Stern von Klot | Faces of FEB

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The Faculty of Economics and Business is a faculty with a great diversity of people who all have an impact, big or small, on science and society. But who are these people? Within ‘Faces of FEB’ we connect with different students, staff members and researchers of the faculty and give a little peek into their world. This week: Stern von Klot, the International Ambassador of EBF.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hello, I’m Stern and I am a second year IB student. I am 23 years old and I am from Vienna, Austria. I already moved to the Netherlands before starting my study, back then I was working in Amsterdam. However, then Groningen “called me” and I went off to discover this new city and life. One of my biggest passions is that I love getting to know new places and cultures. Throughout exchanges (US, England) as well as a lot of traveling (Madagascar, Mexico), I try to really take my time in getting to know a place with all the culture it holds.

2. It’s diversity month at FEB. What does diversity mean to you?

Diversity means for me going beyond tolerating people but trying my best in working together but mostly offering a space (in businesses but also in society) to marginalized people. Because only by incorporating people from different ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, physical abilities I believe we can try to tackle issues more efficiently, such as the climate crisis. But also, as a business student it is of such importance to me to always hold myself accountable for the actions I will do/have done within businesses and how they affect each and everyone in the world.

3. How does diversity play a role in your studies and in your student life?

As a white, cis woman I hold so many privileges that as mentioned before, with the roles I hold with the EBF, I hold myself accountable by trying my utmost best to create a space where we can listen and learn from experiences made by marginalized people. I can see the study being very international, but I am still missing the FEB going the step further to not only tolerate but include everyone in the conversation of diversity.

4. You’re EBF’s International Ambassador; what does this position entail?

Since the beginning of this year (January 2021), I am working together with the EBF to work on how to further internationalize the association. We will try to find new ways of showing internationals what a benefit it can be to join the EBF. From my point of view, I have talked to a lot of international students and since student associations aren’t as common in other countries as they are in the Netherlands, I would love for them to see how enriching the experience is of being part of the EBF. On top of that, I also love to share with internationals some tips/places I have in the Netherlands and Groningen. Last year I did, through monthly blogs in the EBF newsletter.

5. Could you share your best practices for maintaining a safe and inclusive space with us?

To be honest, I think stepping back and using the privileges I hold to uplift others is the most important step. Nobody can do this by themselves and I think that focusing on representation really matters. At the same time an inclusive space means it is not enough to tolerate others, we need to stand together and uplift those that don’t have a strong voice yet, to make every single student feel comfortable and safe on campus and everywhere else. Tolerating is not enough, we need to start seeing the importance of valuing diversity at its core.