Oclaya Sophia Verwey
Oclaya Sophia Verwey is from Surinam, South America. Her background is in geology. She has been working for the Surinam Water Company for one and half years. She started with a project on hydrological assessment of the groundwater aquifers in the coastal areas of Surinam.
Oclaya Sophia Verwey is from Surinam, South America. Her background is in geology. She has been working for the Surinam Water Company for one and half years. She started with a project on hydrological assessment of the groundwater aquifers in the coastal areas of Surinam. The consultants on the project trained Oclaya for ten months, and so she learned a lot during this time.
One of the main problems in Surinam is that the groundwater is being salinized, due to over pumping. At the moment the Surinam Water Company is investigating the pumping stations. Another problem is a lack of water supply to rural areas of Surinam.
When Oclaya graduated from the University she wanted to pursue a career in groundwater. When she googled Master of Science in water resources, IHE Delft popped up and so she started following IHE Delft. Last year, she came to IHE Delft for a short course financed by her employer. In that period the SIDS scholarship started, and so Oclaya applied for the year 2017. She had a choice between the Erasmus Mundus and SIDS scholarship, but she decided to apply for the SIDS scholarship.
Why she choose IHE Delft over other Institutes: ‘’At IHE Delft everything is combined in one programme: the scientific and engineering part. It matched my expectations.’’
Oclaya about why she studies in the field of water:
Water is my world, water should be the new world language. Everybody should understand what water is about. Every country has challenges and issues with water.
About studying at IHE Delft: ‘’The teaching style is challenging. You need to keep up. It was really easy to get to know other students. From the first time we met, we had a link together.’’
When Oclaya finishes her study she would like to contribute to solving challenges in her country and be able to understand these challenges better to find the most appropriate solutions. She would like to transfer the skills and knowledge she learned at IHE Delft to others.
On life in Delft: “Delft is different from other part of the Netherlands, it is a student city. I like the historic buildings.’’
Interested?
IHE Delft offers two new Master of Science programmes: the MSc in Water and Sustainable Development and the Research MSc in Water and Sustainable Development. Furthermore, IHE Delft is involved in joint MSc Programmes offered with partner institutes.
