Silvia Hamersma is a freelance coach and trainer with a heart for higher education. Her attention is mainly focused on creating a context in which both students and teacher can fully develop their potential.
Her strength lies in creating a safe and inclusive environment in which teachers and student feel at home, in which they connect with each other and have an optimal learning experience. Teaching is about lighting a fire, enthusiasm and transferring passion for the field of education. She believes in the responsibility and self-direction of student and coaches them to get in touch with their own talents and wishes in order to reach the desired goals.  She is convinced the student already has all the potential he/she needs to reach the desired results in a way that suits the student. After all, every student has his/her own unique story, both in the challenges (such as high expectations or a first-generation student) and resources (such as personal qualities and a network).
Silvia has experience with self-directing teams and can support with processes concerning creating a team, creating a vision, cooperation, group dynamic processes and communication. She also has an eye for (starting) teachers and coaches them in reaching their ambitions whilst maintaining selfcare and vitality.
Silvia graduated as a sociologist and is an internationally certified NLP trainer. She has worked as a teacher, researcher and coach at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam for 10 years. Here she coordinated SLB and taught various courses about change management and society.
She also worked together with the lectorates of Youth Spot and Cultural and Social Dynamics. In this role she facilitated the ‘research workplace’ within the minor Youth work in the Big City; a dynamic environment where student, youth workers, teachers and researchers worked together to develop a method. Her favorite part of her job was coaching student to successfully and independently complete their study. For this she used her core qualities: empathy, no nonsense, passion and enthusiasm.