because of their inspiring speeches, giving hope to creating a better and more just society. Do you have a role model? Is there a leader whom you admire? Can you tell me why? 

Fatou Bensouda was the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. She is a strong woman with an enormous drive to succeed. I find her incredibly fascinating.

When I think about speeches, Charlie Chaplin, The Great Dictator comes to my mind. He has inspired me ever since I was a kid. I watched him all the time. I love Charlie Chaplin! This speech is so moving, the way he delivers it. His ability to combine comedy with a serious message is incredible. So inspiring!    

The Chief Prosecutor of the ICC and Charlie Chaplin. Interesting… Anyone else?

My mother. Definitely. She is a chef in a restaurant. One of the things that I admire about her is that she is still present in the kitchen. She doesn’t have to be there. She wants to be with the people with whom she works. Every day. From early morning until late in the evening. Her commitment is so inspiring. And they all love her. She has a really close connection to them.

Let’s use the time travel machine and go back to your childhood. What was your biggest dream when you were a young girl?

I had a lot of dreams! I had the bad habit of switching what I wanted to do every few weeks! I wanted to be an archeologist, marine biologist or diplomat. But it moved around a lot.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Ancient History. But I also love the ocean. I lived in Malaysia, and the sea and beaches are an important part of life over there. The idea of becoming a diplomat came to me because of the MUN conferences, which I attended while I was in middle school.    

Can you tell me something funny about your childhood? For example, maybe you didn’t think it was funny at the time, but now it puts a big smile on your face? Like the first time I fell in love with a girl, I was afraid to tell her for two years. And now she still doesn’t know.   

I have a very good friend, we’ve been friends since the 3th grade, and it’s funny how we met… There was a boy in my class who had a crush on me. I didn’t like him at all. But then the next year he had a crush on her. So we started laughing about it, and we became very close friends. We have been friends now for more than 12 years! 

Let’s travel in time again. But now to the moment when you were 17 years old and graduated from high school. What made you decide to join Webster University? Why did you choose the Leiden campus?

That’s a very interesting story… When I was 15, I visited the Netherlands for a MUN conference. When we were at the Embassy in Malaysia getting my Visa, my father (who makes friends with everyone) starting talking with the woman who was helping us. And guess what? Her daughter attended Webster Leiden and studied International Relations, and she suggested I do the same…So when I attended the MUN conference, I also visited the Leiden campus and I really, really liked it a lot! And I decided that one day I would be back…    

Last week, you graduated (congrats again!) and received a leadership award. It makes me happy to think you are ready to start your next journey. But if you reflect for a moment, what was your best experience as a student at the Leiden campus?

My first year was the best. Pre-COVID times. All the classes were in person. You could sit in the student lounge and interact with the other students. There were events on campus, and we were all friends at the LLC. We all knew each other. Now it is much more dissociated. You don’t know who is living next to you. The times before COVID-19 were so much better...  

The international environment at the Leiden campus is something I really enjoyed. It makes you feel at home, knowing that everyone is from different places. I made great friends, lifelong friends, and I especially enjoyed the community we created, while being here. And nowadays, with social media, it is easy to stay in touch after Graduation!   

Guess what? It’s your lucky day! I bought you a ticket for the lottery. The drawing is June 10, 2021. What are you going to do if you win Euro 100.000?

Send money to my brother. He is going to College. It will be a gift for him. And I would like to buy an apartment. In Leiden! I really do like this city. It’s small. In Malaysia and India, I always lived in big cities. To meet your friends could easily take one hour. In Leiden, you can just walk and ride your bike. And I find Dutch people to be honest and straightforward. I appreciate that. It makes it easier to have a conversation, and you don’t have to second-guess yourself.     

There is another reason why this is your lucky day….I brought along my crystal ball. Imagine, I allow you to use it and ask where I can find you 10 years from now. Do you want to know the answer? And what is the answer you are hoping for?

I don’t want to know the answer. The more you know what your future is (and, if you don’t like it), the more you will try to prevent it, and the more likely it will be to happen. It’s better to continue, not knowing what is going to happen and just enjoy the ride.

Ten years from now, I will be around 30 years old. Ideally, I would be able to settle down with a family. I’ve always wanted to raise a family in Asia. My parents raised me with certain Asian values. Those values are really important to me. I would like my kids to experience the same. Once they are older, they can go anywhere, for example, to Europe or the U.S.    

Ok, now I know which flight to book 10 years from now. But what will my crystal ball answer if we ask, what you will be doing? What is the most exciting answer you would wish for?

Hopefully, I will have worked at an international organization for a number of years. But I would like to become a professor. That might take longer than 10 years, but I would love to achieve that, teaching International Relations, Human Rights and Ancient History. I have always been fascinated by Mythology, ever since I was a child. It was such a different time compared to how we are living now... Reading about those days, feels like reading a story. And there are so many fun facts that you will discover, once you dive into it. Like the Aztecs invented hot chocolate. Did you know that?   

I could go on for hours, but there has to be a final question. Tell me, which question did you like most? And sorry, this is not the final question...  Which question should I have asked, but didn’t ask? And yes, that’s the final question!  

The childhood question. It’s nice to look back and think about all the things I enjoyed about life before it got more serious. The days I would go to the park with my brother and my mom. And I would just roll around and not have to worry about the assignment I have due tomorrow!

Which is the question I did not ask, but should have asked?  

Wow, that’s a hard question…

That’s why it is the last question!

I definitely expected you to ask me more about my classes and school. Not so much about my life...

That’s fair. I did that on purpose. I wanted to find out a little bit more about you. Who are you, what motivates you, what drives you? I am sure that people will be inspired by your journey. Thank you so much for sharing. 

My pleasure and thank you for inviting me!