Qionah spent most of her life in Curaçao and has always loved sport. She played many different sports growing up, including volleyball, kickboxing, tennis and softball. Besides sport, she is also passionate about the arts – especially photography.

After finishing high school, she thought about studying photography. But as a true athlete, she wanted to learn more about the world of sport. That’s when she chose Sport Studies – track ISMB. We spoke to Qionah about her journey.

Going back home for her second-year internship

‘For my second-year internship, I returned to Curaçao to work with the national sport federation Fundashon Desaroyo Deportivo Korsou. It was a great opportunity to learn about the business side of sport in my own country.

My day-to-day tasks helped me to set up systems in place and increase participation of the local youth. I made sure the community became aware of all the local sport opportunities and that necessary sport equipment was provided. I also made sure there were enough people to organise the sport activities and I created a manual for the implementation phase.’ 

Making an impact at Let’s Keep the Ball Flying

‘Right now, I’m doing my internship at Let’s Keep the Ball Flying, a non-profit sport development organisation based in the Netherlands. They also support projects in countries like Greece, Tanzania, and Lebanon.

I am creating a manual for all parties involved and setting up meetings with the refugee centres to find locations for the pilot programme. I am also busy with finding volunteers and doing desk research. For my field research I am participating and assisting in volleyball training sessions to get a better understanding of what refugees want and need when it comes to sport activities.’ 

Graduation research – Sport and integration 

‘My graduation research focuses on the integration of refugees through sport participation with the help of refugee centres and the local municipalities. I am evaluating how the sport programmes in the refugee centres can have a positive impact on the integration process of the refugees and how the entities involved, play a role.'

Why she chose sport for development

‘Coming from a family of baseball players, I experienced firsthand how much positive impact sport can have on your life. Playing sports was such a big part of my childhood and brought me so much joy, I wanted to create the same joy for others. That is why I chose internships that would introduce me to the ins and outs of sport development and give me a better perspective of what it would be like to work in this field. After my graduation I will definitely continue exploring my place in sport for development. How and where exactly, I do not know yet.’ 

Highlights of the programme

‘I cannot choose one, there were many. However, I think the best ones must be the people I met and the opportunities and support I got to step out of the box. For example, during my third study year, I got the chance to explore other personal interests: I chose a photography minor which also opened doors to create and curate my own photography exhibition as an elective credit assignment.’ 

Qionah’s tip for new students

‘Be open to the experience, even the ones that you feel are pointless. Take all the opportunities you get to make the experience your own. It will go faster than you can imagine, but it will be a great 4 years if you just go for it.’ 

Excited?

Curious if Sport Studies is the right fit for you? Come and experience it for yourself! Get a feel for the programme, ask all your questions and see if this is the study for you.