Dear lovely Synergy members,
It is almost the end of the academic year 2017-2018. Everyone is busy with the last things for their study, for some this is their thesis, and for others their exams. To give you all some distraction from studying or writing your thesis, and hopefully something nice to read, I would like to look back on this academic year. After all, there have been many highlights and we certainly experienced a lot together!
It all started during the Introduction 2017. All freshmen (first-year students) got in touch with Synergy for the first time during the Berendonck Battle, Open BA-Party, and the American Drinking Games. All great mentors have introduced the freshmen to the beautiful city of Nijmegen. A tough week, but most of all a great week, which the freshmen, the mentors, and most of all the board, will never forget. During the weeks after the introduction, in September and October, our Kick-off Committee organized many activities. When I look back now, it is noticeable that Synergy members love activities that involve a few drinks. In September and October, we had two Synergy Drinks, a beer tasting, a pub-crawl, a beer cantus, and the activity called ‘Pullen Vullen’. Let's just say that the first months were mainly about getting to know fellow students.
During this year, we had a lot of other informal activities. Because ‘Toepen’ is a game that everyone played very often in the Synergy office this year, we thought it was a good idea to organize a Toep Tournament in November. Bart Jilesen won this tournament. Nevertheless, there are plenty of people who would like to beat him in this game in the Synergy office anyway. It is noticeable how many students of Business Administration love competing against each other. This was also shown at the soccer tournament: everyone was trying to beat each other. However, I must say that some teams focused on winning the soccer tournament, while other teams just focused on winning the third half. Let’s say that my team (Oma Mien's Birthday Bitches) was in the running for winning the third half.
During this year, we also had a few amazing trips. The first trip was the ski trip to Les Orres in the French Alps. We still hear great stories about this trip. During the ski trip, there was a Onesie party during which only Totale Escalatie (Total Escalation) of the Gebroeders Scooter was played. The French people, however, did not understand it at all. Furthermore, we had a diner rouler within the rooms of everyone. It was a fun activity, and…. at least everyone had tried their best to make dinner. The second trip this year was the Business Trip to Milan. The bus trip during the Business Trip is always an adventure to remember. The craziest stories are shared because you have plenty of time during the bus trip. However, the most memorable moment of this trip was the night out. Our king Wessel had to prove in Milan that he is the king. Therefore, he proudly walked around with a crown. He even wore his crown in a nightclub, which turned out to be more like a Mafia hideout. The last trip this year was the Atlas Trip to Moscow. This was also a trip to remember. It is amazing to see how a group quickly becomes such a close group. This trip included an amazing escalation night as well, which everyone remembers in a different way. Furthermore, we saw beautiful things in Moscow. For example, there were many people who had to take a photo of the Red Square after a night out and before going to bed.
In May, we had the Synergy Week. This was also a fantastic week with great activities. During the Synergy Drink, the new candidate board was presented. I will not go into too much detail now, as the candidate board will introduce themselves in August, so keep an eye on our website. In this week, there was a salsa workshop, where all the hips were moving freely, a pub crawl, and a bowling tournament. Furthermore, during the Synergy Week there were also two formal activities, namely a Masterclass “Bitcoin, Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies” and a Ted Talk about entrepreneurship. Two nice activities in which people were inspired. However… the most amazing activity during this week was, of course, the gala. During this evening, the fantastic Synergy band has played which everyone enjoyed enormously (obviously mostly because of the Stupid song). Almost nobody knows who became the king and queen, but this just indicates how everyone has enjoyed this gala.
It is clear that Synergy members love sociable and informal activities. However, this year we also had a lot of formal activities that everyone enjoyed. The Nijmegen Career Event was one of these activities. Two days long, all students were focusing on their career. Workshops, presentations, wine tastings, individual conversations were all kind of activities during these days to get to know companies. It was a well-attended event where everyone made good use of the possibility to network. Another activity was the Synergy Conference. During the conference, the theme “Survival of the fittest” was discussed. During this day, we learned what makes a company successful, but also how you as a company can deal with setbacks. Another formal activity was the Business and IT event. it is great to see how this event grows every year. Also during this day, students met companies, in the form of presentations and workshops.
But now… it is June, and the end of the year is on its way. I am glad that I can look back to such a wonderful year. For us as a board, it is strange that the end of our board year is approaching. A board year is a great year to experience and I think I can say on behalf of my entire board that we have enjoyed it. I would like to thank my board members for all their hard work last year, but also for all the fun that we have experienced. I would also like to thank all committees for all the activities they have organized. Furthermore, I would like to thank all members who made it such a great year. Thank you all very much for contributing to a great year!
To conclude, I would like to wish everyone a lot of luck in the upcoming weeks. The last weeks before enjoying a well-deserved holiday. But before you all enjoy your holidays, I hope to see you all at the after-exam lunch and drink on the 29th of June! Let’s celebrate the summer break together!
Lots of love,
Cindy Balvert
Chairman 2017-2018
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