Anouk sees plenty of opportunities in booming Twente

This article is part of a series called “Twente Leeft!” (Twente Lives!). You can read personal stories here about living and working in Twente. Twente is a nice place to be, according to the talents we meet. The beautiful nature, space, the down-to-earth mentality; they all characterise Twente. There are also plenty of career opportunities! Twente has many innovative, international and future-proof companies that are desperate for staff. Want to know what Twente has to offer? You can find Anouk Regeling's story below.

Anouk was born and raised in Hengelo, and she had a great childhood there. She lived in a neighbourhood that had a lot of children, and she regularly played outside with them. She started at the MAVO after primary school but was allowed to switch to the HAVO in the third grade. Anouk had an extensive range of subjects here, with both alpha and science subjects. She didn’t yet know what to study next, but a study test pointed her in the direction of nature and science. Anouk: “I then started studying laboratory education at the ROC van Twente, completed the study in four years and even got to know my current partner. I then continued studying at the Saxion, where I studied Biology and Medical Laboratory Research.”

Anouk moved to Groningen for her graduation internship, at the time. “Groningen is home to the UMCG, a University Medical Centre that carries out a lot of research. I finished my graduation internship there, researching lung cancer. My partner and I were following a similar path, so we moved in together in Groningen.”

Anouk followed a university pre-master’s and a master’s degree in Molecular Biology in Groningen after her graduation internship. “This consisted mainly of practical education, including an internship with the department of Molecular Biology. I moved to the United States with my partner for my second internship. We eventually ended up in Boston with the help of some friends. You create a large network in scientific research, and this can be very useful later on. I am a go-getter, very curious and adventurous. That was my drive back then, but it still is in my current profession.”

“We lived in Boston for a year and a half, and we experienced a lot there. We got to know about the culture and a lot of people. A valuable experience, in other words! But at a certain point, you start thinking: ‘What will I do next? I have master’s degree now, but what do I really want?’ I wanted to do my doctoral research, and I completed it at the UMCG in Groningen. I could have done this at the University of Twente in hindsight, but I didn’t look into it much at the time, strangely enough. I do regret that sometimes because they are working on some great things there.”

Anouk has always been very interested in education. “I supervised many students during my PhD research. I noticed that I was enthusiastic about teaching students new things. I started looking for opportunities and was able to start teaching in higher laboratory education not much later. After four years of working there as a teacher, my partner was allowed to make his dream of being a clinical chemist come true in Enschede. It was a logical step for us to return to Twente. We could now be closer to our families again, together with our children.”

Anouk had no problem finding another job once she was back in Twente; she started teaching Laboratory and Process Engineering at the ROC van Twente. Anouk: “Teaching suits me. I love being around other people, and I enjoy discovering all kinds of things with my students and creating something beautiful together. We are becoming smarter and smarter, and this requires aware and enthusiastic staff and students with a critical eye, every single time. This changing world demands innovation, and we can do that together with students. I think we need to stimulate the investigative capacity of our MBO students and prepare them for their future role as expert professionals. They are just very smart and hard workers. I am happy to contribute to that.”

Now that Anouk is living in Twente again, it strikes her that Twente is not lagging behind the busy, bustling cities in the Randstad, for example. “Twente was just a boring place to me when I was younger, and I wanted to look for adventure. I don’t see it that way at all, now! People from Twente do some great things in research and education. Tech-Med companies are being set up here, and we are really doing well as a region. The great thing about Twente is that education, the business community and healthcare are so beautifully combined.”