Who was your first great love?

“I never had a ‘crush’ in High school. All the girls in my class had a different boyfriend each week, that always felt stupid to me. So, my first love is my boyfriend, Colin. We’ve been in a relationship for three years now. I was never really in love before that, I guess I’m too level-headed for that.”

“We met in a student house. At first, I denied being in love and I was mostly afraid the feeling wasn’t mutual. After the first kiss, I started to believe that he possibly might like me. We’ve been together since that moment. He’s a student at TU/e as well, and he’s even a member of Intermate.”

What did you learn today?

She puts on a frown. “I didn’t do much today. I made a crossword puzzle in the newspaper an hour and a half ago but I don’t remember much about it anymore, that worries me a bit,” she says jokingly. “I think I will just pass on this question, my actions so far today haven’t been very noteworthy.”

When did you keep quiet when you should have spoken up?

“I can’t remember being in a situation like that. The moments when I did speak up are the ones I remember. I can’t stand injustice. The other day, someone said this to me about refugees: ‘They flee their country, but they do have smartphones!’ That makes me angry. What’s the first thing you would take with you in a situation like that? That’s right, your phone.”

“I remember a similar moment from the past. In elementary school, we used to have a television hour every week, but the teacher decided not to continue with it because some of the children were too loud. To me, at that age, that was a moment of injustice. I talked to the teacher about it and in the end, we got our television hour back. I’m still quite proud of that.”

What chore do you hate doing most?

“Household chores aren’t much fun of course, but they are a part of life. I do hate repairing the tires of my bicycle, I just can’t get the hold of that. Happily, I have a boyfriend who loves to fix and repair things, a ‘passion’ I don’t share with him. He has been fixing my tires for the last three years now and I just stand there and watch. After all that observing, I still can’t do it myself, unfortunately.”

What do you regret most?

“I don’t regret things easily. In any case, I can’t give you a profound answer to that question. I do regret not practising a sport more actively, a bit of a cliché, right? I am a member of athletics association Asterix, but my many activities on the board of Intermate keep me from going there, even though the two places are just a five-minute walk apart. I’ve always liked athletics, but there was no association near where I lived. When I started at Asterix, I loved it! The people are so friendly, and there’s such a nice atmosphere. Yes, I actually do regret that.”

Would you rather be blind or deaf?

“None of the above isn’t an option, I guess. I think I would choose deafness over blindness. I imagine blindness would really rob you of your freedom. Not being able to listen to music would upset me, but not being able to see would probably upset me even more. It’s a choice between two evils.”

For our column The Hot Seat we ask students and employees to pull five cards from our top hat full of questions. One question may be exchanged. The next interview will appear in three weeks' time.