Find below the interview of the two Student representatives of the Law department, Sara Schmidt and Valentin Plouchard!
Sara Schmidt
LVC: How was your life before College?
Sara: I finished law school in Munich and decided to work until the start of the College. I spent half of my week at university as an academic assistant and the other half in a law-firm, gaining some practical experience.
LVC: Any secret passion you want to share?
Sara: In Kindergarten I wanted to become first a soldier, and then a weather forecaster because they wear very nice dresses. Then, since I was five, I decided, that I want to become a lawyer. I admit the movie Legally blond had some contribution to that decision! Now, after studying law, I actually reconsider joining the military sector…
LVC: What’s the most important fight for you as student rep?
Sara: One of the experiences we all have as law student is the competitiveness among the students. As rep’, my goal is to maintain and pursue the solidarity that has been there since day one by helping each other sharing notes, keeping the dropbox updated, getting in touch with previous students to get as many information on the exams that we can have… Anything that can make our lives easier. At the end of the year, most of us will return to their home state as lawyers: I don’t see why competitiveness should diminish the fun of the life at the College!
LVC: What is a good student rep in your opinion?
Sara: A good student rep is for me a person that is trustworthy, motivated, and has the courage to open their mouth to be critical. It’s a person that students can rely on, that will bring up the problems to the administration and get it done. A student rep will tell you “this is an important issue, let me handle it for you”!
Valentin Plouchard
LVC: How was your life before College? Give us a fun fact about yourself!
Valentin: Before the College, I did my five years law studies in Aix-en-Provence, France. I then completed a traineeship at the Liaison Office of the Council of Europe for five months and came after here. Since almost the beginning of my studies, I have been part of ELSA, the European Law student association. I don’t know if it’s a fun fact as my public speaking skills are apparently quite recognised here, but before the College and when I started law school, I was so shy that I couldn't even go the cafeteria to order coffee. I changed quite a lot!
LVC: Any secret passion you want to share?
Valentin: One of my real hobbies is gardening: when I left my home for the College, I took some seeds that I’m now growing in my room in Oude Zak. At the end of the year, I intent to plant them in the garden of my residence as a legacy of the Hannah Arendt promotion.
LVC: What’s the most important thing for you as student rep?
Valentin: To ensure that the voice of the students is recognised before the institution and the administration of the College. It's an ongoing project!
LVC: What is a good student rep in your opinion?
Valentin: It’s more about listening to the others: always looking around and knowing what’s going on, how people feel, what they want. If you bear struggles that people do not ask for it, is absolutely pointless.