Growing up and finishing high school in Deventer along the IJssel river, she discovered her curiosity was even bigger than she herself had realized. After school, she did complementary studies in biology, science and mathematics. Economics at Utrecht university turned out to be a false start. The liberal arts and sciences program with a profile in mathematics was a better fit. She chose minors in art history and Arabic. At a secondary school she gathered some experience in teaching mathematics.
After her bachelor in mathematics her curiosity led her to a master philosophy at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her main interest is what could be termed philosophical anthropology. ‘It is really odd we might have a sense of history, that is from a human perspective, but that we have very little sense of natural history, of how nature evolved, how she works, and changed.’
As a bird watcher and enthusiastic kitchen gardener her ambition is to think and write about matters related to ecology, climate and our relationship with non human life, as a contribution to the public debate. ‘At ZJA people are designing positive contributions to urban space and the landscape, using technical and mathematical thinking. This involves questions about energy, climate and ecology. Fun to watch from close by.’
When she is not busy studying, working or gardening, she plays chess, watches birds, goes for a run in the forest of Amelisweerd or sends her splitting passes as a midfielder in her football team.