THE BOARD
Board 2025/2026
Tanhya Haenen
Chairwoman
Hey lovelies!
My name is Tanhya and this year I will be the chair of SDF! I am a third year bachelor Animal Sciences student. I was born in Suriname and lived there for 19 years until I moved to the Netherlands to study. I really enjoy doing digital art, painting and drawing. I also really like gaming, singing and video editing.
Of course, my biggest hobby has always been dancing!
I have been dancing pretty much all my life, starting as a classically trained ballet dancer, which I did for 16 years, and I taught myself open style and more advanced contemporary styles. My favorite dance styles are lyrical and commercial open style!
I’ve been a part of the SDF for two years when I started studying at WUR, and I’ve been a WDC member and team captain for 1.5 years.
This is why I also wanted to do a board year, as I absolutely love the association and want to better it in any way I can. I am looking forward to working on the creative build up of the association, keeping the socials active, giving our members lots of new merch and I want to make this association just as much about friendship and socializing as it is about dance. As Chair I want to keep the association running smoothly and organized, expanding the association while keeping everything fun as well.
I would love to get to know all our members and I am super excited to dance with you all! We will make this a fancy, fabulous and fun year.
Ayumie Pathirana
Secretary
Hi dancers!
My name is Ayumie, and I am the secretary of the SDF for the 2025-2026 academic year! I am a second year Animal Sciences bachelor’s student. I am Sri Lankan, and I have lived in different places in my childhood (including the Netherlands!). In addition to dance, I really enjoy writing, cooking and going out with friends.
I have danced most my life, from performing traditional Sinhala dances, to taking hiphop and commercial classes. This is my second year in the SDF, and I’ve found that it really reignited my passion for dancing within a community, hence why I’ve joined the board this year.
For this coming year, I hope to increase member participation, and be as transparent as possible, so the members know what we, as the board, are doing to change and improve the association. As the secretary, I am in charge of a lot of communication and organisation with members and other parties, so I’d like to make sure that all our communication is clear and efficient 🙂
I’m always available for feedback/suggestions with how the board can improve in our positions! You can always send us an email (I practically live in our email inbox these days), or contact me in any other way.
Hopefully this year will make the association better for all of us involved. Happy dancing!
Justin Schouten
Treasurer
Hi guys!
My name’s Justin and I will be SDF’s treasurer for this academic year!
I am currently a third year’s Bachelor’s student in Nutrition and Health, was born and raised here in the Netherlands and I have been dancing for 3 years now, mostly at SDF actually! I enjoy doing hip-hop styles the most (old school, new style, locking, waacking, popping/tutting), but I’m not afraid to try other styles as well, like modern/contemporary, ballet, commercial, African dance, etc. Outside of dance, you can catch me in the wild with my headphones on listening to my favourite R&B songs and doing other sports like (beach)volleyball and fitness. At home, I like to spend my time cooking/baking delicious foods and chilling out to music.
I’m very excited to fulfill the role of treasurer within the board this year! As an analytical person, I hope to do a good job at managing SDF financially by keeping up-to-date with cash flows and a bit of analyzing with sheets. One of my goals for this year is making everyone feel heard. All voices and opinions matter, and as a board, we would like to include your opinions in our decision-making.
At SDF, I noticed my love and passion for dance could really thrive in an environment that feels so safe and warm, which meant a lot to me when I first joined the association. Therefore, I hope to share this welcoming feeling that I have received before also with you. 🙂
So come have a chat with me in or out of class, whether for a fun talk or for questions. I’ll be happy to help you. Cheers!
Catriona Trager
Commissioner of affairs
Hi everyone!
My name is Catriona and I will be the commissioner of affairs this year!
I have been dancing since I was 4 years old. I started with ballet which I did for about 14 years and I also did 5 years of modern/contemporary before coming to Wageningen. Once I got here I took a break from dancing for about 3 years but joined SDF last year after realizing how much I missed it. Since joining the association I have started to love commercial and hip-hop.
Currently, I am a second year food technology master’s student and this is my fifth year here. I am Dutch/American and I grew up in Groningen. In my free time I love to read, watch tv and craft (mainly knitting and crocheting). I had so much fun being part of the lustrum committee last year which is why I decided to join the board.
As commissioner of affairs I am in charge of making the teaching schedule and sending out the sign-up sheet each week. I also communicate events and I am the contact for the different committees in our association. During my time on the board I want to create a fun, safe and open environment for our members. I also want to create a space where our members can meet each other and become friends.
If you have any questions or want to talk about committees or anything else feel free to text me or talk to me in class.
I hope you all have fun this year and see you on Wednesdays!