Alumni

Sofieke

Testimonial

Sofieke van Bilsen graduated from Sport Studies - track ISMB in 2018.

There are many people in the alumni network who work at small or large sports companies. They can help me on my journey. Having the right network is essential.

Alumnus - Sport Studies - track ISMB

Where are you from?

'Brabant, but I lived in China for 7 years and currently live in Germany.'

Where did you do your internships?

'I did my first internship at the Anglo-American School of Moscow & St. Petersburg. I organised the CEESA High School Boys Basketball tournament and was also responsible for researching and setting up the registration system. My second internship took place at Osaka Hockey where I was responsible for setting up a promotional team, assisting with sponsorship and setting up a beach-hockey tournament.

During my third internship I worked at the sports & entertainment department of SAP. Me and my colleagues were responsible for selling data analytical systems to sport teams & entertainment platforms like cirque du soleil. During my internship at SAP, I researched entering the esports world, the international sports betting market, and doing every day marketing & communications tasks.'

What did you do after graduation?

'I took a 6 month ‘gap year’ to figure out what I wanted to do. After that I worked at a sports sponsorship agency in Germany for 2 years as social media manager. Photography has always been my hobby and whenever I travelled, I took my camera with me. Two years ago I decided to quit my job and pursue my passion full-time as a freelance photographer. I specialise in sports & travel photography.'

What are you doing now?

'I am a freelance photographer, specialised in sports & travel photography.'

Which Sport Studies skills/lessons do you use on a daily basis?

'Mostly everything we learned during the Entrepreneurship semester, running your own company from finance to marketing. I even had to draw up a business plan for the German Government when I started as a photographer so that came in handy!'

What are you most proud of?

'I think about the step I took from working full-time to going freelance. I also made this decision in the middle of the corona pandemic and whilst living abroad.'

Where do you want to be in 5 years?

'In 5 years time I want to tell impressive sports stories about an athlete or a team through my lens. I want my photos to tell a story through emotion. I hope to have specialised enough in the sports industry to be able to do so.'

What can our alumni network do for you to facilitate this?

'There are many people in the alumni network who work at small or large sports companies. They can help me on my journey. Having the right network is essential.'

Interested in getting in touch with Sofieke? Send her a message via LinkedIn

Photographs made by Sofieke: