With great regret we heard that our student Yanick Verkerk passed away on the 13th of February 2020 at the age of 23. Yanick received surgery and treatment after the first time he was diagnosed with cancer in December 2017. Initially he recovered well and resumed his studies. Sadly, the disease returned in 2019 and this time the treatment was to no avail.
Yanick started as a student in September 2014 at our university in the University College Twente bachelor programme Technology and Liberal Arts & Sciences (ATLAS). Here he was an enthusiastic and motivated student. Yanick was an active and central part of the ATLAS community, and it was no surprise he joined the 3rd board of the ATLAS student association Atlantis. Even after leaving ATLAS, Yanick remained active in the ATLAS community as a member of the Atlantis Advisory Body and Board, Atlantis Lustrum Committee and a consistent presence at Expo’s and Graduations.
During his bachelor studies Yanick became interested to proceed in the master Sustainable Energy Technology (SET). He started this master in September 2017 and worked with drive and motivation. Despite the fall backs due to his disease, appearing first in the second quartile of his first year in SET, his progress was good. He completed successfully 45 out of 60 EC of the first year programme, 10 EC of the 15 EC elective courses of the second year and his internship at the community council of Amsterdam. He planned to complete his course program and to do subsequently his master thesis assignment in the USA. Unfortunately, this could not be.
We remember Yanick as a very gentle person, always polite, thoughtful and kind. He was motivated to contribute to a sustainable society and had wonderful plans to achieve this by means of his studies.
We feel shocked and sad with the loss of Yanick, and we want to offer our condolences to his parents, family, friends, and loved ones.
prof. dr. Geert Dewulf (Dean Engineering Technology).
dr.ir. Marjolein Dohmen-Janssen (Vice-Dean Education Engineering Technology)
dr.ir. Jim Kok (Programme Director SET)
Study Association Isaac Newton (ME/SET)
Prof. dr. Jennifer Herek (Former Dean of ATLAS)
dr.ir. Jasper Homminga (acting Programme Director ATLAS)
Study Association Atlantis (ATLAS)
