Alumni Stories

‘Anyone can become a notary’

Becoming a notary without having parents who were notaries? Selina Haesevoets is living proof that it’s possible. Her mother was a child carer, her father a factory worker. Going to uni was a bit of an uphill battle. However, since 2024, the UHasselt alumnus, who has a law degree, is a notary in her own right. ‘These days, if you really want it and you work very hard, anyone can become a notary.’

'As a child, I dreamed of Africa'

A deep-seated commitment to society, passion, and the desire to make a difference as a doctor: that is what drives Kristien Brouwers and Koen De Decker. This is also what brought them to Alice Springs (Australia) 22 years ago, where they now work as GPs for First Nations communities.

'Every place I have lived has shaped me into the person I am today'

From Diepenbeek to Amsterdam, New York to Berlin, Bendetta Roux’s journey was more than just a quest for a career and success. An alumna of our alma mater, the commercial engineer previously managed the communications and PR department at Christie’s New York before going on to set up the fundraising and philanthropy department at the prestigious Bard College in Berlin. “Every place I have lived in and every encounter along the way have shaped me into the person I am today,” she says.

'Interventional neuroradiology is an extraordinarily fascinating field'

In 2012, Doctor David Volders lost his heart to Vancouver. “The city, the surrounding nature, and the people – Canadians are among the nicest people I know. I knew there and then that if I ever got the chance to live and work there, I would grab it with both hands,” the UHasselt alumnus says with a laugh. Four years later, he left for Canada to pursue a fellowship in interventional neuroradiology. Today, he is an associate professor, neuroradiology program director, and the head of the Interventional Neuroradiology sub-section at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, where he is training the next generation of superspecialists.