Campus Columnists 2026 'happy' and 'in shock'

Pleasantly surprised, unexpected, and honoured. This is how Samir and Marisca describe their win. They will be DUB's campus columnists in 2026, writing in Dutch and English, respectively. The announcement was made on Wednesday afternoon at DUB's well-attended New Year's reception, held at Parnassos bar.

Both winners will receive a 1,000-euro stipend named after Erik Hardeman, a former columnist at DUB and its predecessor in print, Ublad. Hardeman's column, Schreef, in which he took a wicked jab at current university affairs, was well beloved.

Marisca Westerhof, direct nadat ze is uitgeroepen tot de Engelstalige campuscolumnist 2026. Rechts in het blauw de genomineerde Isabella Saccardi. FOTO: DUB

Marisca Westerhof writes "subtly, wittily and powerfully"
"I'm in shock and still processing it," says Marisca, visibly moved after the announcement of her victory, earned thanks to the column My Social Circle has Border Control,  which stood out to the judges for its distinctive style. Marisca's text has a poetic texture: subtle, witty, but very powerful. Her winning column talks about how tense ideologically diverse friendships can be. "Marisca writes with nuance and honesty. She exposes the daily contradictions of our social circles, as well as the near impossibility of going through life with perfect moral clarity. It is a column that stays with you for a long time because it is relevant, highly relatable and perfectly unsettling," DUB's editor-in-chief, Bas Mesters, said at the reception.

Marisca says that publishing a column on DUB every three weeks will be "a big challenge." She made a list of ideas for her campus columnist submission, including a column about group assignments, the topic that earned Samir his win for the Dutch website. "I really identified with Samir's piece," says the English-language winner.

Samir Ben Tühami offers "integrity and vulnerability"
In his winning column, The Group Assignment Lie, Samir explores a situation many students will recognise: getting disappointing at your fellow students during a group assignment. "The university calls it learning to work together. I call it theatre," he writes.

"The judges appreciate Samir's column because he approaches the group assignment dilemma from multiple perspectives, offering a stimulating reflection on this familiar topic," said Mesters. Samir shows a remarkable eye for detail and writes vividly, allowing the reader to picture the situations described. "The column is humorous, has rhythm and doesn't waste a single word, partly through the use of several short sentences. In his second entry, The Difference Between a Laugh and Silence, Samir also offers an honest and vulnerable voice that adds to the public debate, which seems to be hardening by the day."

When asked how he feels about his win, he says: “How do I feel? Well… It’s nice, I’m happy. But I think it still needs to sink in.” He hasn’t planned on what to write next, but has enough frustrating experiences with group assignments for a part two of his winning column. He believes that columnists should never be just negative, and his winning column is an example of that. Readers can expect a similar approach in future columns.

Samir Ben Tühami, winnend campuscolumnist 2026 voor de Nederlandse site, luistert naar het voorlezen van het jury-rapport door hoofdredacteur Bas Mesters

Switching between languages and cultures
One of the most striking things about the results is that someone of international origin will be writing for the Dutch site, and someone with half-Dutch roots will be the columnist for the English page. This reflects how international, diverse and multilingual UU students often are.

Samir studies Spanish Language & Culture at Utrecht University. He works at a library on weekends and cares for his mother during the week. Like his father, she has Moroccan roots and grew up in Spain. Samir enjoys hiking and reading, and is passionate about History and football. The third-year bachelor's student has even written two books combining these two interests, which he hopes to publish someday.

He speaks Spanish, Arabic and English, but chose to write his entry in Dutch. Aged 35, he is also older than most students. After completing high school at the VWO level, which would enable him to enrol in a research university, Samir decided to work instead. After a few years, his mom asked him: “’Why haven’t you done anything with your VWO diploma?’” And that’s how he landed in the Spanish Language and Culture programme. 

The campus columnist for the Dutch page in 2026, Samir Ben Tühami. Photo: DUB

More articulate and witty in English
Marisca Westerhof, the new campus columnist for the English page, is half Filipino, half Dutch and attended an international school. English feels like her first language more so than Dutch. That’s why she decided to compete in the English category, despite speaking both languages. “I feel more eloquent, spontaneous and witty in English. I feel like this witty side of me is lost a little bit in Dutch.”

When not studying or writing, Marisca likes to cook, code the night away, and hopscotch the city’s cafés in search of the best chai latte. She is also passionate about Rocycle, and usually begs her friends to do it with her. One of her friends did accompany her to DUB’s reception for “emotional support.”

The new campus columnist for the English page, Marisca Westerhof. Photo: DUB

The second most popular year for the Campus Columnist Competition
Forty students and staff members have participated in this year's competition, submitting two columns each. Twenty participants wrote their entries in English, and twenty in Dutch. The panel of judges was impressed by the quality of the columns submitted. They focused on topics such as AI and belonging, while others shared personal stories, many writing about their love lives or the lack thereof. The judges first selected six nominees, three for the Dutch page and three for the English page.

The other nominees for the Dutch site were:

Naast winnaar Samir links de genomineerde Sara Niknam en rechts de genomineerde Caitlin Amels. FOTO: DUB

Sara Niknam (23) was the other nominee for the Dutch site. She is doing a Master's degree in Climate Physics at Utrecht University. This was her second nomination. She also participated in 2024, but missed out on the top prize. Despite having lost twice, she is not discouraged. On the contrary, she is proud that the jury has recognised her writing talent and acknowledged the quality of her columns for the second time. All entries were anonymised before being sent to the judges.

Her nominated column, No Debate, No Baudet, Sara pokes fun at “debate fetishists”. She was inspired by the debate that arose at the end of last year, when the far-right politician Thierry Baudet participated in an election debate organised at Utrecht University. The jury described her entry as "a compelling column about a topic that Utrecht University is struggling with. The author approaches the topic differently than anything that has been said before. The language is playful and provocative. She pokes fun at the dilemmas and comes to a very surprising conclusion. The author proves she is capable of connecting personal experiences with broader societal debates."

Caitlin Amel (24) is doing a pre-master's degree in Social Geography & Urban Planning. She will also pursue a two-year master's degree in Education & Communication in February to become a geography teacher. She talked to DUB about her nominated column, Holy Fuck. "I was inspired by my very first one-night stand."

She admits that writing about such an intimate experience was a little nerve-wracking. When she was nominated, she realised that the piece would also be published. She has no regrets, though. "I think all things should be open for discussion." Her grandmother and father, whom she consulted before the submission, also thought it was the right, brave thing to do. The judges found her column honest, straightforward and funny. Though it may not talk about the most socially relevant theme, it is certainly relatable.

The two other nominees for the English page were...

An Emotional Affair on Exchange, by Iren Serbetcioglu, a third-year UCU student, beautifully captures the struggle of considering a new place home while not wanting to betray the place you come from. The judges find that the column powerfully articulates a dilemma many international students face: the emergence of a second home, an adult home. "By presenting this experience as a story of emotional infidelity, the piece creatively and strikingly portrays a deeply recognisable feeling that made a strong impression on us."

Cardboard Trees and Human Thoughts, by Isabella Saccardi, a fifth-year PhD student at the Human-Centred Computing Group, offers a thoughtful and humorous reflection on the relationship between teachers and AI. "While describing everyday experiences, the writer explores the tension between the human and the artificial, between tradition and innovation," the judges find. As the column suggests, it is tempting to seek refuge in what you know (pen and paper), at the risk of becoming obsolete. Yet there is also a curiosity to explore the new. This difficult balance is portrayed with warmth, nuance and subtle humour."

Student perspective
The nominated students who did not win will soon be contributing to a new section called Student POV, along with other students who submitted remarkable columns.

De jury bestond uit zes leden: auteur en Volkskrant-redacteur Joost de Vries, wetenschapshistoricus van de UU en Trouw-columnist Hieke Huistra, UU-promovendus en voormalig DUB-blogger Claudia Ionita, voormalig UU-student en journalist Paola di Stefano, redacteur van DUB Marjorie van Elven en hoofdredacteur van DUB Bas Mesters.