John Malkoun | Face of FEB
The Faculty of Economics and Business is a faculty with great diversity of people. But who are these people? Within ‘Faces of FEB’ we talk to different students of the faculty and give a little peek into the world of these FEB students. This week: John Malkoun, who is currently a board member of Quest.
Written by Jessica Paas
Could you tell me a little bit about yourself?
Yes, I am John, I am someone that values hard work and equal rights for everyone. I originally come from Lebanon, Beirut, where I did my bachelor’s degree and now I am studying the Master Marketing Intelligence. Also, I am part of the FEB Career Services Team.
So you did you Bachelor's degree in Lebanon? What kind of programme did you do there?
It was Business Administration!
Why did you decide to do your masters degree in another country?
Because my bachelor's degree was very general. When I finished the programme I worked for 2 years and I was also active in some student movements. However, at one point I decided my Bachelor wasn’t enough anymore and I decided I really wanted to do something that I liked, which was Marketing Intelligence.
How did you find out this master existed?
I actually looked online for programme’s and compared them between different cities. Then I made an excel sheet, with scores on factors such as ‘quality of education’, ‘living style’ and the different courses. Then I decided the Master Marketing Intelligence was the best answer for me.
And do you like it so far? Is it what you expected?
Yes I like it very much. I did not really had expectations beforehand, because I am here with a purpose which is getting my master’s degree. However, at the same time I like to work and be active as I am in the Quest board. I really wanted to do more than one thing. And the amazing thing is that I met people with so many different backgrounds and this would have never happened if I stayed in the country I was. This is why traveling is both a privilege but also something to be grateful for.
And you are now in the board of Quest right?
Yes
What is Quest exactly?
Quest links students and directors so they can meet and discuss ways to improve the different programmes of the Faculty of Economics and Business.
And what is your role within this board?
So basically how it works is that the different departments are the roles of the board. So for example, I am in charge of marketing and we divide all the programs offered by the university between ourselves. This means I am managing 7 programmes, mainly master degrees, that all have their own group of Year Representatives. These are students within a programme that meet with the directors and discuss ways to improve the programme.
So Quest consists out of year representatives and the board?
Yes! I actually started as a Year Representative as well. For my pre-MSc Marketing I discussed ways in which we could improve the pre-Msc Marketing.
If someone would like to become a Year Representative, what do you advise them to do?
Just apply! We are not recruiting anymore, but at the beginning of next year I really recommend students to get out of their comfort zone and do more than just studying. The advantage of Quest is that you do not have to prepare a lot of things, you just need to attend meetings that are once per block. The programmes that we are following now are outputs of feedback of previous years. So you have an impact and you get active. Quest is a simple way of doing something important.
Do you have any future plans?
Well, I want to start working in what I am specialized in, which is marketing intelligence. I am someone that follows opportunities, so I want to find a job where I can learn and then we will see where it goes.
| Last modified: | 31 January 2021 3.49 p.m. |