Name: Joren Meesters
Hometown: Amsterdam, NL
Year: Freshman
Major: Undeclared
Being from out of the country, how did you choose Winthrop?
I used Full Ride, which is an organization that arranges for students to go abroad for a year as an exchange student.
I wanted to come to America for a year because I had been here before and took a road trip around it and really liked it. So, after I did my research and found Full Ride, they gave me a list of 10 colleges and Winthrop was on there. I looked into it more and realized that the university was a very cool university. I saw that it was a good school and chose to come here out of the other 10.
What were you expecting when coming to a university in America? Did it fit your expectations?
To be honest I wasn’t expecting too much because I didn’t know much about colleges in the U.S. before coming here. However, I did know about Greek Life and thought about how it really wasn’t for me. The more people I met though, the more I realized that they were in the fraternities here and I realized that I did maybe want to join, and I’m glad I did because it turned out to be a really cool experience.
I learned that you do a lot of things other than what I’ve seen in movies about Greek Life, which definitely makes it a positive experience and makes it exceed my expectations. At first, it was a bit lonely of course, but then I started meeting people and making some awesome friends and noticed that it got easier. Everyone was really friendly to me and I felt extremely welcomed, which was an enjoyment for me because it’s so different than where I’m from. So, all in all, it really has been a positive experience so far and has definitely went above and beyond my expectations.
What are you involved with on campus?
Like I said, I’m involved in Greek Life and am in the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity on campus.
What do you like most about being apart of Pi Kappa Alpha?
What I like most is probably the atmosphere and the way the brothers are when we’re all together. I also learned a lot of stuff being in the fraternity, especially during my pledging.
I learned things like how to run a business and how to run meetings, things that will help me later on in life. I really enjoyed the fact that even though there is a lot of formal business to take care of within the organization, we can still just hang out and have fun. Fraternities are great to make friends for life, and getting close with everyone was really awesome. I’ve even been to some events that 70 or 80 active and inactive members and alumni showed up to, which made me realize how everyone truly is a family in Greek Life.
What kinds of activities and events does the fraternity or individuals from the fraternity do on campus?
Pike stays very involved on campus, and we do things like spirit nights and mixers with sororities, fundraising, Intramural and co-ed sports and more. I actually just did a cultural event that was organized by the fraternity. Bascially, the event was just me talking about Amsterdam and teaching people about my country. I’m very grateful for the help I received from my brothers in the fraternity. But, anyways, the things we do on campus is such a great way to meet people and make connections within the fraternity and outside of it.
What was the cultural event you did on March 22nd?
The idea for the cultural event came up at a meeting; we wanted to do an educational event for the brothers. Normally, we do things just within Greek Life, but decided that extending it to the Winthrop community would be cool because I could teach people about my hometown and the cultures there. I was so willing to do it when someone brought it up to me and I agreed that it was a great way for people to not only learn about Amsterdam but also to learn about Pike. It was also a great way for me to give something back to the university–you all have taught me so much about America, it was only fair I did the same for you and Amsterdam.
Were you nervous for it?
I really didn’t like preparing for it of course because it was a lot of information and work, but I wouldn’t say I was nervous. The moment I started speaking in front of everybody it was very relaxed and I knew just what to say because I was talking about my hometown which is something I really care about. It was a very good time for me and the audience! I tried to throw in a few jokes so it wouldn’t be an hour of boring facts and I ended up getting a lot of laughs and positive feedback so that’s really good!
What are your plans when you return home?
My plan is to get my degree in Economics and Business at the University of Amsterdam. The courses are going to be in English so this year abroad has really helped me with my language skills. After I get my bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business, I hopefully will get my masters degree. For my masters degree, I hope I can come back to the states and maybe go to Columbia University.
So you definitely want to come back to the states someday!?
Oh, yeah for sure. I’m hoping to come back for later schooling, but if anything I definitely will come for a vacation for at least a week. I’ll also try and come back to Winthrop. It’s been an amazing year here at Winthrop, and I’m going to miss the people a lot–that’s probably the hardest part about doing international studying, you meet these awesome friends and then you have to say goodbye. All in all, this year has probably been one of the best year’s of my life, so I am for sure going to come back one day.
How do you want to be remembered here at Winthrop?
I want to just be remembered as a cool guy to hang out with, someone that cared about his academics and someone that people want to be around. So I want to be remembered as a friend for life, a brother in the fraternity, and someone they can always count on…especially if they ever want to come over and visit in Amsterdam.