Kevin Fuchs, Field Work Coordinator for Global Studies, has always been an impulsive person. He has taken most life choices with his heart. To start off with his study choice, he did not spent too much time thinking about which programme to choose. “I knew that studying European Studies at Hogeschool Zuyd felt good, so I went with that one.”
His consequent course of life has been one that has been coincidental, and sometimes even random, as well, but that does not make it any less special.
“Part of my studies included an exchange programme, so I decided to go to Mexico. My English had always been really bad, so I knew I didn’t want to go to a country where English is the native language. And I had always had an interest in Latin America.” With that in mind, I was surprised to learn that Kevin did a 2-year master’s degree at the University of Missouri after his bachelor’s degree. “When I was in Mexico, I became friends with someone from Missouri. She convinced me to join her on a trip to Dallas, so at some point we took the bus to Texas. It was a fun time, but I had no intention of ever returning to the US for a longer time.”
“But at some point I was back at Zuyd and I had to start making a choice for my master’s. I liked both International Relations and public administration and was pondering which one to choose. I spoke about this with my friend back in the US and she recommended me to check out the Master of International Affairs and Administration at Missouri State University, where I could combine both my interests in one study programme. Since she got married that year, I attended the wedding and met with the programme director and Dean on campus. My dad joined me and both of us were so excited that I applied – and I was accepted.”
While the US may resemble the Netherlands more than Mexico does, Kevin found it easier to adapt to Mexican life than to American life. “What you see on TV about the US is that it is such a progressive country. But Missouri is not that. I went there in 2008, so Obama had just been elected as the US’s first African-American president, and Missouri was occupied with discussions surrounding the right to abortion and gay marriage – discussions that had already been settled in the Netherlands.”
Kevin graduated during the financial crisis and jobs were not up for grabs. So he decided to return to his beloved Latin America and ended up working at a school in Colombia, where he had spent a month before as a volunteer. After Colombia, he moved back to Mexico and worked in the international education sector for many years. He only recently returned to the Netherlands, and found his dream job – by coincidence.
